Blue-Cloud 2026 - D5.6 Blue-Cloud VRE Interactions with EOSC projects

The Blue-Cloud initiative, launched in 2019 under the EU’s Horizon 2020 programme, set out to create a federated ecosystem for marine data and services within the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC). The follow-up project, Blue-Cloud2026, is advancing this vision by transforming the initial pilot into a sustainable, scalable and operational European ecosystem that delivers FAIR data and analytical services for research on oceans, seas, coastal and inland waters.

At the core of this ecosystem is the Blue-Cloud Virtual Research Environment (VRE), which provides an integrated user experience by federating distributed computing resources, analytical platforms and data services. Built on the D4Science infrastructure and gCube technology, the VRE is accessible through the EOSC Blue-Cloud2026 Gateway and enables Virtual Laboratories (VLabs) that combine data access, processing and collaboration capabilities. 

This deliverable details concrete collaborations with key EOSC projects, including AI4EOSC, iMagine, FAIR‑EASE, AquaINFRA, ENVRI‑FAIR, EOSC‑Future, FNS‑Cloud, and EGI‑ACE, highlighting how Blue‑Cloud both contributes to and benefits from EOSC interoperability frameworks, federated service models, and shared best practices. Together, these interactions demonstrate the maturity and flexibility of the Blue‑Cloud VRE, capable of accommodating heterogeneous infrastructures while delivering a coherent and seamless experience to end users.

Overall, the deliverable confirms the operational consolidation and scalability of the Blue‑Cloud VRE, strengthening its alignment with EOSC initiatives. The results provide a robust foundation for future expansion, long‑term sustainability, and the evolution of the Blue‑Cloud VRE as a key domain‑specific component within the emerging EOSC Node European Digital Twin Ocean.