The European Plate Observing System (EPOS) is a multidisciplinary, distributed Research Infrastructure that facilitates the integrated use of data, data products, and facilities from the solid Earth science community in Europe. EPOS will enable innovative multidisciplinary research for a better understanding of the Earth’s physical and chemical processes that control earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, ground instability and tsunamis as well as the processes driving tectonics and Earth’s surface dynamics. Through integration of data, models and facilities, EPOS will allow the Earth science community to make a step change in developing new concepts and tools for key answers to scientific and socio-economic questions concerning geo-hazards and georesources for a safe and sustainable society.

Entered the ESFRI Roadmap in 2008, EPOS established the European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC) in 2018. After the Preparation and Implementation Phases, EPOS ERIC is currently facing the challenging transition to the Operation Phase (foreseen to start in 2023). This transition, focused on finalizing the operation of the EPOS Delivery Framework, is coordinated by EPOS ERIC also through the three years EU-funded EPOS Sustainability Project. This project will create synergies among diverse actions dedicated to securing governance, technical, financial and legal sustainability for the operation of the whole Research Infrastructure. EPOS ERIC is taking the responsibility of coordinating and managing the EPOS Delivery Framework guaranteeing its long-term sustainability.