The STRAUSS project aims to define a highly efficient and global (multi-domain) optical infrastructure for Ethernet transport, covering heterogeneous transport and network control plane technologies, enabling an Ethernet ecosystem. It will design, implement and evaluate, via large-scale demonstrations, an advanced optical Ethernet transport architecture. The proposed architecture leverages on software defined networking principles, on optical network virtualization as well as on flexible optical circuit and packet switching technologies beyond 100 Gbps.In particular, the STRAUSS project focuses on the integration and development of a) cost/energy efficient and extremely fast-performing switching nodes, based on variable-capacity and fixed-length optical packet switching technology for access and aggregation networks, and on flexi-grid DWDM optical circuit switching technology for long haul transport; b) highly integrated and scalable software defined optical transceivers supporting bandwidth variable multi-flows for flexible Ethernet transmission; c) a virtualization layer for dynamic and on-demand partitioning of the optical infrastructure offering virtual optical Ethernet transport networks (slices); d) legacy (e.g. GMPLS) and new (e.g. OpenFlow based) control plane approaches for control and management of virtual slices and finally e) a service and network orchestration layer for the interworking and coordination of heterogeneous control plane and transport technologies to offer end-to-end Ethernet transport services.Outcomes of this project will be experimentally validated by means of demonstrations on large scale test-beds in EU & Japan. STRAUSS will provide technological roadmaps, technical approaches and deployment strategies aiming at shortening innovation and exploitation cycles in the area of future optical Ethernet transport networks for both academia and industry in EU and Japan.