Kristaps Oškalns, a representative of the Latvian Data Stewards Network and DataverseLV Repository Administrator, participated in the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) Symposium, which took place from 3 to 5 November in Brussels, Belgium.
The event focused on the launch of the EOSC Federation and the implementation of the federated model with the first candidate nodes. Panel discussions outlined a future vision of the importance of open collaboration, data accessibility and interoperability, strengthening research competitiveness and data sovereignty in Europe. The symposium particularly highlighted practical data use cases (REANA, Galaxy, MCVAL), which demonstrated how federated services accelerate reproducible research and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Based on the needs of the Latvian ecosystem, there is a pressing need to develop an overview of what digital services, databases, IT solutions and tools are currently used by scientific institutions in Latvia, as well as to identify the missing elements for open science. It is essential to identify the services implemented in Latvia, such as electronic laboratory journal solutions, and to determine the priority services to be implemented in the EOSC Latvian node portfolio.
Panel discussions also discussed the challenges of federation cybersecurity, data sustainability strategies and the role of AI in the implementation of FAIR principles. Practical solutions were emphasised – federated identity management, responsible use of AI in research, and creation of high-quality FAIR metadata, as well as good practices in data preservation and repository security.
The symposium provided ample opportunities to network with data stewards, infrastructure managers and policymakers. The discussions noted the management of nodes and services, the importance of training centres and the development of national competence centres. The next step is to create a sustainable knowledge transfer platform for the Latvian data stewards network with regular training, support and exchange of experiences, informing researchers about EOSC hub services and learning opportunities in a timely manner.
Participation in the symposium strengthens Latvia’s presence in the European data governance ecosystem and promotes the international recognition and cooperation of DataverseLV.
