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Dear readers,
Some decisions in science deliver results almost immediately. The significance of others may not become apparent for years, or even decades. How can we preserve data today that may prove irreplaceable for future research? What rules should be put in place to ensure that research findings can be safely reused? And how should the European infrastructure designed to facilitate this work for researchers operate?
The October edition of our newsletter focuses on precisely these questions, whose answers will shape research in the years to come. We will bring you the latest developments in the expansion of the EOSC Federation, discussions on the long-term preservation of research data, and new tools and methodologies being developed in the Czech Republic. We will also take a look at the day-to-day work of researchers and data stewards, where even seemingly minor decisions can have a significant impact on how data can be reused in the future.
We hope you enjoy reading and find inspiration for your next research endeavours.
The EOSC CZ Team
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Help select research projects that will receive financial support. We are looking for experts from a range of research fields to evaluate mini-projects submitted under the Open Science II project. Relevant expertise includes biomedicine, materials science, data infrastructure, artificial intelligence, as well as the social sciences and humanities.
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The EOSC Node Czechia, EGI, and GÉANT nodes have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), joining the 13 existing signatories of the EOSC Federation. This grants them full membership of the interim governance structures and the opportunity to help shape the Federation’s technical, organisational, and operational rules. The Czech node contributes, in particular, secure environments for sensitive data, federated AI services, Galaxy tools, and Czech data repositories.
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EOSC Symposium 2026 in Florence welcomed more than 500 participants from 35 countries, marking a pivotal moment for European open science. The EOSC Federation has now entered full operation, with 14 nodes and 124 services. The Czech EOSC CZ initiative also had a strong presence at the symposium, both through the EOSC Node Czechia stand and the active participation of Czech experts in the scientific programme.
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Some research data capture phenomena and conditions that will never be possible to observe again. How can we ensure that science does not lose access to these data and can continue to benefit from them decades from now? These questions were also discussed at the ESFRI Stakeholder Forum held in Cork, Ireland, in September. Experts also highlighted the chronic underfunding and fragmentation of research data management, as well as barriers to the use of data across disciplines. The discussions therefore also addressed the role of EOSC and the need for closer cooperation between European research infrastructures.
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Artificial intelligence is already helping data stewards with tasks such as creating documentation and planning research data management. Practical demonstrations of how AI can be used were among the topics discussed at the sixth meeting of the data steward community, held in Prague on 17 September. The programme also explored experiences from Portugal, Austria, and Poland, and opened up a discussion on publishing negative research results.
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From botanical and zoological collections to toxicological data and microbiological collections, the first in-person meeting of the Environmental Sciences Working Group, held in Prague on 23–24 September, showcased discipline-specific repositories under development as part of the EOSC CZ initiative. The 36 participants also discussed practical experience in research data management, the involvement of data stewards, and opportunities for further collaboration between research institutions.
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What happens to research data when it remains only in a lab notebook or on a single computer? Anastasiia Prytuliak from the J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences is helping to build DANTEc, a repository for materials science designed to make research findings easier to reuse and foster collaboration with industry. In the interview, she also talks about life in Japan, Ukrainian ingenuity, and the connection between science and yoga.
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Well-planned research data management does not have to mean more paperwork; on the contrary, it saves time and makes collaboration between teams easier. Klára Kosová from the Faculty of Social Sciences at Charles University works on the INTERFER project as both a researcher and a data steward. This dual role gives her insight into data management from both perspectives. She explains what is important to consider at the very start of a research project, how to avoid unnecessary complications, and where open science meets the limits imposed by sensitive data protection and the need to ensure the safety of research participants.
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Moving hundreds of gigabytes or terabytes of research data between institutions no longer has to involve complex tool configuration or command-line work. The new Onedata service, presented at the CESNET Conference 2026, brings data from different storage systems together in a single environment. It makes it easier for research teams to work with large datasets, manage access permissions, and transfer data to computational resources. The service is now available for e-INFRA CZ users to try out.
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New manual helps institutions develop research data policies (CZ)
How should rules for managing, sharing, and protecting research data be established? The new Manual for Preparing an Institutional Data Policy provides research institutions with practical guidance and a template for creating their own data policies in line with open science principles. Radka Římanová also presented the document and its potential applications at the 2026 Summer School for Data Stewards. In addition to the manual itself, a recording of her training session and the accompanying presentation are available.
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The new document Copyrights and Licences explores licensing issues related to depositing data in a repository. It explains the concept of dual licensing and demonstrates how to use standardised Creative Commons licences. The document also clarifies key terms, outlines the legal protection of research data, and answers frequently asked questions.
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A scientific paper or documentation may not always be available alongside a dataset. A README file therefore serves as a concise guide, explaining the data’s content, structure, how they were generated, and the conditions for their further use. A group of data stewards from the Czech community has developed a general-purpose README template, available on GitHub, and is working on expanding it to include discipline-specific versions. Others interested in contributing to their development are also welcome to get involved.
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We bring you a recording of a recent webinar.
You can find the full range of training courses on the EOSC CZ Training Centre website. Recordings of past training sessions are available to watch on the EOSC Czech Republic YouTube channel.
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A complete learning path focused on the practical use of the EOSC EU Node is now available. It guides you through the platform’s environment and services, helping you learn how to use them in your research. After completing all the learning modules, you can earn a digital badge. Find out more about the EOSC EU Node and its learning platform in the article.
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Tips on further training
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Tue 27 Oct
A webinar organised by the LIBER Association will open up a discussion on the role of research libraries in connecting researchers with the EOSC initiative and how they can be supported in this role.
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Wed 4 Nov
A webinar organised by the EGI Federation on the open RI-SCALE call will explain how new use cases can contribute to and benefit from the development of the RI-SCALE ecosystem and outline the application process.
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Wed 18 Nov
A presentation by the EGI Federation will explore how AI and RI-SCALE platforms can be used to discover, access, and analyse bioimaging data.
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Fri 20 Nov
The final online workshop in the SSH Open Marketplace series will focus on CESSDA services, tools, and standards, as well as best practices for managing, documenting, and sharing social science data in line with the FAIR principles and ethical guidelines.
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How can you get involved in real scientific research? Come along to our practical citizen science workshops and help researchers study distant galaxies, map landscape features that help retain water, or create maps for humanitarian organisations. At four activity stations, you’ll have the chance to try out different forms of citizen science and discover projects you can continue to contribute to after the workshop. Choose one of the following dates: 3, 9, or 12 November 2026.
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