Version 1.1 • 3 October 2026
This policy covers access to B2ACCESS, B2HANDLE, B2SHARE, B2FIND, B2DROP and B2SAFE. It distinguishes service eligibility, authentication and authorisation from the rights to access and reuse individual datasets. This policy incorporates provisions applicable to the consolidated EUDAT portal for EOSC integration.
General access statement
EUDAT services are available to individual researchers and research groups, communities and organisations under the terms agreed with EUDAT and the relevant service provider. Access is provided remotely. Public offerings may be used through their published registration or access procedures; ordered, premium or customised offerings require arrangements with the provider. Free access does not imply unlimited capacity.
Users must meet the requirements of the selected service and instance, including registration, accepted credentials, group membership or an approved service request where applicable. For portal access, the sign-in broker connects through B2ACCESS to supported identity providers. Organisation verification, approved group membership and an active entitlement may also be required. Successful authentication establishes identity; it does not by itself confer access to every service, dataset or administrative function. B2ACCESS supports federated identities, local accounts and authorisation based on community groups and integrates with EOSC AAI.
Access through the EUDAT EOSC Portal
Users gain access to EUDAT and linked EOSC node offerings in one catalogue, select a plan and manage their provisioned services through the portal. The applicable provider, price and conditions differ for each offering. External node services remain subject to their own terms.
Dataset access and reuse
Access to and reuse of datasets discovered through B2FIND, published through B2SHARE or managed through B2DROP or B2SAFE are additionally governed by the applicable dataset licence and any access restrictions imposed by the data owner or repository. Users must observe the permissions and conditions that apply to their intended use, including attribution or redistribution conditions where specified. This clause is an explicit provision of this consolidated draft.
A discovery record, publicly visible metadata or a resolvable persistent identifier does not establish that the underlying files are open or that reuse is unrestricted. For restricted data, users must obtain the required authorisation from the responsible repository or data owner. Where no licence or permission is stated, users must not infer unrestricted reuse. Sharing permissions for B2DROP files likewise do not replace applicable rights or confidentiality obligations.
Conditions of use
Users must accept the EUDAT Acceptable Use Policy and comply with applicable service terms, privacy notices and provider agreements. They must use services lawfully, respect intellectual property and confidentiality, protect credentials, keep registration details current and cooperate in resolving misuse. Security incidents must be reported promptly to csirt@eudat.eu and compromised credentials to their issuer. Access may be restricted or suspended for operational, administrative or security reasons or policy violations. Service commitments are limited to the applicable descriptions and agreements.
Access arrangements by service
The table summarises the existing catalogue baseline. In the EUDAT EOSC portal, resource ordering and management follow the common provisions on the next section where an integrated offering is available. B2ACCESS supplies identity support for this route. “Open Access” describes the service ordering route and does not override dataset restrictions.
| Service | Users and access route | Cost and provisioning | Dataset or resource conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| B2ACCESS | Researchers, communities and providers. Accepted federated identity or local account; community groups govern authorisation. | Free or paid. An order is required for the service offering or integration; user login is free. | Identity and authorisation service. An account does not grant blanket access to connected resources. |
| B2HANDLE | Researchers and data managers or providers. Public PID resolution; namespace and record management through the provider arrangement. | Paid; order required for the managed offering. Researchers can receive PIDs through repository workflows such as B2SHARE. | PIDs identify and resolve objects. Access and reuse of the target remain governed by its repository and rights holder. |
| B2SHARE | Institutional and individual researchers, including citizen scientists. Registration required to deposit; B2ACCESS is used for authentication. | Free public basic service. Premium or customised provision available; catalogue lists free and paid access and Open Access ordering. | Metadata is public. The data owner defines dataset access; community rules and the dataset licence govern files and reuse. |
| B2FIND | Researchers and communities. Public discovery portal; providers arrange metadata harvesting with the service. | Free; Fully Open Access. Custom setup can be requested. | Search discovers metadata and links to repositories. Dataset access and reuse remain subject to the source repository and dataset licence. |
| B2DROP | Researchers, groups and organisations. Basic service supports self-registration; B2ACCESS listed as a dependency. | Free public basic service with a published 20 GB user quota. Higher quotas, premium or customised provision may be paid. | Files can be shared with selected users, federated instances or through links. The data owner defines dataset access. Rights and confidentiality still apply to shared content. |
| B2SAFE | Research communities, organisations and infrastructure or data managers. Provider provisioning and agreed access controls are required. | Conditionally free or paid; order required. Capacity, replication and management policies are agreed with the provider. | Storage and replication follow community or organisational policies. Dataset licences and owner permissions govern access and reuse. |
Additional Access Considerations in the EUDAT EOSC Portal
Groups and authority to order
Users may create groups and invite colleagues. The workflow requires administrator approval of a new group before it can order. Only an active group and a user with the required role may order or spend its credits. Creating a group or accepting an invitation does not itself establish spending authority.
Group orders, services and wallet balances are private to authorised group participants. Access follows membership and assigned roles, subject to authorised operational administration. Users must select the correct group before ordering.
Credits and service activation in the EUDAT EOSC Portal
Before confirming an order, the user must review the plan, price and group to be charged. The group wallet funds the order. Credit requests require administrator approval; administrators may also grant credits directly. Charges and refunds remain visible in the group history. The portal confirms readiness after provisioning reports success and provides the service access link. Order confirmation alone does not establish that a resource is ready.
Subscriptions renew automatically and charge the group wallet for each period. If the wallet cannot fund renewal, the planned portal pauses the service and notifies its owner. Users must monitor their balance and renewal obligations. Pause, retention, restoration and release conditions must be stated for the selected plan; a pause must not be interpreted as a promise of continued access or indefinite data retention.
The portal supports plan changes, service release and cancellation before an order completes. Applicable charges, refunds and effects on stored data must be disclosed in the offering terms. Existing dataset licences and owner restrictions continue to govern access and reuse, including where portal credits fund the underlying service.
Provider arrangements and assistance
Before requesting an ordered or customised service, users should confirm the selected provider, capacity, quotas, fees, access controls and any service level agreement. The catalogue labels geographical availability as Europe for B2FIND and the European Union for the other five services. These listings are not treated here as proof of a blanket exclusion of users elsewhere; eligibility for the selected offering should be confirmed with the provider.
Service access, ordering and account questions may be directed to helpdesk@eudat.eu or the contact linked from the service page. Dataset permission requests should be directed to the data owner or hosting repository. The AUP administrative contact is cdi-secretariat@eudat.eu.
Relationship to existing individual service terms
This document does not amend dataset licences, the EUDAT AUP, instance terms or existing signed provider agreements. Any apparent conflict or unclear entitlement should be resolved with the relevant provider or data owner before proceeding. No new entitlement, fee waiver, storage commitment or service guarantee is created by this policy.