Implementation
SLICES-IP Objectives
Objective 1
Finalise the establishment of the ERIC structure and enlarge the consortium
Expected results:
The objective is to finalise the creation of the ERIC structure. This implies the commitment of more Member States. This contributes to the objective of “consolidating MS commitment and attracting new members” and to get “solid Member States/Associated Country engagement in pan-European research infrastructures, leading to their full implementation”.
Objective 2
Implement the financial framework that has been developed
Expected results:
The objective is to secure in-kind and budgets and set up a clear auditing procedure for accounting. It aims to contribute to the objective of “long-term perspective for investments in research infrastructures”.
Objective 3
Establish and implement clear IPR and access policies
Expected results:
The objective is to define and implement the IPR and access policies tailored to different categories of users and uniform for all national nodes validated by the Member States.
Objective 4
Assert and strengthen the SLICES-RI scientific leadership at European and international levels
Expected results:
This objective addresses the dimension of SLICES-RI in the European and International research ecosystem. It includes (i) liaise with other relevant ESFRI and national infrastructures for providing common services and training actions; (ii) liaise with similar international initiatives (e.g., PAWR, FABRIC, BRIDGES in the US) to establish SLICES-RI as a global player in Digital Infrastructures, identify the synergies and complementarities between them. This will also be sustained by designing an appropriate communication, dissemination and exploitation plan, segmented for the target user communities, common project proposals and scientific events. It contributes to the objective of “synergies and complementarities between new and existing research infrastructures”.
Objective 5
Onboard and empower users with breakthrough tools, connect the stakeholders to the RI.
Expected results:
The objective is to further connect to the main scientific communities addressed by SLICES-RI and the infrastructure, and make sure that SLICES-RI implements a methodology to constantly upgrade its service offer based on the emerging scientific trends. To this end, SLICES-IP will lay out specific actions to constantly (i) monitor scientific community’s needs, based on the scientific vision; (ii) collect tailored feedbacks from each community; (iii) distil a set of corresponding requirements for the technical and operational upgrade; (iv) constitute a training and demo portfolio customized for answering the needs of every community. It contributes to the objective of “enhanced ERA excellence and attractiveness through the availability of additional capacities”.
Objective 6
Define and implement a clear environment, climate, and sustainable strategy
Expected results:
The objective is to understand the environment and climate impact of the deployment, operation and termination of the RI together with the gains it can leverage. From this analysis, SLICES-IP will derive meaningful related KPI and strategy to reduce environmental footprint and maximise positive impact.
Objective 7
Implement the FAIR and ethics-compliant data management framework
Expected results:
The objective is to ensure the management of data in a FAIR and ethical fashion. SLICES-IP will design Regulatory Compliant Data Management Infrastructure, Development of Data Management Services for Open Science and Seamless EOSC Integration, deploy an Operational FAIR Data Management framework together with a Trustworthiness Assessment Framework that includes ethics, privacy, and more, e.g., explainability.
Objective 8
Deploy and coordinate operational services allowing reproducibility and including security and sustainability aspects
Expected results:
The objective is to set and coordinate all paramount components that rule the relations between national nodes, implement access policy, deploy different blueprints and services on top of them and assess technically them. This will constitute the solid foundations of the RI, allowing for smooth capacities enlargement and then contributing to “faster and larger implementation” and “enhanced ERA excellence and attractiveness through the availability of additional capacities”.
Objective 9
Measure and maximise impact while mitigating risks
Expected results:
The objective is to define clear KPI to measure the impacts and the RI usage analysis together with the tools to measure them. For them, a strategy will be developed to maximise the impact over all dimensions, scientific, technical, societal, economic, environmental, also by exploiting feedbacks from all stakeholders. To achieve this, SLICES-IP will base on the outcomes of SLICES-PP, in particular SLICES-PP Deliverable D4.2 which identified first set of KPI relevant for SLICES, also matching SDG. Deliverable D4.2 presents the final, agreed-upon KPIs for measuring the societal and scientific impact of SLICES, which will be carried forward into the SLICES-ERIC, and the final results of the project's engagement with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). SLICES-IP will apply the IAM4SDG methodology developed by IoTLAB to identify and assess all mitigation actions for identified risks and all implementation actions for identified opportunities. National nodes will contribute to it by highlighting the features of the local smart specialisation strategies in their territories. The environmental impact will be a key dimension of the design of this strategy.
