Open Science innovators can get funding through OSCARS’ second open call, with a €3M total budget. Open to researchers, SMEs, universities, and more. Apply before May 14, 2025!
About OSCARS Open Call 2
OSCARS (Open Science Clusters’ Action for Research and Society) is a Horizon Europe-funded initiative designed to enhance the uptake of Open Science practices throughout the European Research Area. The programme consolidates achievements from five Science Clusters, covering domains such as environmental sciences, life sciences, social sciences and humanities, photon and neutron science, and astronomy, nuclear, and particle physics, into lasting interdisciplinary services and practices. Through cascading grant mechanisms, OSCARS supports projects that foster the development and implementation of FAIR data principles.
Why Apply to OSCARS Open Call 2?
The 2nd OSCARS Open Call offers a unique opportunity for researchers, innovators, and organisations to receive both financial and strategic support to advance Open Science in Europe. Benefits for successful applicants include:
- Significant Funding: Projects can secure between €100,000 and €250,000 in lump-sum grants to implement impactful initiatives over 12 to 24 months.
- Tailored Support: Selected projects receive access to technical guidance, training, and strategic advice to align their outputs with FAIR data practices and EOSC priorities.
- Enhanced Visibility: Funded initiatives will gain Europe-wide recognition through OSCARS dissemination channels, increasing exposure within the Open Science community and among key stakeholders.
- Access to Leading Networks: Beneficiaries become part of an active ecosystem, collaborating with major Science Clusters and engaging with Research Infrastructures across disciplines.
- Opportunity for Newcomers: The call especially welcomes high-quality applications from entities not funded in the first OSCARS Open Call, broadening participation and fostering new contributions to Open Science.
This call is more than just funding, it’s a gateway to long-term impact, collaboration, and sustainability within the evolving European Open Science landscape.
Success Stories
The inaugural OSCARS Open Call funded 58 innovative projects across diverse scientific domains, all aimed at advancing Open Science and FAIR data practices. Here are some standout examples:
- CDIF-4-XAS (France, UK, Germany): The CDIF-4-XAS project focused on enhancing the interoperability and reusability of X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS) data across various research infrastructures and disciplines. By applying the Cross-Domain Interoperability Framework (CDIF), the project aimed to standardise metadata and provenance information, facilitating seamless integration of XAS data into the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC). This initiative is particularly beneficial for researchers in energy, chemistry, and environmental sciences, enabling more efficient data sharing and analysis.
- DraCorOS (Germany): DraCorOS aimed to foster Open Science in the Digital Humanities by integrating the DraCor platform—a collection of drama corpora—with EOSC services. This integration promotes accessibility and reproducibility in data-driven research, supporting small and under-resourced European languages and enhancing the cultural heritage research landscape.
- FAIR-EO (Europe-wide): The FAIR-EO project focused on making Earth Observation resources FAIR, open, and AI-ready. By developing standards and tools, the project aimed to improve the accessibility and interoperability of Earth Observation data, facilitating its use in various scientific and policy-making contexts.
- FAIRFUN4Biodiversity (Europe-wide): This project aimed to develop FAIR AI models for the functional annotation of biodiversity genomics resources. By enhancing the FAIRness of biodiversity data, the project supports better data integration and reuse, which is crucial for advancing research in biodiversity and conservation.
These projects exemplify the impact of the OSCARS Open Calls in promoting Open Science practices across various disciplines. They demonstrate how targeted funding and support can lead to significant advancements in data interoperability, accessibility, and reuse.
Who Can Apply?
Eligible applicants include: Research Infrastructures (RIs), Universities and Institutes, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), Large Companies, Individual Researchers.
Consortia comprising any combination of the above.
Applicants from EU Member States, Associated Countries, and beyond are welcome. There are no restrictions based on gender, company status, or geographic location
How to Apply to OSCARS Open Call 2 for Open Science Projects and Services
Applications must be submitted through the OSCARS Grants Platform by 14th May 2025, 17:00 CEST.
Applicants must submit a proposal (maximum 10 pages) detailing:
- Proposal Title and Acronym: Provide a concise and identifiable name for your project.
- Scientific Domain: Indicate the primary scientific field(s) your project addresses.
- Open Science/Data FAIRNESS Challenge(s): Specify the Open Science focus areas your project tackles.
- Consortium Composition: List all participating organisations, their types, countries, and contact details.
- Duration and Financial Support: Indicate project length, person-months, total funding requested, and budget breakdown.
- Project Public Summary: Provide a 5,000-character summary covering goals, innovation, challenges, and impacts.
- Detailed Project Description: Describe project objectives, methodology, and implementation strategy.
- Scientific Impacts: Explain how your project advances current knowledge and benefits the scientific community.
- Digital Resources: Outline planned use of EOSC services and relevant digital tools or platforms.
- Implementation Plan: Present your work plan with phases, milestones, and delivery schedule.
- Budget Breakdown: Summarise estimated costs by category and justify expenses.
- Expected Deliverables: List concrete outputs to be produced by the end of the project.
Proposal Requirements for OSCARS Open Call 2
Projects should focus on research activities that exploit or foster the adoption of FAIR data, strengthen FAIR competences, practices, and technologies. Projects can involve developing or making available services or tools (software, hardware, middleware, protocols, standards, benchmarks, documentation, training/mentoring materials) that enable Open Research and encourage open science practices based on FAIR principles.
The calls are open to proposals responding to Open Science / Data FAIRNESS challenge(s) in the domains and the type of challenge indicated below. Multiple choices are allowed.
- Domains: (1) Astrophysics, cosmology, particle or nuclear physics; (2) Social sciences and humanities; (3) Photon/neutron sources-based experimental research; (4) Life sciences: (5) Earth and environmental sciences; or (6) other (specify).
- Type of challenge: (1) Open Science Project; (2) Open Science Service; (3) Industry cooperation; (4) Citizen science; (5) Main RI concerned; (6) Cross-domain/ Cross-RI; (7) Other (specify)
Proposals should clearly articulate the project’s objectives, expected impacts, and alignment with FAIR data principles.
Evaluation and Selection Process for OSCARS Open Call 2
Proposals will undergo a two-stage evaluation:
- Eligibility Screening: Ensuring compliance with call criteria.
- Independent Evaluation: Assessed by the OSCARS Independent Evaluation Committee (IEC) based on:
- Clarity and relevance of Open Science objectives
- Scientific and societal impact
- Contribution to Science Cluster programmes
- Relevance to ESFRI and other RIs
Proposals will be evaluated by two independent experts from the OSCARS External Pool of Evaluators, based on four key sections:
- Project Description (max. 40 points): Focuses on the clarity of Open Science objectives, scientific goals, engagement with the research community, alignment with Science Cluster programmes, and relevance to ESFRI and other Research Infrastructures. Heavier weight is given to objectives, engagement, and cluster contribution.
- Scientific Impact (max. 30 points): Assesses the innovation beyond current practice, the potential for scientific impact, and benefits across multiple RIs via Science Clusters. All subcriteria are equally weighted.
- Digital Resources (max. 10 points): Looks at references to Science Cluster platforms and use of EOSC services.
- Implementation, Budget and Deliverables (max. 20 points): Reviews the feasibility of the project plan, alignment of budget with activities, and commitment to EOSC compliance and open results.
Final scores are calculated by averaging the weighted evaluations. Proposals with strong alignment to Open Science practices, solid implementation, and broad research impact will be prioritised.
Additional Support Beyond Funding
In addition to financial support of up to €250,000 per project, selected applicants to the 2nd OSCARS Open Call will benefit from a range of non-financial advantages designed to accelerate their impact and enhance sustainability:
- Visibility and Recognition: Funded projects will gain European-level visibility within the Open Science and Research Infrastructure ecosystem. This includes opportunities to showcase outcomes through OSCARS events and publications.
- Integration with EOSC: Projects will receive guidance on aligning with European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) services, facilitating long-term data accessibility and interoperability.
- Access to Science Clusters: Beneficiaries will engage with the five key Science Clusters (ENVRI, EOSC-Life, SSHOC, PaNOSC, and ESCAPE), benefiting from established networks, tools, and community practices.
- Support for Implementation: Technical and strategic support is available to ensure projects can effectively integrate FAIR data principles and achieve EOSC compliance.
- Capacity Building: Training opportunities and knowledge exchange events will be organised to strengthen project teams’ capabilities in Open Science practices.
This holistic support package ensures that beneficiaries are not only funded but also embedded in a broader European movement toward sustainable, FAIR, and Open Science.
Important Dates
- “Ask me anything” session: May 7, 2025, from 16:00 to 17:00 CEST. Register HERE
- Submission Deadline: 14 May 2025, 17:00 CEST
- Project Start Date: Between 1 October 2025 and 1 February 2026
For detailed guidelines, refer to the OSCARS Open Call Guidelines.
Final Thoughts on OSCARS Open Call 2
The OSCARS Open Call represents a significant opportunity for researchers and organisations to contribute to the advancement of Open Science in Europe. By focusing on FAIR data practices and fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration, OSCARS aims to build a more inclusive and accessible scientific ecosystem. Interested applicants are encouraged to participate in the upcoming “Ask Me Anything” session on 7 May 2025 to gain further insights into the application process.
More Information
For comprehensive details about the OSCARS project, its objectives, partners, and the Open Call, please visit the OSCARS Project Website, and in particular the 2nd Open Call website
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