During the whole duration (M1-36) the project has remained on track, providing deliverables on time and with internal quality-checking procedures. The key results obtained are as follows:
1. Collection and analysis of detailed requirements from researcher end-users linked with use cases, with special attention to the balance between Open Science and privacy related requirements;
2. characterisation of a large number of RIs (Research Infrastructures) to determine (a) the digital assets they can make accessible and (b) the available interfaces (e-RI) to allow the VRE4EIC e-VRE to interoperate with them securely;
3. mapping the metadata formats in e-RIs describing their assets to CERIF (Common European Research Information Format: an EU Recommendation to Member States) to provide a common, rich canonical metadata format with formal syntax and declared semantics as required to interoperate across the heterogeneous metadata assets (and the assets described by the metadata);
4. proposing a reference architecture for VREs and corresponding technical architecture for development including a gap analysis to identify the functionalities of the architecture of most benefit to existing e-RIs wishing to implement – or interoperate with – the VRE4EIC e-VRE;
5. developing a complete implementation of the Reference Architecture into the Canonical Reference Prototype
6. developing five demonstrators, one on a global security infrastructure, two on the Canonical Reference Prototype and one each on the two enhanced EPOS and ENVRIplus VREs.
7. creating a globally accessible codebase of the technology developed by the project on GitHub
8. creating a globally accessible deployment of the technology developed by the project on the CNR ISTI servers and keeping it available for at least two years after the end of the project
9. initiating a workshop jointly with W3C to improve DCAT (Data Catalog Vocabulary) using the experience from VRE4EIC and especially CERIF;
10. following the workshop, supporting the W3C Dataset Exchange Working Group to establish international standards in this space;
11. meeting jointly with EVER-EST to discuss common approaches and cooperation;
12. with EVER-EST initiating the RDA (Research Data Alliance) Interest Group on VREs and the related SGs (Science Gateways) and VLs (Virtual Laboratories);
13. disseminating information on VRE4EIC at workshops and events, maintaining a website for the project (https://www.vre4eic.eu/ ) supported by social media, press releases, newsletter, leaflets and roll-ups.
14. Organising a special section of ERCIM News 109 on VREs with contributions from VRE4EIC and others;
15. Producing scholarly publications.
An exploitation plan, both collectively and individually, has been produced. Not only are the project results being used in e-RIs by researchers, but also the products are being assessed by several SMEs although in the DoA we predicted that the VRE market was not yet sufficiently mature for commercial exploitation.
