SURF, a member cooperation of Dutch education and research institutions, collaborates with EUDAT to advance digital services and research. By contributing to EUDAT’s governance and strategic direction, infrastructure expertise, and European research collaborations, SURF's involvement in EUDAT demonstrates a commitment to developing a key European research data infrastructure. We had the opportunity to talk with Claudia Behnke, a member of EUDAT and Executive Board Co-Chair, and Mark van de Sanden, a member of EUDAT and the Secretariat Technical Coordinator, to delve deeper into the importance of this collaboration.

SURF and Its Role in Research Data and Open Science

Dedicated to further developing digital services, SURF currently supports over 100 member institutions, including universities, research institutes, and vocational education organisations. In this way, SURF is assisting more than 1 million users across diverse fields such as natural sciences, life sciences, social sciences, humanities, and engineering. By combining expertise and resources, SURF ensures that the Netherlands remains at the forefront of digital innovation in education and research. It provides high-performance ICT solutions that enable secure collaboration, knowledge sharing, and scientific advancements.

With its Open Science Infrastructure, SURF facilitates open-access publishing and seamless collaboration, while Secure Data Exchange ensures GDPR-compliant data sharing, protecting sensitive research information and enabling global scientific cooperation. By fostering innovation and collaboration, SURF ensures that Dutch researchers have the digital infrastructure needed to accelerate discoveries and advance global science.

Shared Goals between SURF and EUDAT

For Claudia Behnke and Mark van de Sanden, SURF and EUDAT share a mission to empower research through advanced digital infrastructure, data services, and open science principles. Both organisations are committed to FAIR data, sustainability, collaboration, and secure research data management.

Their alignment is evident in several areas. Both promote the FAIR data principles, contributing to initiatives like the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) to support open and transparent research. They also provide secure and scalable data storage solutions, with EUDAT’s B2SAFE and B2DROP complementing SURF’s data management services to benefit Dutch researchers.

Alongside data solutions, SURF and EUDAT support and enable computationally intensive research through services like SURF’s Research Cloud and HPC, which integrate with EUDAT’s B2HANDLE and B2STAGE to manage large datasets efficiently.

Furthermore, SURF and EUDAT support community-driven governance models, ensuring that services align with researchers' needs. SURF provides in-kind support to the EUDAT Secretariat, and as Co-Chair of EUDAT, Claudia helps ensure strategic alignment between national and European data initiatives.

Together, SURF and EUDAT are building a secure, open European research data ecosystem, enabling researchers to store, manage, and share data effectively to drive scientific progress.

What are the benefits of being a EUDAT member?

“Being a member of EUDAT has provided SURF with significant benefits, strengthening our ability to support Dutch education and research with cutting-edge data management, storage, and open science solutions.”

As Claudia and Mark share, EUDAT membership has provided significant benefits to SURF. It has strengthened their support for Dutch education and research with advanced data management and open science solutions. By joining EUDAT, SURF gained access to critical services like B2SAFE, B2SHARE, and B2HANDLE, enabling seamless integration of European-scale data solutions into SURF’s offerings. This enhances the data-sharing ecosystem for Dutch researchers.

EUDAT’s commitment to FAIR data principles aligns with SURF’s mission to promote open science and responsible data management, allowing them to shape European open science policies and keep Dutch researchers at the forefront of innovation. Membership also fosters collaboration with European institutions, enabling knowledge exchange that strengthens our research data services and international partnerships.

 

Get to Know PhD Claudia Behnke, EUDAT Co-Chair

Claudia Behnke is a passionate leader and strategist with over five years of experience at SURF, where she currently serves as Domain Manager for Research Development in Amsterdam. With a strong foundation in research data management, advanced computing, and open science, Claudia is dedicated to driving innovation and delivering impactful solutions that empower global research communities. She also holds the position of Co-Chair of the EUDAT CDI Board, reflecting her leadership in bridging national and international initiatives.

Claudia’s educational background includes a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Nuclear Physics, a Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Physics, and a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Physics, all from Goethe University Frankfurt. She excels in building motivated teams and delivering services that advance research and innovation, with a focus on collaboration and long-term strategic success.

Get to Know Mark van de Sanden EUDAT Technical Coordinator

Mark van de Sanden is an Enterprise Architect at SURF with over 28 years of experience in managing supercomputers and large-scale data infrastructures. He is a recognised expert in data and storage and has led the data services team for more than a decade. At SURF, he supervises and monitors technical developments and fosters service innovation through involvement in new projects.

Mark is also a Technical Coordinator and member of the EUDAT Secretariat, where he is responsible for strategic service development. He has been actively involved in numerous EOSC-related projects, including EOSC-Hub, EOSC Future, DICE, FAIRCORE4EOSC, EOSC-ENTRUST, and AARC-TREE. Additionally, he has contributed to the EOSC Architecture Working Group, the EOSC Association Task Forces on Technical Interoperability, and the EOSC Federation Handbook writing team.He has been a member of the Research Data Alliance (RDA) since 2014, further contributing to international collaboration in data sharing and infrastructure development.

Interested in becoming a EUDAT member?

If you are interested in joining the EUDAT community and collaborating on the future of interoperable data management services, explore our CDI Community and easy steps of signing up here!