knowledge sharing while maintaining data confidentiality. Building on this groundwork, we continued the development of SASP in the CyberSEAS [L2], refining and expanding our tool's capabilities, integrating it with other incident handling solutions, and validating it in a pilot within the energy sector. The CyberSEAS project aims to improve the resilience of Electrical Power and Energy Systems (EPES) by protecting them from disruptions caused by complex attack scenarios.

The SASP playbook management tool is designed for creating, maintaining, sharing, visualising, and exporting cybersecurity playbooks [1]. It features a user interface for creating playbooks, viewing them in Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN), exporting in JSON format, and sharing playbooks. By supporting the OASIS CACAO playbook format, we ensure playbooks are machine-readable and standardised. Figure 1 shows the interface of the tool for managing and execution of playbooks. Our tool offers a comprehensive suite of functionalities designed to manage machine-readable playbooks efficiently as listed here:

* Management: Adding, modification, deletion, import/export of playbooks.

* Sharing: Playbooks can be shared via the Malware Information Sharing Platform (MISP) using the already defined MISP object for playbook sharing in different formats. They further can be shared via Kafka between different instances of the SASP tool.

* Automated BPMN graph generation: Visualisation in BPMN format with interactive editing options for steps.

* Sanitisation: Ensures the removal of sensitive information from playbooks based on manually included tags using the Traffic Light Protocol (TLP).

* Versioning system: Facilitates continuous improvement of playbooks and getting access to the previous versions.

* Rich variety of supported workflow elements: Elements such as loops, and exclusive branching are supported by the vocabulary, which enhances the flexibility and functionality of playbooks.

* Integration: Integration with TheHive and Cortex for automated execution of incident response actions.

SASP has been tested and validated in real-world environments. This includes a system prototype demonstration by a Security Operations Centre (SOC) responsible for securing IT/OT systems, and a European national Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT). During the piloting phase, various methods for playbook management and sharing were utilised to establish standardised procedures for handling well-known attack scenarios, emphasising governance aligned with NIS2 requirements [2]. The tool integrates with MISP for incident reporting. This integration enables automated sharing of incident indicators, regulatory information, and playbook data. The playbook data suggests appropriate responses to incidents and adheres to the recommended national standard format for incident reporting.

As a demonstration scenario, the SOC shared a specific playbook via MISP (e.g. phishing, malware, or ransomware). This playbook was reviewed, generalised, and sanitised by the European national CERT before being disseminated to relevant stakeholders. Additionally, the SOC shared Indicators of Compromise (IoCs) via MISP, referencing the related playbook to enhance understanding and resolution of the incident.

The created MISP event was subsequently shared with relevant recipients through the national CERT's MISP instance.

Input for this validation has been collected through a structured self-assessment questionnaire, a semi-structured pilot partners interview session, and observations and comments from validation partners. The high quality of the feedback and interview answers emphasised the tool's success in improving incident response knowledge management, enhancing collaborative incident response and facilitating information sharing among cybersecurity entities. This validation process confirms the tool's readiness for Technology Readiness Level 7 (System prototype demonstration in an operational environment) and its potential to enhance cybersecurity practices significantly.

We are considering open-sourcing [L3] our tool to enhance community engagement and collaborative improvement. For future research directions, we focus on automation processes for incident response and enhance the tool's capabilities by integrating the tool with de facto tools and services used in incident handling. Additionally, manually creating structured playbooks from legacy unstructured or semi-structured ones can be exhaustively time- and resource-intensive for security operators. Therefore, we aim to develop AI-assisted automation for translating legacy playbooks into standardised, machine-readable formats.

This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreements No 833418 (SAPPAN) and No 101020560 (CyberSEAS).

**Links:**

[L1] SAPPAN website: https://sappan-project.eu

[L2] CyberSEAS website: https://cyberseas.eu

[L3] SASP GitHub repository: https://github.com/Fraunhofer-FIT-DSAI/SASP

**References:**

[1] M. Akbari Gurabi et al., "SASP: a semantic web-based approach for management of sharable cybersecurity playbooks," in ARES, 2022.

[2] M. Akbari Gurabi et al., "Requirements for playbook-assisted cyber incident response, reporting and automation," Digital Threats: Research and Practice, 2024.

[3] L. Nitz et al., "From Collaboration to Automation: A Proof of Concept for Improved Incident Response," ERCIM news 129, 2022.

**Please contact:**

Mehdi Akbari Gurabi, Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Information Technology (FIT), Germany
mehdi.akbari.gurabi@fit.fraunhofer.de
# Unlocking the Future:
A Cloud-Based Artificial
Intelligence Access Control
System

by Hamidreza Yaghoubi, Navtaj Randhawa (University of Applied Sciences Burgenland), and Igor Ivkić (University of Applied Sciences Burgenland and Lancaster University, UK)

Traditional access control systems, such as key cards, PIN pads, and physical keys, face challenges in scalability, security, and user experience in today's digital world. We present a cloud-based entry system using Raspberry Pi hardware and Amazon Web Services (AWS) technologies like Lambda, Simple Storage Service (S3), and Rekognition. This solution (AWSecure Entry System) enhances security, streamlines authentication, and increases operational efficiency.

Traditional security systems are increasingly challenged by the rapid evolution of digital threats and often rely on outdated technologies that lack the flexibility and scalability required in today's dynamic security environment. Moreover, physical keys and passwords are increasingly vulnerable to theft, counterfeiting and hacking. Furthermore, managing these systems remains labour-intensive and error-prone, leading to potential security breaches with significant financial and reputational consequences. In response to these vulnerabilities, the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into security systems offers a transformative solution. AI enhances monitoring, data analysis, and threat response, especially when combined with Internet of Things (IoT) devices that continuously collect and process environmental data [1, 3]. To address the need for more flexible, scalable, and secure solutions, this article presents an Amazon Web Services (AWS)-based entry system that uses AI facial recognition technology for authentication and access control. This approach not only reduces the risk of identity theft and errors, but also ensures a faster and more secure

authentication process, highlighting its potential to improve security in critical areas.

The proposed system (AWSecure Entry System) uses an IoT device (Raspberry Pi with a built-in camera and display) to capture user images and send them to the cloud. The Raspberry Pi acts as an edge device, coordinating interactions between the user interface and the AWS cloud services. To accomplish this, the Raspberry Pi uses an Application Programming Interface (API) gateway [L1] to send the captured user images to the cloud, where Lambda functions manage the flow of data and trigger the appropriate security mechanisms. One of these mechanisms is AWS Rekognition [L2], which performs real-time facial recognition by comparing the captured images with those already securely stored in S3 [2]. Another mechanism (AWS DynamoDB) [L3] provides a low-latency database for storing and retrieving user credentials. The following figure provides an overview of the proposed AWSecure Entry System architecture from the edge device (Raspberry Pi) to the cloud (AWS):

To ensure reliability and efficiency, the system shown in Figure 1 was subjected to a rigorous performance analysis, assessing facial recognition accuracy, lighting conditions, distance and angle variability. This comprehensive evaluation confirmed the robustness and adaptability of the system, demonstrating its ability to meet the stringent security requirements of modern professional environments.

The evaluation of the AWSecure Entry System was conducted through the following series of structured test scenarios to assess its performance in a variety of real-world conditions:

* Scenario 1 - Registered vs. Unregistered User Access: testing system access control for registered and unregistered individuals.

* Scenario 2 - Performance Under Different Lighting Conditions: evaluating the system's facial recognition in bright, dim and completely dark environments.

* Scenario 3 - Facial Recognition with Face Rotations: assessing system accuracy with users facing the camera at different angles (e.g. direct, 45 degrees, 90 degrees).

<figure><img src="image_44.png" /><figcaption>Figure 1: AWSecure Entry System Architecture from the Edge (Raspberry Pi) to the Cloud (AWS).</figcaption></figure>
<figure><img src="image_45.png" /><figcaption>Figure 2: Evaluation of different Facial Recognition Test Scenarios using Raspberry Pi and AWS under different conditions, resulting in Door Access Granted based on user identification and matching criteria.</figcaption></figure>

* Scenario 4 – Recognition with Accessories: testing the system's ability to recognise users wearing accessories such as sunglasses.

* Scenario 5 – Multi-user Recognition: evaluating how the system handles multiple users facing the camera simultaneously.

* Scenario 6 – Spoofing Test: testing the system's resilience to spoofing attempts using photos or similar deceptive techniques.

Figure 2 shows the scenarios used for the evaluation of the AWSecure Entry System.

The system successfully demonstrated its basic functionality by accurately granting access to registered users and denying access to unregistered individuals (Scenario 1). When tested under different indoor lighting conditions, the system reliably recognised users in both bright and dim environments, but failed in complete darkness, highlighting the need for adequate lighting for effective facial recognition (Scenario 2). The system also demonstrated high accuracy when users were looking directly at the camera, but struggled with significant face rotations, particularly at 45- and 90-degree angles (Scenario 3). In scenarios where users were wearing accessories (sunglasses), the system maintained its recognition ability, albeit with a slightly lower similarity score (Scenario 4). In addition, when multiple registered users were looking at the camera at the same time, the system correctly prioritised and granted access to the user closest to the camera (Scenario 5). However, a critical vulnerability was identified during the spoofing test, where the system incorrectly granted access based on a high-quality photo, indicating a susceptibility to such attacks (Scenario 6).

The results of the evaluation show that while the AWSecure Entry System performs effectively in most scenarios (Scenarios 1-2 and 4-5), particularly under controlled lighting conditions and with minor facial obstructions, it faces challenges with extreme face angles and is vulnerable to spoofing attempts (Scenarios 3 and 6). These results highlight the need for further refinement, in particular to improve the system's

ability to handle different face orientations and its resistance to spoofing attacks. Despite these limitations, the PoC evaluation provides valuable insights into the system's strengths and weaknesses of the system, providing a solid foundation for future development. To ensure the robustness and reliability of the system in real-world deployments, additional layers of security, such as liveness detection and multi-angle facial recognition, should be incorporated. These enhancements would address the identified vulnerabilities and contribute to a more secure and reliable access control solution.

**Links:**

[L1] https://kwz.me/hDA

[L2] https://kwz.me/hDD

[L3] https://kwz.me/hDF

**References:**

[1] R. Anand et al., Integration of IoT with Cloud Computing for Smart Applications, CRC Press, 2023.
https://books.google.at/books?id=zK3GEAAAQBAJ

[2] V. Sharma, “Object detection and recognition using Amazon Rekognition with Boto3,” in 6th International Conference on Trends in Electronics and Informatics (ICOEI), pp. 727–732, 2022.
https://doi.org/10.1109/ICOEI53556.2022.9776884

[3] A. Nag, J N Nikhilendra, and M. Kalmath, “IOT based door access control using face recognition,” in 3rd Int. Conf. for Convergence in Technology (I2CT), pp. 1–3, 2018.
https://doi.org/10.1109/I2CT.2018.8529749

**Please contact:**

Hamidreza Yaghoubi, University of Applied Sciences Burgenland, Austria, 2310781014@fh-burgenland.at

Navtaj Randhawa, University of Applied Sciences Burgenland, Austria, 2310781020@fh-burgenland.at
# Engineering Secure, Trustworthy, and Ethically Sound AI-Based Computer Systems

by Yasin Ghafourian (Research Studios Austria), Markus Tauber (Research Studios Austria), Germar Schneider, and Andrea Bannert (Infineon Technologies Dresden GmbH & Co. KG), Olga Kattan (Philips), and Erwin Schoitsch (Austrian Institute of Technology)

**To promote AI adoption in industrial cyber-physical systems (CPS) within Industry 4.0 and 5.0, it's crucial to develop tools that support the AI lifecycle and address knowledge gaps in standards among developers. Tailored guidance is needed to ensure AI solutions in safety-critical industries are trustworthy and ethically compliant. Given the fragmented standardisation landscape for CPS, this paper proposes an ethical compliance checklist and a self-assessment tool using large language models (LLMs) to help users navigate standards, close knowledge gaps, and ensure human-centred, legally compliant AI applications.**

IoT and AI significantly enhance industry competitiveness, success, and sustainability by enhancing supply chain agility and fostering environmental awareness. However, while digitalisation offers numerous advantages, integrating AI into industrial processes, especially in Europe, raises ethical and legal concerns, posing risks for individuals and society [1].

Beyond technical aspects like AI's trustworthiness and reliability, addressing ethical considerations is crucial when introducing AI into industry. Unfortunately, unlike the transparent

impact of automation on workplaces, there are few internal regulations governing AI's ethical handling within industrial companies. The problem with the use of AI is that algorithmic decisions are typically opaque. One example is algorithms, which make it possible to digitise tasks within quality control without the need for humans to make important decisions. This would result in jobs being cut or decisions being made that are based solely on algorithms and could lead to errors if these algorithms were wrong or the environment were to change.

The opaque use of data in AI can compromise fairness and accuracy in employee performance appraisals, especially when sensors like cameras monitor workers in production environments. To prevent these issues, AI developers should rigorously evaluate their systems using a comprehensive checklist, allowing them to inform management and work councils. This ensures employee safety and well-being through timely and appropriate actions, including prompt company agreements.

## Ethical Compliance Checklist

Given the challenge that AI often enters production invisibly through various projects, it is crucial to define company agreements on the use of AI at the earliest stages. Additionally, the ethical compliance checklist should incorporate mechanisms that identify and address knowledge gaps in awareness about these agreements. By doing so, the checklist can offer tailored explanations or resources to ensure that all stakeholders, regardless of their initial knowledge level, fully comprehend the ethical implications of AI use in their projects.

There are already many national and EU laws, guidelines and standards in place. Some examples include the General Data Protection Regulations, ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 42/WG 3 on trustworthiness, the Assessment List for Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence (ALTAI)[L1], the General Equal Treatment Act, the Works Constitution Act, the Working Hours Act, the

<figure><img src="image_46.png" /><figcaption>Figure 1: A vision of our self-assessment tool.</figcaption></figure>
Occupational Health and Safety Act, and the Occupational Safety Act [L2] [L3].

However, these laws alone are not sufficient for companies if they cannot demonstrate that AI methods used in various projects or directly in production might result in privacy breaches and/or violation of an existing legal framework. In general, health and safety issues are subject to co-determination in companies.

The idea is to use a checklist at the start of the project, during the first milestone, to identify key concerns. If necessary, this allows for defining measures with employees to prevent occupational health and safety issues and to create human-centred workplaces where AI is used for human benefit.

An initial version of the checklist includes the following points:

1. Does the project store or process sensitive personal data (e.g. address, salary, gender) or private information (e.g. social networks, hobbies) about the employee?

2. Does the project enable or expand performance and behaviour monitoring (e.g. cameras at workstations, reporting, time recording)?

3. Does the project impact the employee's working hours / work content and/or work organisation (e.g. work intensification, underload/overload, shifting of work, new or different tasks, monotony of tasks, transfer to another position if necessary)?

4. Does the project impact occupational health and safety (e.g. working under full protection, heavy lifting, noise pollution, psychological risks)?

5. Is there planned use of AI and/or algorithms that may impact employees?

Companies should provide the completed checklist to the project leader, manager, and relevant parties, such as worker councils, to ensure informed decision-making. If any points are affirmed during the project, the works council must be involved to protect co-determination rights, and define measures to ensure health and safety while mitigating AI-related risks.

## Self-assessment Tool

To address the hidden impacts of AI algorithms on human health and safety rights while ensuring compliance with AI laws, we propose an AI-based self-assessment tool. This tool automates compliance checks and adapts to users' knowledge, bridging gaps to enhance adherence to guidelines. Unlike manual, subjective compliance checks, this tool uses LLMs to generate customised checklists based on relevant standards. Figure 1 illustrates our vision for this tool, highlighting its potential to streamline ethical compliance in AI applications. Building on the goals discussed in this position paper, we will develop a regulation-aware AI model that not only leverages LLMs for compliance but also integrates relevance models to assess and address knowledge gaps among developers and users. By fine-tuning the AI model based on standards, regulations, and ethical guidelines while simultaneously bridging these knowledge gaps, the self-assessment tool will provide more personalised and effective guidance, ensuring that users of varying expertise can achieve a deeper understanding and more reliable compliance with ethical standards.

This paper is supported by the AIMS5.0 project. AIMS5.0 is supported by the Chips Joint Undertaking and its members, including the top-up funding by National Funding Authorities from involved countries under grant agreement no. 101112089.

## Links:

[L1] https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/assessment-list-trustworthy-artificial-intelligence-altai-self-assessment

[L2] https://artificialintelligenceact.eu/de/das-gesetz/

[L3] https://www.bundesanzeiger.de/pub/en/start/

## References:

[1] C. Huang, et al., "An overview of artificial intelligence ethics," IEEE Transactions on Artificial Intelligence, vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 799-819, 2023.

[2] P. Moertl and N. Ebinger, "The development of ethical and trustworthy AI systems requires appropriate human-systems integration: A white paper," InSecTT, White Paper, 2022. [Online]. https://www.insectt.eu/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Trustworthiness-Whitepaper-InSecTT-Format-v02-1-1.pdf

## Please contact:

Yasin Ghafourian, Research Studios Austria, Austria
yasin.ghafourian@researchstudio.at

Markus Tauber, Research Studios Austria, Austria
markus.tauber@researchstudio.at

# Identity and the Web

by Simone Onofri (W3C)

**Digital Identities have been in development for decades. As governments increasingly consider becoming providers and consumers of these technologies, they now more than ever have the potential to change the web and the concept of identity as we know it.**

The world of Digital Identities has its origins many years ago when there were only centralised Identity Models. In recent years, federated Identity Models have spread to all sectors, from social networks and education to enterprises and governments. Federated Identity Models allow users to authenticate across different systems or platforms using a single set of credentials, often managed by a third party. Additionally, several projects have implemented the new paradigm of decentralised identity, where users have a digital wallet and control over their identity.

This has caught the interest of governments worldwide, which are designing wallets and decentralised identities for citizens, intending to have more secure digital credentials. Digital credentials, which can be more privacy-preserving than physical ones, allow users to control the amount of personal information shared, only disclosing necessary details, unlike physical documents that often reveal more data than needed.
Layer 5: Trust Frameworks and Ecosystems

<figure><img src="image_47.png" /></figure>

Layer 4: Applications, Wallets, Products

<figure><img src="image_48.png" /></figure>

<figure><img src="image_49.png" /></figure>

<figure><img src="image_50.png" /></figure>

Layer 3: Credentials

<figure><img src="image_51.png" /></figure>

Layer 2: Agents and Infrastructures

<figure><img src="image_52.png" /></figure>

<figure><img src="image_53.png" /></figure>

<figure><img src="image_54.png" /></figure>

Layer 1: Identifiers and Namespace

<figure><img src="image_55.png" /><figcaption>Figure 1: Decentralised identity architecture.</figcaption></figure>

Given the scope and scale of this innovation, Digital Identities are significantly impacting the web and, in particular, privacy and human rights, altering the assumptions and the balance that have shaped the web ecosystem. There is a large number of stakeholders, including governments, implementers, privacy and human rights advocates [1]. Considering the number of technologies available and their respective standards development organisations (SDOs), the document “Identity and the Web” [L1] was published in August 2024.

The document provides an overview of Digital Identities, focusing on decentralised identities and their impact on the web and users, to understand the possible threats and how to mitigate them, both from a technology and governance perspective.

The document also highlights several areas where standardisation, guidelines, and interoperability could play a crucial role in managing these changes [2]. These include enabling passwordless credentials for authentication and payments, and facilitating federated identity on the web without relying on third-party cookies. It also emphasises the importance of modelling security, privacy, and human-rights threats associated with decentralised credentials (Figure 1). Additionally, standardising digital credentials on the web can help mitigate issues like surveillance, censorship, intrusion, and discrimination, while ensuring interoperability. Addressing these threats requires careful consideration at both technological and governance levels.

The paper also proposes different use cases of the systemic impact on both the market side and the human side [L2].

In conclusion, standards are crucial for driving innovation and mitigating threats. Coordinated efforts among SDOs, people, and governments are needed to ensure Digital Identities are beneficial, balancing both technology and governance. Additionally, the impact on security, privacy, and human rights should be closely monitored, with threat modelling as a key tool.

### Links:

[L1] https://www.w3.org/reports/identity-web-impact/

[L2] https://www.w3.org/reports/identity-web-impact/#uses-cases

### References:

[1] UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, “Human rights and technical standard-setting processes for new and emerging digital technologies: report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights,” 2023. https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/4031373?v=pdf

[2] H. Flanagan, “Identity on the Web,” 2024. https://www.w3.org/2024/04/AC/talk/identity

### Please contact:

Simone Onofri, W3C Security Lead
simone@w3.org
# Advancing Research: The Role of the EOSC and EOSC Support Office Austria

by Katharina Flicker (EOSC Support Office Austria, SBA Research, TU Wien), Stefan Hanslik (BMBWF), Tereza Kalová (Vienna University Library, University of Vienna)

In 2015, the vision of a European federated and open multi-disciplinary environment, known as the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC), was born. EOSC represents a significant leap towards more integrated and accessible scientific resources across Europe. In this context, the EOSC Support Office Austria (EOSC SOA) was launched to coordinate Austria's contributions to EOSC's implementation. If you are interested in exploring how EOSC and EOSC SOA are shaping the future of research and why they are crucial for the ERCIM community, continue reading.

The vision of EOSC was brought forth in order to help researchers, innovators, companies and citizens find and reuse data, tools and services by developing a Web of FAIR data and services [L1]. While the EOSC Association was established to guide this initiative on the European level [L2], many countries are laying the foundations for national nodes, ensuring that national needs are incorporated into the strategic planning of EOSC (e.g. via the SRIA [L3]). Against this background, the EOSC Support Office Austria (EOSC SOA) was formed in

Austria in 2021 by ACOnet as the Mandated Organization, commissioned by the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research (BMBWF). Its establishment also involved CCCA, FAIR Office Austria, JKU, Natural History Museum Vienna, TU Wien, TU Graz and the University of Vienna. Since then, numerous institutions and initiatives have joined the growing EOSC SOA community: the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft, Open Knowledge Maps, UBIFO, the University of Graz, Vetmeduni and WU Wien. This demonstrates the broad scope of organisations for whom the EOSC is of core interest and their commitment to collaborating to prepare for and benefit from these developments.

EOSC SOA aims to coordinate Austrian contributions in the implementation of EOSC while fostering EOSC readiness in terms of infrastructure and staff training at partner institutions. Additionally, it supports the development of Austrian Open Science policies [L4]. A broad variety of activities are employed to achieve this aim. These include EOSC SOA Working Groups [L5] (WGs), the EOSC Café [L6], participation in EOSC-related projects such as EOSC Focus [L7] and Skills4EOSC [L8], participation in both former [L9] and new [L10] EOSC Association Task Forces as well as regular exchange with both national and European stakeholders and within the EOSC Association. To share information with partner institutions, as well as to bridge between EOSC and GAIA-X, two similar initiatives that are both highly relevant to research-performing organisations, ERCIM established a working group. The goals and activities of these groups are as follows.

<figure><img src="image_56.png" /><figcaption>Group photo, 3rd General Assembly of the EOSC Support Office Austria / Austrian EOSC Mandated Organisation, in the Museum of Natural History Vienna. 18 October 2023. Photo: ©NHM Wien, Alice Schumacher.</figcaption></figure>
EOSC SOA WGs aim to progress topics relevant to EOSC. To achieve this, they organise events and workshops, conduct surveys, or draft recommendations on particular subjects. They are time-bound and focus on specific topics. External experts can be invited if needed. Currently, there are five WGs: Austrian Country Report, Collections, Researcher Engagement in Austria, Technical Infrastructure, and Training.

As one of the working tools, the EOSC Café serves as a collaborative and open forum with the EOSC SOA, bringing together experts from both within and outside the initiative. These experts come from various disciplines of science and research, research policy, society, and the industry. They provide the EOSC Support Office with valuable external insights and perspectives while supporting EOSC-related activities both domestically and across Europe. EOSC Café participants meet up at least three times per year.

The ERCIM working group initially convened during the ERCIM spring meetings in 2022. Several participants met to explore the opportunities and impact of EOSC and Gaia-X, aiming to ensure future developments are beneficial to ERCIM members. The working group usually meets during the spring and fall meetings to exchange updates on recent events. During this period, members conducted informal surveys on the perception and evaluation of both EOSC and Gaia-X within their institutions.

It became evident that while both initiatives lacked sufficient tangible results to be actionable at the management level, their significance was widely acknowledged, highlighting the need for regular information exchange. Against this background, it was decided to closely monitor their developments and prepare to be ready for upcoming advancements. As EOSC and GAIA-X gain momentum with the development and rollout of services, a major impact on research-performing organisations is expected. Thus, early alignment, the establishment of national support structures, as well as the creation of contact points at research institutes, will facilitate readiness for these developments. This approach aims to effectively integrate, operate, and utilise these initiatives to the benefit of researchers and their research outcomes.

**Links:**

[L1] https://kwz.me/hDX

[L2] https://eosc.eu/

[L3] https://kwz.me/hDZ

[L4] https://eosc-austria.at/

[L5] https://eosc-austria.at/working-groups/

[L6] https://eosc-austria.at/eosc-austria/governing-bodies/

[L7] https://eosc.eu/eosc-focus-project/

[L8] https://www skills4eosc eu/

[L9] https://kwz.me/hFC

[L10] https://eosc.eu/eosc-task-forces/

**Please contact:**

EOSC Support Office Austria
contact@eosc-austria.at

Preliminary Call for Participation:

# AIOTI Workshop on
Semantic Interoperability
for Digital Twins

Laying the foundations for the next generation of
information systems

Inria Campus, Sophia Antipolis, France, 5-6 February 2025

We invite you to the AIOTI Workshop on Semantic Interoperability for Digital Twins, aimed at advancing the field of semantic interoperability and laying the groundwork for the next generation of information systems. This workshop is focused on finding practical solutions for real-world industrial challenges. Discussions will involve a mix of invited talks, selected presentations, breakout sessions, and community-submitted presentations, all aimed at addressing industrial needs for semantic interoperability. The workshop will provide ample opportunities for real discussions.

**Goal of the Workshop**

What do we want to get out of this workshop?

We want to advance the area of semantic interoperability by:

* Reaching a common understanding of the current state of the art

* Showing success stories and best practices

Identifying what is missing and what new technologies can bring

* Concluding with creating recommendations and/or a roadmap composed of clearly identified next steps

**Scope**

The workshop wants to focus on solutions for industry rather than an academic event, along with encouraging greater take-up of semantic technologies, including controlled vocabularies, taxonomies, and ontologies. Semantic interoperability is essential for supply chains as well as for repairs and recycling in relation to the plans for the circular economy as part of the EU's Green Deal. Topics

The workshop will cover the following topics:

* State of the Art: Establishing a shared understanding of the current landscape of semantic interoperability.

* Success Stories and Best Practices: Showcasing successful implementations and identifying common practices, e.g. at GS1 and eclass.

* Challenges and New Technologies: Exploring what is missing and the potential contributions of emerging technologies, including AI and digital twins. Discussing metrics for evaluating the maturity of vocabularies, taxonomies, and ontologies

* Roadmap and Next Steps: Concluding with recommendations for advancing the field and proposing a roadmap for future development.

At the time of this publication, the workshop is in the preparatory phase. If you are interested in participating, please contact Dave Raggett at dsr@w3.org.
<figure><img src="image_57.png" /></figure>

SCHLOSS DAGSTUHL
Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik

Call for Proposals

Dagstuhl Seminars
and Perspectives
Workshops

Schloss Dagstuhl - Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik is accepting proposals for scientific seminars/workshops in all areas of computer science, in particular also in connection with other fields.

If accepted, the event will be hosted in the seclusion of Dagstuhl's well known, own, dedicated facilities in Wadern on the western fringe of Germany. Moreover, the Dagstuhl office will assume most of the organisational/ administrative work, and the Dagstuhl scientific staff will support the organizers in preparing, running, and documenting the event. Thanks to subsidies the costs are very low for participants.

Dagstuhl events are typically proposed by a group of three to four outstanding researchers of different affiliations. This organizer team should represent a range of research communities and reflect Dagstuhl's international orientation. More information, in particular details about event form and setup, as well as the proposal form and the proposing process, can be found on

https://www.dagstuhl.de/dsproposal

Schloss Dagstuhl - Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik is funded by the German federal and state government. It pursues a mission of furthering world class research in computer science by facilitating communication and interaction between researchers.

Important Dates

* Current submission period:
  October 15 to November 1, 2024

* Seminar dates:
  Between November 2025 and September 2026 (tentative)

* Next submission period:
  April 1 to April 15, 2025.

W30C

1994 → 2024

W3C@30

The first of October 2024 marked the 30th anniversary of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). To mark this milestone, W3C hosted W3C@30, aligning it with the TPAC 2024 conference in Anaheim, CA, USA, where the web standards community gathered.

There, 30 years of W3C and web advancements were celebrated,

high-lighting W3C's global impact, and look-ing ahead to the Web's future. The Web has become a central part of daily life for billions, and the Web Consortium has been instrumental in shaping its evolution over the past 30 years.

ERCIM became the European host of W3C in 2003. Today, ERCIM is the European partner of W3C.

More information:

W3C@30: https://kwz.me/hFh

W3C 30th anniversary clip:

https://kwz.me/hFi

Press release: https://kwz.me/hFs

Towards a Shared AI Strategy for European
Digital Science Institutes and Organisations

Generative AI is in a revolutionary phase of development. This has and will continue to have profound impact on society as well as science. It serves as enabler but also presents inherent challenges. It is important to develop a realistic understanding on the transformative nature of generative AI for the sciences and society, and how to responsibly use this revolutionary technology. As a network of European centres of excellence in digital technology, the ERCIM institutes are well positioned to contribute to this discussion within a national and European context.

Report on the 2024 ERCIM Visionary Event "Challenges and Opportunities of Foundational Models and Generative AI for Science and Society"

Experts from across Europe gathered on 16 April 2024 in Brussels, at the Maison Irène et Frédéric Joliot Curie, to discuss the rapidly evolving landscape of generative AI and large language models (LLMs) during the ERCIM visionary event titled "Challenges and Opportunities of Foundational Models and Generative AI for Science and Society." The event featured focused sessions covering the current state of affairs, an overview of the European political landscape, and the impact of LLMs on science and society. The day concluded with a panel discussion on the role of digital sciences in addressing the opportunities and challenges posed by LLMs and generative AI.

The authors of the report, who were also the event's organisers, documented the discussions, opinions, and statements made during the event, highlighting key insights.

The report is divided into two parts: the first part focuses on LLMs and AI at the EU level, along with specific technical perspectives and applications. The second part presents broader views on the impact of AI on society and science, along with reflections from the panel discussion. These sections offer several key takeaways and high-level recommendations distilled by the authors.

The report that aims to help institutes and organisations to develop an organisational understanding and possibly a strategy, to promote the responsible use and development of generative AI.

The report is available for download at:
https://www.ercim.eu/publications/strategic-reports
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ERCIM

European Research Consortium
for Informatics and Mathematics

Horizon Europe
Project
Management

A European project can be a richly rewarding tool for pushing your research or innovation activities to the state-of-the-art and beyond. Through ERCIM, our member institutes have participated in more than 100 projects funded by the European Commission in the ICT domain, by carrying out joint research activities while the ERCIM Office successfully manages the complexity of the project administration, finances and outreach.

Horizon Europe: How can you get involved?

The ERCIM Office has recognized expertise in a full range of services, including:

* Identification of funding opportunities

* Recruitment of project partners (within ERCIM and through ournetworks)

* Proposal writing and project negotiation

* Contractual and consortium management

* Communications and systems support

* Organization of attractive events, from team meetings to large-scale workshops and conferences

* Support for the dissemination of results.

Please contact:

Peter Kunz, ERCIM Office
peter.kunz@ercim.eu

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In Memoriam:

Prof. Dr. rer. pol. Matthias Jarke

(1952–2024)

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Prof. Matthias Jarke, a visionary computer scientist who made lasting contributions to both the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and ERCIM. His work left a significant impact on applied research in information systems, data management, and digital innovation.

Prof. Jarke was deeply committed to the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, serving as the Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Information Technology FIT from 2000 to 2021. Under his leadership, Fraunhofer FIT became a leading institution in human-computer interaction, requirements engineering, and data warehousing. He successfully bridged academia and industry, establishing Fraunhofer FIT as a major player in digital transformation.

From 2010 to 2015, Prof. Jarke chaired the Fraunhofer ICT Group, one of the largest divisions within the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. His leadership furthered Fraunhofer's mission of advancing applied research across Europe and globally. Prof. Jarke also left a profound mark on ERCIM. From 2008 to 2017, he represented the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft on the ERCIM Board of Directors, serving as Vice-President in 2008 and 2009. His commitment to collaborative research in computer science and applied mathematics strengthened ERCIM's role in advancing international cooperation.

In addition to his work at Fraunhofer, Prof. Jarke held the Chair of Information Systems and Databases at RWTH Aachen University from 1991 to 2021. He played a pivotal role in founding the Bonn-Aachen International Center for Information Technology (b-it), promoting interdisciplinary education in computer science and business. He also helped advance global education as the founding dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science at GUTech in Oman.

Prof. Jarke's foundational research in requirements engineering, meta-modelling, and data warehousing laid the groundwork for modern software systems. His achievements earned him numerous accolades, including being named a Fellow of the ACM and a member of acatech, the German National Academy of Science and Engineering.

As a mentor, Prof. Jarke was devoted to nurturing young scientists, many of whom now hold leading positions in academia and industry. His legacy of mentorship, leadership, and scientific excellence will continue to inspire future generations.

Prof. Matthias Jarke will be remembered for his visionary leadership and the deep impact he had on the global research community. He will be greatly missed by his family, colleagues, students, and all who knew him.
ERCIM - the European Research Consortium for Informatics and Mathematics is an organisation dedicated to the advancement of European research and development in information technology and applied mathematics. Its member institutions aim to foster collaborative work within the European research community and to increase co-operation with European industry.

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ERCIM is the European Partner of the World Wide Web Consortium.

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Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche
Area della Ricerca CNR di Pisa
Via G. Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy
www.iit.cnr.it

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NTNU

Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Faculty of Information Technology, Mathematics and Electrical Engineering, N 7491 Trondheim, Norway
http://www.ntnu.no/

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Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica

Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica
Science Park 123,
NL-1098 XG Amsterdam, The Netherlands
www.cwi.nl

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RISE SICS
Box 1263,
SE-164 29 Kista, Sweden
http://www.sics.se/

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Fonds National de la
Recherche Luxembourg

Fonds National de la Recherche
6, rue Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, B.P. 1777
L-1017 Luxembourg-Kirchberg
www.fnr.lu

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SBA
Research

SBA Research gGmbH
Floragasse 7, 1040 Wien, Austria
www.sba-research.org/

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FORTH

INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas
Institute of Computer Science
P.O. Box 1385, GR-71110 Heraklion, Crete, Greece
www.ics.forth.gr

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SZTAKI

Eötvös Loránd Research Network
Számítástechnikai és Automatizálási Kutató Intézet
P.O. Box 63, H-1518 Budapest, Hungary
www.sztaki.hu/

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Fraunhofer
IUK-TECHNOLOGIE

Fraunhofer ICT Group
Anna-Louisa-Karsch-Str. 2
10178 Berlin, Germany
www.iuk.fraunhofer.de

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University of Cyprus
P.O. Box 20537
1678 Nicosia, Cyprus
www.cs.ucy.ac.cy/

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inesc

INESC
c/o INESC Porto, Campus da FEUP,
Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, n° 378,
4200-465 Porto, Portugal
www.inesc.pt

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UNIVERSIDAD DE MÁLAGA

Institute for Software Engineering and Software Technology
"Jose María Troya Linero", University of Málaga
Calle Arquitecto Francisco Peñalosa, 18, 29010 Málaga
https://gp.uma.es/itis

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Institut National de Recherche en Informatique
et en Automatique
B.P. 105, F-78153 Le Chesnay, France
www.inria.fr

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University of Warsaw
Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Mechanics
Banacha 2, 02-097 Warsaw, Poland
www.mimuw.edu.pl/

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I.S.I. - Industrial Systems Institute
Patras Science Park building
Patlani, Patras, Greece, GR-26504
www.isi.gr

VTT

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd
PO Box 1000
FIN-02044 VTT, Finland
www.vttresearch.com