EOSC EDEN and FIDELIS advance digital preservation and curation in Europe
The European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) is an ambitious European initiative that aims to give the EU a global lead in research data management and ensure that European scientists enjoy the full benefits of data-driven science. Two new EU-funded projects, EOSC EDEN and FIDELIS, coordinated by CSC – IT Center for Science started 1 January 2025.
Over 30 European and international organisations participate in these projects (01/2025 –12/2027) and will contribute to the EOSC endeavor by advancing and harmonising digital preservation and data curation practices and services in Europe, upskilling the key actors in the area and establishing a network of trustworthy digital repositories to consolidate their position in Europe.
The EOSC will impact science and economy in Europe
Due to its potential for Finnish research and innovation, CSC has been actively involved in the EOSC from its inception. CSC has established an EOSC Programme at CSC and strengthened the national EOSC coordination by launching the national stakeholder network EOSC Finnish Forum together with the Ministry of Education and Culture, Research Council of Finland and the Federation of Finnish Learned Societies.
“The EOSC EDEN and FIDELIS projects are an excellent opportunity for CSC to advance trustworthy data repositories and archives in Europe and steer their future positioning in the EOSC. The projects also help us in bringing the Finnish partners, Tampere University and Finnish Social Science Data Archive, and the other Nordic partners involved in the projects (The Arctic University of Norway, CESSDA ERIC, Sikt – Norwegian Agency for Shared Services in Education) at the forefront of European developments in digital preservation and curation” said Sara Garavelli, EOSC Programme Manager, CSC – IT Center for Science and EOSC Association Director.
FIDELIS to Establish a European Network of Trustworthy Digital Repositories
The FIDELIS project (grant agreement nr. 101188078) will harmonise the definition of what makes a digital repository trustworthy in the context of the EOSC and provide a framework for repositories to support each other not only in becoming but remaining trustworthy and FAIR-enabling (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) over time.
Early in the project lifecycle, FIDELIS will establish a European network of FAIR-enabling trustworthy digital repositories that will live on after the project finishes and represent its member repositories to key stakeholders on important matters (e.g. policies and funding). Furthermore, FIDELIS will upskill repositories and expand the emerging network through a vibrant training, engagement and support programme that includes cascading grants for repositories to implement the solutions delivered by the project.
“FIDELIS represents a significant step forward in ensuring the long-term sustainability and trustworthiness of digital repositories within the European Open Science Cloud. By harmonising standards, fostering interoperability, and building a resilient network of trustworthy repositories, FIDELIS will lay a solid foundation for preserving Europe’s research data assets for generations to come. This initiative not only strengthens EOSC’s capacity to support data-driven science but also reinforces CSC’s commitment to advancing open science practices on a European and global scale,” said Damien Lecarpentier, FIDELIS Coordinator and Director of International Collaboration and Partnerships Unit at CSC.
EOSC EDEN to Enhance Digital Preservation Strategies at European and National Level
The EOSC EDEN project (grant agreement nr.101188015) will create a framework to identify what data are candidates for digital preservation based on the assessment of the usage of data and, its quality and benefits to science and society. It will also develop a model for re-appraisal of data and test its usability with relevant communities and develop tools and services to automate certain preservation actions. EOSC EDEN training and outreach activities aim at engaging relevant communities in testing and validating the project outcomes and raising awareness for the benefits of digital preservation and temporal aspects of FAIR data.
“EOSC EDEN is a great opportunity for EOSC to build common practices, processes and tools to preserve research data for future generations. Preservation can be a complicated task, but it can also be structured to smaller tasks and performed by automated workflows. This can significantly ease the workload of preservation and curation activities. We at CSC produce Finnish national Digital Preservation Service for Research Data and now as an active member of the EOSC EDEN consortium, we can strengthen digital preservation competences in Finland and align the national services with the EOSC recommendations. Hopefully we can also share our expertise with other consortium members,” said Kimmo Koivunen, Director of Cultural Heritage and Research Data Lifecycle Management Unit at CSC.
Two projects, a common goal
EOSC EDEN and FIDELIS have been crafted to be complementary to each other. They will feed each other with regards to collecting user requirements for digital preservation and FAIR-enabling frameworks and services. They will engage relevant stakeholders through training and support actions and contribute to the establishment and further development of a European Network of FAIR-enabling Trustworthy Digital Repositories.
The collaboration is facilitated by six partners (DANS, UiT, UESSEX, DKRZ, UBEMEN, SIB) that, in addition to the coordinator, are involved in both projects.
Together EOSC EDEN and FIDELIS will enhance the reuse of research data in Europe and beyond.
What is EOSC?
The EOSC is a European joint endeavour to create a Web of FAIR data and services for science in Europe. It will offer a federated virtual environment where researchers can find, share, process, analyse and reuse FAIR research outputs across borders and scientific disciplines.
The EOSC is considered as a key enabler for Open Science. It is also part of the European strategy for data and one of the Common European Data Spaces that are intended to unleash the potential of data-driven innovation and make more data available in different thematic fields.