EOSC has been in the making and equally in transition for a while now. EOSC as we see it today, is the tangible outcome of a number of key European and global policy and position milestones regarding Open Science, including the EC’s Open Innovation, Open Science and Open to the World –a vision for Europe communication, the establishment of the European Open Science Policy Platform (OSPP) and positions taken by the Group of Seven (G7) countries, the Lindau Nobel Laureates and UNESCO. In the initial phase of development, from 2016 to 2020, funded by the EC through project calls in the Horizon 2020 framework programme, more than 35 projects have laid the foundations of EOSC, with a roadmap published in 2018 to direct its future strategic implementation.

To  bring  the  community  together  and  ensure  a  smooth  transition  to  the  second implementation  phase  (2021–2027)  under  Horizon  Europe,  a  three-tiered  transition governance structure was established to run from January 2019 to December 2020, comprising an Executive Board,  Governance  Board  and  Stakeholder  Forum and supported  by  the EOSC secretariat  project.  The activities of the Executive Board, and of the six working groups it created, have been directed by a Strategic Implementation Plan and a work plan.

The overarching objective of the Executive Board has been to provide recommendations on the governance of EOSC in the second phase of implementation and to hand over all outputs to the new governance structure. This will take the form of a European Partnership Agreement for EOSC and a new legal entity, the EOSC Association, involving EU Members States and Associate Countries, as well research and innovation stakeholders across the EU and beyond. The EOSC Association provides a means to serve the EOSC community, promote alignment of EOSC contributions at all levels and support the Open Science development in Europe.

The presentation will talk through the developments of the past two years, seen from an Executive Board perspective and highlight what happens next and what it means for Ireland’s networking community and connected institutions on a national and European level.