Plan ahead and start early: Data Management Plans (DMPs) are a valuable asset to you!
Planning for data is an integral part of research because it ensures the integrity, security and accessibility of the evidence that will underpin the answer to your research questions.
Formalising your plans within a Data Management Plan is a valuable way of ensuring and showing that you have a roadmap for your research data.
If you think critically and carefully through a Data Management Plan it becomes a quality assurance statement for your research data in the long term.
It can take time: especially when it is created thoughtfully. However, it is worth the investment.
Data Management Plans (DMPs) are also a requirement
It is a requirement of University's Research Data Management Policy that all new research proposals [from the date of adoption] include a DMP.
Many funders mandate a DMP as part of grant applications to ensure data is managed ethically, securely and shared openly whenever possible to maximise the impact of public investment.
Examples include:
- UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is developing a new research data policy, which will update and streamline expectations for sharing and managing research data and other research-relevant digital objects, including algorithms, software code and workflows, arising from UKRI-funded research. This may include a UKRI-wide requirement as pafrt of funding applications. This policy is anticipated to be implemented in 2026. Where research councils currently request data sharing and management plans with funding applications, this is expected to continue under the new policy.
- A DMP is mandatory for any Horizon Europe project generating or reusing research data. It is a key part of Horizon Europe's open science requirements.
- The Wellcome Trust's Data, software and material management and sharing policy mandates an output management plan (or data sharing plan) at the application stage.
- The Royal Society requires applicants to submit an outline Data Management and Sharing Plan (typically around 200 words) for most funding schemes if the research generates data of significant value.
- National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR): Data management and access plans (DAMPs) are required for appropriate funded studies across all NIHR funding programmes.
What does a DMP look like?
A DMP is a written document. There is no ideal length for your DMP: most are 1-4 pages long. The length of your plan depends on: the nature and extent of the data you work with, the level of detail that is useful to you, the complexity of data management requirements and external funder requirements.
External funder requirements for DMPs are similar but different! Read the requirements carefully and answer the questions as asked.
Generally there are several themes emerging across DMPs templates:
- Data description.
- Data quality and standards.
- Asking for consent for data sharing and reuse.
- Data storage and curation.
- Metadata standards and documentation.
- Data Access and sharing.
- Responsibilities and resources.
Completing your DMP: a resource for Ulster researchers
‘Writing your Data Management Plan: good practice pointers’ is a resource for Ulster researchers to provide guidance on issues that researchers should address when writing a DMP for their research projects. The slide deck highlights statements researchers should consider outlining within a series of key DMP themes, including guidance text where appropriate
A DMP is an integral part of your research proposal development process
Your DMP needs to be joined up with the story you are telling as you construct your research proposal.
You should ask yourself:
- Are the types of data that I reference in my DMP linked to the planned activities or work packages?
- Is the volume of data collected aligned to the proposed level of activity? (e.g. images, model runs, surveys, interviews)
- Has consideration been given to the wider project team’s involvement in data collection and management? (e.g. facilities, resources)
- Have I included costs associated with research data management? (e.g. expenses for data storage, software, transcription, digitisation, additional staff time)
A word on costing research data management into your grant application
Use the opportunity!
It is important to consider any costs associated with research data management. These could include additional staff time, equipment or external services necessary for managing research data throughout the project's lifespan. Often, when added together, the time spent performing different aspects of research data management (e.g. gaining consent, preparing data sharing agreements, formatting and documenting data, anonymising data, preparing data for deposit in a data repository) is substantial and so the costs are significant.
Many funding bodies permit the inclusion of data management costs in funding applications, provided they are reasonable and proportionate and incurred before the end of the project. You cannot claim costs for services that are centrally supported by indirect costing, but directly incurred costs associated with research data management - such as expenses for data storage, software, personnel, and other directly attributable resources - are typically allowable.
There are a range of external resources which can help you estimate the costs of research data management e.g.
- RDMKit: costs of data management
- UK Data Service: data management costing.
- Integrating RDM costs into research funding proposals: a model developed wihin the Irish Data Stewartship Network.
Familarise yourself with the data management costs that your funder will permit in a grant proposal and follow up the guidance raised in the resources above with a discussion with your faculty Research Development Manager.
External resources to help with data management planning
- DMPonline is a web-based tool for building a data management plan. The tool offers templates for data management plans from the major UK funders, plus a generic template which can be used for any research project. In addition to providing templates, the tool also offers guidance on completing the templates. This includes advice from the DCC (who maintain the DMPonline tool), individual funding bodies and from universities with an institutional DMP account. Ulster University do not have an institutional account, so you won’t find Ulster specific guidance. However, apart from this you have full functionality of the tool. You will need to create an account and link it to your University credentials if you have not already done so. The Digital Curation Centre (DCC) have also produced a very useful DMPonline screencast video that gives instructions on how to register and use the tool.
- FAIR-Aware Additional guidance to the Science Europe DMP assessment rubric. In this output of the FAIRsFAIR project, FAIR explicit guidance has been added to the Science Europe DMP evaluation rubric to help researchers better plan for FAIR data. The rubric is based around a series of DMP questions, providing both guidance for completing the DMP question and indicators to assess if the question has been sufficiently addressed.
- Check funders in your research field. Some funders have specific data management and sharing guidance. Even if you are not formally submitting a grant proposal, there may be useful advice for your field of research. If you are submitting a grant proposal you must take into account any guidance provided by your funder.
