RDA and EOSC SRIA Implementation Challenges
RDA impact on the EOSC ecosystem
RDA solutions to the challenges of data sharing and reuse permeate the global research landscape. RDA WG outputs in particular have helped researchers and data professionals to address these challenges, with the uptake in Europe of particular note.
There is a strong alignment between the priorities of the RDA, its Working Groups, and the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) ecosystem. The landscape analysis carried out by the RDA TIGER project highlights how RDA outputs, developed through a global, community-driven effort, directly support the ambitions of EOSC, particularly in addressing key challenges and priorities outlined in the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA).
References within the SRIA demonstrate the practical relevance and uptake of RDA WG Recommendations, with these connections are often reinforced by overlapping participation across communities, the continued implementation of RDA Working Group outputs, llustrating the value of internationally coordinated standards in advancing the European research data landscape.
The analysis of the impact of RDA WG activities and outputs can be explored via the kumu.io platform visualisation below.
🔻 Click, scroll and zoom to discover how RDA WGs support EOSC SRIA Implementation Challenges 🔻
Mapping RDA WG activities to EOSC strategic priorities
The analysis in this section of the report focuses on the relevance of RDA WG outputs and activities to two specific aspects of the EOSC Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA), namely the SRIA’s seven Implementation Challenges and the three General Objectives (2025-2027) of the Multi-Annual Roadmap (MAR). The methodology for this consisted primarily of desk-based research; the focus areas of each WG were examined and associated with the features of the Implementation Challenges and General Objectives where relevant.
SRIA Implementation Challenges
- RDA WGs address the Identifiers Implementation Challenge by reducing fragmentation and improving standardisation of persistent identifiers through interoperable frameworks, guided by core information types and PID policies. The work of the PID Information Types WG and National PID Strategies WG are of relevance here.
- RDA WGs address the Metadata and Ontologies Implementation Challenge by aligning metadata standards and semantic artefacts across domains, enabling discovery, reuse, and cross-disciplinary mapping. The work of Metadata Standards Catalog WG, the FAIRsharing Registry WG, and the RDA FAIR Mappings WG are of relevance here.
- RDA WGs address the FAIR Metrics and Certification Implementation Challenge by operationalising FAIR principles, providing shared assessment metrics, and aligning repository certification criteria to sustain FAIRness. The work of FAIR Data Maturity Model (FDMM) WG, the RDA/WDS TRUST Principles Outreach and Adoption Working Group, and the Community-based catalogue of requirements for trustworthy Technical Repository Service Providers Working Group (TRSPs WG) are of relevance here.
- RDA WGs address the Authentication and Authorisation Infrastructure (AAI) Implementation Challenge by providing technology-neutral frameworks that recognise AAI as a core component of global research infrastructures. The work of both the GORC International Model WG and GORC International Implementations WG are of relevance here.
- RDA WGs address the User Environments Implementation Challenge by enhancing access to EOSC resources, promoting FAIR adoption in virtual research environments, and improving usability of digital research tools. The work of the FAIR for Virtual Research Environments WG and the RDA-OfR Mapping the landscape of digital research tools (MaLDReTH) WG are of relevance here.
- RDA WGs address the Resource Provider Environments Implementation Challenge by improving interoperability and alignment of heterogeneous resources, supporting cross-repository integration, data granularity, and FAIR-by-design approaches. The work of The Research Data Repository Interoperability WG, Data Granularity WG, and Scientific Knowledge Graphs – Interoperability Framework (SKG-IF) WG are of relevance here.
- RDA WGs address the EOSC Interoperability Framework Implementation Challenge by delivering solutions across technical, semantic, and organisational layers, harmonising metadata standards and repository frameworks, and strengthening organisational interoperability through certification and assessment. The Data Granularity WG, Multi-Omics Metadata Standards Integration (MOMSI) WG, and Community-based catalogue of requirements for trustworthy Technical Repository Service Providers Working Group (TRSPs WG) are of relevance here.
MAR General Objectives
- General Objective 1: Ensure that Open Science practices and skills are rewarded and taught, becoming the ‘new normal’: All RDA WGs in some way directly or indirectly contribute to the implementation of Open Science practices in research. WGs of relevance identified here are RDA/CODATA Summer Schools in Data Science and Cloud Computing in the Developing World WG and WDS/RDA Assessment of Data Fitness for Use WG.
- General Objective 2: There is a large degree of overlap between this General Objective and the requirement for RDA WGs’ “overarching goal of increasing data-driven innovation” and “to promote data sharing and exchange”. WGs of relevance identified here are FAIRsharing Registry WG, CoreTrustSeal Maintenance WG, and RDA / CODATA Data Systems, Tools, and Services for Crisis Situations WG
- General Objective 3: This is a wide-ranging objective, with much of the relevant RDA WG work focused on the Objective’s associated European, national and organisational levels. WGs of relevance identified here are Alignment of multilingual vocabularies in the Social Sciences and Humanities WG and GORC International Implementations Working Group (GORC II WG).
That there are considerable overlaps and shared areas of concern for the RDA community, its Working Groups and the EOSC ecosystem is not a surprise. The full extent of RDA outputs that could be implemented is representative of the degree to which areas of focus for a global community like RDA are shared with Europe. The analysis above shows the value that the RDA community and WG outputs, largely resourced by volunteer effort, has in achieving the ambitious goals of the EOSC. This value is reflected by the SRIA in the multiple references to the RDA outputs that could be or have already been implemented in addressing the concerns, gaps and priorities described in the Implementation Challenges and in the Multi-Annual Roadmap; though these relationships already exist, often reinforced by those individuals contributing to multiple activities, the practical benefits of RDA WG activities and outputs continue to demonstrate how globally coordinated, community-driven standards can meaningfully advance the next stages of EOSC development.
Find out more about the value of RDA to EOSC
Research Data Alliance facilitation of Targeted International working Groups for EOSC-related Research solutions (RDA TIGER)
© 2025 RDA TIGER – GA 101094406
