Data Management Plans (DMPs)

Even before the start of a research project, it is important and helpful to plan how to deal with data and results for the coming work phase.

A suitable instrument for this is the data management plan (DMP), in which the framework conditions and concrete strategies for the creation and processing, the scope and security and, if necessary, the later publication of the research data generated are defined and documented.

A DMP can be a prerequisite for the approval of third-party funds in some disciplines or funding lines and will be checked together with the project application. With a DMP you can systematically describe how you will handle your research data, how you imagine your data to be stored, recorded, maintained and processed.

The following aspects must be taken into account:

  • Project description / context (cooperation, project affiliation, specifications of the funding body)
  • Type of data (formats, tools, software, scope)
  • Documentation (Metadata Standards (English only)
  • Timeline (period of data storage, requirements of the funding body)
  • Archiving (physical location, Persistent Identifiers (PID))
  • Licenses (reuse of the data)

In addition to examples and templates that provide suggestions and concrete assistance, there are also web-based tools that make it easier to create a DMP. KIT recommends the Research Data Management Organizer (RDMO). With the multilingual RDMO, research projects can organize their Research Data Management based on an updatable plan and adapt it as needed. Further detailed information can be found at forschungsdaten.info