More than 500 participants from 35 countries, the launch of the EOSC Federation’s operational phase, and discussions on data sovereignty, artificial intelligence and the future of European research infrastructures – these were among the highlights of EOSC Symposium 2026, held in Florence from 14 to 16 October. The Czech Republic was also strongly represented: Czech experts actively contributed to the professional programme, while EOSC Node Czechia was presented at its own exhibition booth.
This year’s Symposium, held under the theme Connecting users, data, and services, took place just a few days after the EOSC Federation entered its operational phase. The first 14 operational Nodes, including EOSC Node Czechia, now offer a total of 124 services. After years of preparation, the European environment connecting research data, services and infrastructures is becoming a reality.
This transition also brings new questions. How can the Federation’s long-term sustainability be ensured? How can the transition to the operational phase be simplified for additional Nodes? How can data openness be balanced with the need for protection and controlled access? And how can FAIR data support the development of trustworthy artificial intelligence? Data sovereignty, access governance and AI readiness were among the topics that featured prominently in Florence.
The discussions also showed that the success of EOSC will not depend on technology alone. Cooperation across research communities, stable funding and, above all, the ability to offer researchers services that genuinely make their work easier will be crucial.
The Czech Republic had a strong presence at the Symposium, with a total of 32 Czech participants representing institutions involved in the development of EOSC, including Masaryk University, CESNET, IT4Innovations, the National Library of Technology and the Czech Academy of Sciences.
A key part of the Czech presentation was the dedicated EOSC Node Czechia booth, which attracted considerable interest from visitors throughout the Symposium. They were able to learn more about the Czech approach to building a national Node, its services and activities, and its involvement in the EOSC Federation.
The Czech Node was also presented during the closing programme, which gave space to the coordinators of the second wave of EOSC Nodes. Earlier in the Symposium, Luděk Matyska (CESNET, Masaryk University), Coordinator of EOSC Node Czechia, presented the development and benefits of the Czech Node in a session focused on operational experience from EOSC Nodes. The Czech Node builds on the foundations of e-INFRA CZ and the development of the National Data Infrastructure.
“In Florence, it was clear that EOSC is no longer just a vision but is beginning to become a functioning European infrastructure. I am pleased that the Czech Republic is part of this development and that we can contribute to the Federation with the experience and new approaches we have gained while building e-INFRA CZ and the National Data Infrastructure,” says Luděk Matyska (CESNET, Masaryk University).
Czech participation extended well beyond the presentation of the national Node. Michal Med (CESNET) contributed to the professional programme with a focus on semantic interoperability, Vojtěch Bystrý (CEITEC MU) addressed the secure use of sensitive omics data through the OmiCZ repository, and Martin Golasowski (IT4Innovations) discussed the development of skills and competencies for the use of AI tools in data science.
The Czech contributions thus covered several key areas of current EOSC development and demonstrated that the experience of Czech research institutions has much to offer the wider European expert community.
Three days of discussions in Florence confirmed that EOSC is entering a new phase. Alongside the continued expansion of the Federation, the focus will now increasingly be on its practical use, long-term sustainability and ability to respond to researchers’ needs.
As Klaus Tochtermann, President of the EOSC Association, emphasised in his closing remarks, the challenge for the coming year will be to demonstrate that researchers can use the EOSC Federation to solve problems that would otherwise be impossible to address.
The next EOSC Symposium will take place in Kraków, Poland, in 2027.
Photo: Secretariat EOSC CZ
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