European Open Science Cloud Becomes a Reality
The European Commission, Member States and the science community have launched the European Open Science Cloud. The Cloud will provide a safe environment for researchers to store, analyse and re-use data for research, innovation and educational purposes.
Under the EU research and innovation programme Horizon 2020, €600 million has been allocated to setting up the European Open Science Cloud by 2020. Carlos Moedas, Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, said: “With the Open Science priority, we set out to change the way European science works. And the launch of the first Cloud portal is a major milestone on that journey. The Cloud will give Europe a global edge in reaping the full benefits of data-driven science. Thanks to the commitment of scientists, the industry and the EU Member States we have seen an idea become reality in less than three years.”
Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society, added: “The European Open Science Cloud will allow millions of researchers to store, manage, analyse and re-use vast amounts of research data in a trusted environment across technologies, disciplines and borders. It will unlock the value of big data by providing world-class supercomputing capability, high-speed connectivity and leading-edge data and software services for science, industry and the public sector.”
The Cloud was proposed in April 2016 by the Commission and thereafter developed in a collective effort by the European Commission, the Member States and the scientific community. This universal entry point has the potential to help 1.7 million researchers and 70 million professionals in science, technology, humanities and social sciences to access a growing volume of open data.
