D6.1 - Guidelines for the usage of components for technical and semantic interoperability in cross-domain use cases

This deliverable, D6.1 – Guidelines for the usage of components for technical and semantic interoperability in cross-domain use cases, is produced within the FAIR-IMPACT project under Work Package 6 Interoperability. Its central objective is to provide actionable guidance for achieving semantic and technical interoperability in the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC), especially in the context of cross-domain research and data integration.

Interoperability—defined as the ability of different systems and organisations to work together effectively—is a foundational principle of FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) digital objects and critical to the success of EOSC. This report focuses on the two challenging and interdependent dimensions: technical interoperability (concerning data exchange mechanisms, protocols, and system integration) and semantic interoperability (concerning shared understanding of data through vocabularies, ontologies, and metadata).

The deliverable synthesises findings from various sources, including EOSC task force outputs^[1], contributions from FAIR-IMPACT work packages (WP3 - PID, WP4 - Metadata and ontologies and WP5 - FAIR Assessment), and evaluation of core EOSC components such as the Metadata Schema and Crosswalk Registry (MSCR), PID Graph, Data Type Registry (DTR), and Compliance Assessment Toolkit (CAT). It analyses the use of these tools in seven representative cross-domain projects—AquaInfra, Blue-Cloud, EOSC4CANCER, FAIR-EASE, EOSC Future, SciLake, and WorldFAIR—highlighting real-world interoperability challenges and solutions.

Key observations include the ubiquitous need for metadata harmonisation, the importance of crosswalks and mappings, the underutilisation of certain EOSC tools, and the potential of AI-assisted methods for metadata alignment. In response, the deliverable introduces a set of practical metrics and checklists that align with the EOSC Interoperability Framework (EOSC IF) and Cross-Domain Interoperability Framework (CDIF), supporting both assessment and implementation.

Overall, this deliverable provides a comprehensive guide for improving interoperability across disciplines, enabling more effective data sharing and reuse within EOSC. It emphasises the importance of practical, well-documented solutions and the adoption of common standards, while recognising the evolving role of artificial intelligence in supporting future scalability and automation.