D5.1. Intermediate report on user needs, SLICES services catalogue, access policies and training strategy

Abstract

This deliverable is an intermediate report of the workpackage on user needs, services, access and training strategy. It presents the current view that will be further consolidated in
Deliverable D5.2 “Final report on user needs, SLICES service catalog, access policies and training strategy” (M40, December 2025) and that will provide the final view on these topics.

This deliverable starts by dealing with user needs by describing a methodology for identification of them. By applying it, three first blueprints have been identified and are
presented: the “post-5G” blueprint, the “cloud/edge” blueprint, and the "machine learning/federated learning" blueprint.

The second section of the deliverable recalls the three access types (trans-national/physical access, trans-national virtual access/remote access, and virtual access) and the three access modes (excellence-driven, market-driven, and wide access) that will be supported by SLICES.

The third section of the deliverable deals with the current vision of SLICES services catalogue. Services have been further divided into supporting and basic services. As a consequence of blueprints, a new category of services, SLICES Blueprint services, have been introduced. It aims at gathering the services provided by the blueprints, i.e., services specific to a particular research community. It is important to notice that this part also considered services from a pre-operation point of view and therefore also contains implementation considerations. This work has been carried out in collaboration with relevant workpackages: WP3 “Scientific and technical strategy and specifications”, WP6 “Operational framework”, and WP7 “Data management and ethics requirements”.

The fourth section focus on training activities in particular with respect to four objectives: i) to identify the training needs and training methodologies that will be followed; ii) to develop and provide the respective training material to organize SLICES-RI training events (training sessions, webinars, plugfests, hackathons) as well as shared teaching material used in SLICESRI for teaching basic skills at the convergence of computing and networking (SLICES Academy); iii) to provide guidelines, inter-site collaboration incentives and alignment with national programs pertaining to the teaching of key technical skills in the areas of interest of SLICES-RI (SLICES Academy); and iv) to facilitate researcher mobility, among the SLICES-RI member institutions and for the research community at large, for the exchange of know-how among the users of the facilities.