Release of the EOSC Integration Suite: A Foundational Step Toward an Interoperable Research Environment

We have reached an important milestone in our mission to advance the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) with the release of two deliverables: D11.1 "First Release of EOSC Integration Suite" and D11.2 "EOSC Integration Suite with the initial set of adapters". 

These documents, now available on Zenodo, mark the transition of the EOSC Integration Suite from concept to operational reality, offering a systematic approach to connecting diverse research resources across Europe.

The EOSC Integration Suite represents a new EOSC Core Service designed to streamline technical integration through reusable software libraries called Adapters. By formalising Adapters as distinct EOSC resources, the suite significantly reduces the complexity traditionally associated with connecting heterogeneous services and promotes interoperability across the expanding EOSC Federation.

Enhanced Components of the EOSC Integration Suite

The first release (D11.1) establishes the architectural foundation by enhancing three core EOSC components to support adapters, creating a cohesive environment for their management and discovery. Below, the components, their enhancements and primary functions are listed.

A central achievement documented in D11.1 is the creation of a new adapter Profile, a standardised metadata schema that ensures consistency across all components. This schema underpins the entire lifecycle of an adapter, from onboarding and storage to its presentation to users. All developed components are openly available on GitHub and have undergone quality assessment using EOSC's SQAaaS framework.

Delivering the Initial Adapter Ecosystem

Building on this foundation, deliverable D11.2 introduces the initial set of adapters, which act as middleware components to bridge technical differences between systems. These adapters are categorised into three groups, each serving a distinct level within the EOSC architecture:

This structured approach ensures that the Integration Suite can address both universal technical challenges and the unique requirements of diverse scientific disciplines.

A Strategic Leap Forward for EOSC

The release of the Integration Suite marks a strategic evolution from theoretical interoperability to practical implementation. It establishes an open digital repository for integration software, empowering providers and users to contribute, manage, and reuse Adapters. This directly supports EOSC Beyond's overarching objective to create a federated network of Pilot Nodes (national, regional, and thematic) that can interoperate seamlessly.

"The EOSC Integration Suite fundamentally changes how we achieve interoperability. By providing reusable, well-documented adapters, we are removing significant technical barriers that have hindered seamless collaboration. This first release lays the groundwork for a more composable and dynamic EOSC ecosystem, where researchers can focus more on science and less on integration challenges." - Carlos Brandt, Software Architect at EGI Foundation and key contributor to the EOSC Integration Suite.

Paving the Way for Future Innovation

Collectively, these developments represent a step toward a more connected, federated, and interoperable open science infrastructure in Europe. The work completed in these deliverables sets the technical basis for the final implementation activities in the project's Work Package 12, moving EOSC closer to its vision of a 'Web of FAIR Data and services' for science.

To explore the technical details and the initial set of adapters, download the full deliverables: