Preparation - EOSC CZ Summer School for Data Stewards 2026

If you encounter any problems with the steps described below, please reach out via email

Prepare your e-INFRA CZ account¶

For access to Large Language Models (LLMs), we will use the AI as a Service (AIaaS) infrastructure provided by e-INFRA CZ. As a member of an educational institution in the Czech Republic with a valid MetaCentrum account, you should have access to it.

Make sure you have a valid MetaCentrum account (MetaCentrum registration form)
Make sure you can access the e-INFRA CZ OpenWebUI platfrom
Follow the steps explained in the AIaaS docs for Creating an API Key
Keep this API key (sk-xyz...) safe and treat it like a password (because that’s exactly what it is). It’s recommended to use a password manager.

Prepare your laptop¶

The practical work will be done locally on your laptop. In this section, you will find information on how to prepare your laptop for the training. Please read everything carefully first and then follow the individual steps.

What you need¶

Your laptop with internet access
Administrator rights to install software
The terminal:
- Windows: CommandPrompt or PowerShell
- macOS/Linux: Terminal

1. Install uv¶

uv is a fast and convenient tool for Python project and package management
Install uv like described in the docs
After installation, close and reopen your terminal
Then verify in your terminal via

uv --version

2. Create a Python virtual environment (venv)¶

NOTE: If Python is already installed on your system, uv will detect and use it without further configuration. However, uv can also install and manage Python versions, and automatically installs missing Python versions as needed.

Create a folder eosc-ssds-2026, e.g. on your desktop
Download the file pyproject.toml (right-click > “Save Link As”), save as pyproject.toml in this folder
Open the terminal and navigate to this folder, e.g.

cd /path/to/eosc-ssds-2026

In this folder, create a venv using uv via

uv sync

This creates a local virtual environment in eosc-ssds-2026/.venv (hidden folder), installs the Python packages defined in pyproject.toml, and finally creates a file uv.lock.

3. Start JupyterLab from the venv¶

As a test, start JupyterLab, a web-based interactive environment for computational notebooks
JupyterLab was already installed via uv sync in the venv
While still in the terminal and in the folder eosc-ssds-2026, do

uv run jupyter lab

Your browser should now open JupyterLab
If it doesn’t, copy the URL displayed in the terminal into your browser
(should start with http://localhost:8888/lab?token=...)
To stop JupyterLab, in the terminal press

Ctrl + C

If everything worked: Congratulations!
You are technically prepared for the training sessions.

4. [Recommended] Introduction to Python and Terminal¶

Although no extensive programming knowledge is required, the planned training sessions will make use of the Python programming language and the terminal or command line. We therefore recommend that you familiarize yourself with at least the basics (if you are not already familiar with them). The following interactive online resources are worth checking out: