It's been a long time since our last newsletter and we're bursting with three months' worth of news so you can expect this edition to be a wild ride!

The SSH Open Marketplace, a brand new online consultation platform for testers, and a great video that we're proud to launch right here are all testimony to a very busy and intense period for SSHOC partners. So get comfortable, hold on to your hat, and enjoy this lightning-fast round up of the most important developments project-wide! If you're checking in from the comfort of a reclining chair on a distant beach or mountain top, happy holidays!

Welcome to our newsletter – and to stories of virtual journeys in April.

SSHOC in the Time of COVID-19

Greetings to you! The good news is that even as this strange, surreal period finds many of us hunkered down in our home offices, travel bans, the sudden cancellation of strategic meetings, and the urgent need to self isolate are not interfering with progress on any aspect of the SSHOC project - or with our ability to engage effectively when we need to.

SSHOCking results for the Social Sciences and Humanities Open Cloud: Marketplace and Services Take Shape

The first SSHOC summer was a blast and transitioned into autumn through a series of key project releases, publications, and EOSC-centred events.

In this issue of the SSHOC newsletter we will present all the main project outputs produced during the last fruitful months: it's now possible to catch a glimpse of what SSHOC plans to offer to SSH researchers and institutions, and how the project connects to EOSC.

The human factor in EOSC: SSHOC's journey continues, presenting ambitious plans and connecting with SSH communities

Exciting times for SSHOC: the Social Sciences and Humanities Open Cloud is taking shape and growing in popularity. After the first months of activity, we are now moving into a new phase in which results are visible and measureable!

In June and July, a series of successful events covered key themes across a variety of SSHOC communities. A high level of engagement at our LIBER Annual Conference and DH19 workshops, and good participation at the 8th ESRA Conference helped generate requirements and collect inputs. As the most human-centred cluster in the EOSC, it's fundamental that SSHOC is inclusive, represents users, and involves them in every aspect of the project as it develops.

A Journey of interconnections through an open circuit, open as science should be

May 2019 starts the first of a series of periodical updates on the Social Sciences and Humanities Open Cloud, its evolutions, principal achievements, upcoming tools and services for our large community of users, targeted and related events, opportunities to engage, success stories from the partners and from the broader SSH field. Join us in being a part of this stimulating trip!

In this first edition we highlight the very interactive SSHOC Kick-off meeting where more than 100 participants joined to mark the beginning of exciting times to come, our upcoming workshops at the DH2019 event and at the LIBER Annual Event, and share video interviews with our project coordinator and partners.