Skills4EOSC

Skills4EOSC (Skills for the European Open Science Commons) is a European initiative designed to address key skill gaps in Open Science and data stewardship by building a cohesive and high-quality training ecosystem across Europe. It seeks to overcome three main challenges identified in the EOSC Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA): the lack of Open Science and data expertise, the absence of clearly defined professional profiles and career paths, and the fragmentation of existing training resources.

To achieve this, the project brings together over 40 institutions from 18 countries and coordinates national and regional efforts through Competence Centres (CCs). These CCs serve as national hubs for training, support, and lifelong learning in Open Science. Skills4EOSC promotes the development of harmonized curricula, certification frameworks, and reusable FAIR-by-design learning materials for a wide range of stakeholders—including researchers, data stewards, civil servants, and policy makers.

The project also fosters professional networks, develops training programs tailored to various career stages and roles, and ensures that its outputs are aligned with both national needs and European EOSC strategies. In doing so, Skills4EOSC helps establish Open Science as the “new normal” across the European Research Area.

1. Map Open Science career profiles and define Minimum Viable Skillsets (MVS) for each role.
2. Develop a methodology and quality assurance framework for FAIR-by-design learning materials.
3. Provide training for policy makers and civil servants on evidence-based decision making using Open Science outputs.
4. Create harmonized curricula and learning paths for universities and research institutions, from undergraduate to PhD levels.
5. Integrate Open Science and data-intensive skills into academic education and professional development programs.
6. Foster collaboration between national and regional Competence Centres and research infrastructures.
7. Support lifelong learning through professional networks and peer-to-peer knowledge exchange.
8. Establish a pan-European network of Open Science Competence Centres and a user support infrastructure.
9. Engage a broad range of stakeholders to co-create, validate, and disseminate project outputs.
10. Ensure long-term sustainability and impact by building synergies with national and European initiatives.