Creating synergies at the national level 

by  Peter Stanchev

On December 9, 2021, nine scientific organizations signed an agreement establishing the National Open Data and Cloud Computing Initiative (NIAP). This agreement aims to create synergies at the national level between organizations with a role and interest in the European Open Science Cloud ( EOSC); integration of open data infrastructures (storage) and cloud computing (services) in the EOSC; support activities to optimize services for research and innovation; share and disseminate information regarding the capabilities of the infrastructure, services and expertise of the participants as well as their work and achievements.

Partners are several institutes of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences - The Institute of Mathematics and Informatics, The National Institute of Geophysics, Geodesy and Geography, The Institute of Mechanics, as well as Bulgarian universities - Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", Technical University – Sofia, Medical University – Sofia, University of Plovdiv "Paisii Hilendarski" and University of Library Studies and Information Technologies – Sofia.  

According to the Agreement, the initial activities will include the following actions:

• Identify of digital resources, general and thematic cloud services at the national level and provision of technical assistance to ensure compliance with EOSC requirements and recommendations;
• Develop a strategy for synchronization/development of advanced methodologies for accessing and sharing data such as user interfaces, federation of resources, tools for identification, authorization and accounting; 
• Identify a path for possible development of this agreement to administrative structures or a consortium for participation in national or European projects; 
• Coordinate cooperation in the development of solutions for the operation and monitoring of infrastructure based on specific tools and open data, compatible with EOSC;
• Supporting the academic, research and innovation community to develop specific opportunities by organizing national and international events and providing the specific training needed for the transition to open science;
• Promoting FAIR principles (availability, accessibility, interoperability, reusability) and their acceptance by research data providers; 
• Identify and stimulate the opportunities for the impact of EOSC on projects in the National Roadmap of Scientific Infrastructures in Bulgaria and other research infrastructures.  

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