WP6 - Interoperability

WP6 will design and promote interoperability mechanisms across domains and institutions and foster global alignment of FAIR frameworks,to support the implementation of FAIR-enabling practices, tools and services across scientific communities and across research outputs at a European, national, and institutional level.  

 

WP6 will review, design and promote interoperability mechanisms across domains and institutions and foster global alignment of FAIR frameworks in line with the four layers of interoperability presented in the article ‘EOSC Interoperability Framework’ (EOSC IF):

  • Technical interoperability
  • Semantic interoperability
  • Organisational interoperability
  • Legal interoperability

A complete legal framework facilitating technical interoperability from the data layer to the organisational layer have been identified as persistent issues in the EOSC IF. 

The work in WP6 is structured by tasks focusing on semantic and technical interoperability mechanisms (Task 6.1 Semantic and Technical core interoperability across domains) as well as legal and organisational interoperability across domains (Task 6.2 Legal and Organisational interoperability). Additionally, the work package will foster alignments with global and non-scientific large data infrastructures to promote FAIR for interoperability (Task 6.3 Interoperability within the EOSC ecosystem). 

WP6 depends heavily on the work carried out by other work packages on persistent identifiers (WP3), metadata and ontologies (WP4), and metrics, certification and guidelines (WP5). Close cooperation and sharing of knowledge across work packages will be key to success.  

Key tasks

Task 6.1 Semantic and Technical core interoperability across domains - main activities:

  • Analysis and demonstration of semantic and technical interoperability in use cases across multiple domains
  • Generation of guidelines about usage of the components identifies in the EOSC Interoperability Framework
  • Implementation and deployment of components identified in the EOSC IF

This task will take into account:

  1. Recommendations for technical and semantic interoperability made by the EOSC IF;
  2. Updates to recommendations proposed by the ongoing EOSC Association Task Force on Semantic Interoperability;
  3. Components and services identified in the European Interoperability Reference Architecture as extension to the EOSC IF;
  4. Recommendations deriving from WPs 3-5;
  5. Ongoing and future developments made by other related projects, with special attention to EOSC Future (Technical Coordination Board, Technical Working Groups) and to the related project FAIRCORE4EOSC

 

Task 6.2 Legal and Organisational interoperability - main activities:

  • Solutions and recommendations in relation to organisational and legal interoperability in various contexts (national, European and international: UNESCO, OECD, WIPO).
  • Integration of use case partners and other stakeholders to provide key documents and recommendations for legal interoperability and organisational interoperability frameworks building on work from FAIRsFAIR, RDA and elsewhere.

 

Task 6.3 Interoperability within the EOSC ecosystem  - main activities:

  • Foster alignment between frameworks  (e.g. data sharing practices being proposed in the context of European data spaces - including open and private data management) as well as  industrial data management frameworks
  • Strengthen the collaboration with EOSC Association Task Forces supporting FAIR interoperability uptake via cross community best practice recommendations, thus feeding into the next SRIA.
  • Collaboration and coordination with a series of EOSC-related projects and groups working on EOSC interoperability from different perspectives e.g. EOSC Future and other projects focusing on global cooperation on FAIR data policy and practice

 

Key expected outcomes

WP6 will strive to deliver outcomes that will enhance interoperability on technical, semantic, legal and organisational frameworks.

For technical and semantic interoperability, WP6 will formulate and supply guidelines for the usage of components for technical and semantic interoperability in cross-domain use cases demanded by the project and beyond.

On legal interoperability WP6 will provide core metadata schema for legal interoperability as well as templates for a MoU (memorandum of understanding) and Service Level Agreement for data interoperability.

Last but not least the WP6 will have cross-domain recommendations and feedback for the EOSC Interoperability Framework. Memorandum for Understanding - and SLA - Service Level Agreement templates for data interoperability will also be set-up for Organisational interoperability.

The main outcome of the activities carried out by WP6 is to create improved FAIRness of data and other research outputs by coordinating the implementation of frameworks and the alignment of FAIR data practices.

Related deliverables and milestones

Check them here

Partners involved

  • KNAW-DANS - leader
  • CSC
  • INRAE
  • DTU-DeiC - leader
  • SURF
  • UPM
  • CNRS
  • eSDF
  • NSD
  • LifeWatch
  • EMBL-EBI
  • RDA
  • CODATA
  • UEDIN
  • UKRI-STFC

Get in touch with WP6 colleagues - write us