Data stewards, skills and training for Open Science and FAIR practices

The main goal of this opportunity is to strengthen the culture of Open Science and fill gaps in the professional development of data stewards and the recognition of Open Science skills. It focuses on creating and standardizing Open Science curricula, supporting the growth of competence networks across Europe, and promoting transparent and interoperable research practices. The initiative aims to advance Open Science education at all research career stages and encourage the adoption of FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principles and the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC). Special attention is given to supporting underrepresented countries and institutions, while leveraging national and institutional networks for European-level coordination.

• Projects must follow the proposal layout and page limits as specified in the relevant program annexes.
• Applicants should be based in eligible European countries or have specific provisions for participation if from certain non-EU/non-Associated Countries.
• Projects must demonstrate financial and operational capacity.
• Proposals should align with the goal of professionalizing data stewards and advancing Open Science skills and curricula.
• Coordination with national or institutional networks is encouraged for European-level impact.

Examples:

• A university consortium developing a standardized Open Science training curriculum for early-career researchers across multiple European countries.
• A national research network launching a program to certify data stewards with recognized Open Science skills.
• An interdisciplinary partnership creating resources and workshops to promote FAIR data practices at underrepresented institutions.

• Lump sum contributions for project activities
• Financial support to third parties (up to EUR 60,000 per third party)
• Costs related to developing and standardizing Open Science curricula
• Expenses for organizing training sessions and workshops
• Development of digital resources and educational materials
• Staff costs for data stewardship and project management
• Fees for depositing digital research data in trusted repositories
• Costs associated with networking and coordination activities
• Dissemination and outreach expenses

Restrictions: Financial support to third parties is capped at EUR 60,000 per third party. Beneficiaries must deposit digital research data in EOSC-compliant repositories and grant royalty-free access to results for EOSC monitoring and policy purposes.

• Budget for this Call: 8,000,000€
• Number of Grants attributed: 1
• Maximum value per project: 8,000,000€
• Minimum value per project: 5,000,000€

• Applicants must be based in eligible European countries or have specific provisions for participation if from certain non-EU/non-Associated Countries.
• Proposals must comply with layout and page limits as described in the program annexes.
• Applicants must demonstrate sufficient financial and operational capacity.
• Projects should focus on professionalizing data stewards, developing Open Science skills, or standardizing curricula.
• Coordination with national or institutional networks is encouraged for greater European impact.
• Applicants must be able to deposit digital research data in EOSC-compliant repositories.
• Beneficiaries must grant royalty-free access to project results for EOSC Association purposes.