This week I met with 2 research teams who are embarking on projects within the EU’s Horizon 2020 funding stream to talk about research data management and sharing. A novelty for Horizon 2020 is the introduction of a research data pilot, which is compulsory in a number of research areas, although other projects are invited (and encouraged) to opt-in.

Research areas affected are:

• Future and Emerging Technologies
• Research infrastructures
• Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies – Information and Communication Technologies
• Nanotechnologies, Advanced Materials, Advanced Manufacturing and Processing, and Biotechnology: ‘nanosafety’ and ‘modelling’ topics
• Societal Challenge: Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine and maritime and inland water research and the bioeconomy – selected topics as specified in the work programme
• Societal Challenge: Climate Action, Environment, Resource Efficiency and Raw materials – except raw materials
• Societal Challenge: Europe in a changing world – inclusive, innovative and reflective Societies
• Science with and for Society
• Cross-cutting activities – focus areas – part Smart and Sustainable Cities

One of the key deliverables for projects involved in the pilot is a data management plan (DMP) within the first 6 months. This plan describes the datasets to be produced; which standards and metadata will be employed; how and when data will be shared; and plans for the long-term preservation of data. More elaborated versions of the DMP can be delivered at later stages of the project, and at a minimum at the mid-term and final review.

One of the main issues concerning the development of DMPs and the management of data for the project teams I have been working with, is the international, multi-institutional nature of the projects. Different institutions will be collecting, managing and storing different datasets, so it is important that the DMP is a collaborative effort between all those responsible for doing so. Using DMPOnline, a tool designed by the DCC to write and share the plan will enable collaborative editing of the plan, with the ability to assign different permission levels to different users as appropriate. To find out more about data management plans and using DMPOnline visit the Data Management Planning page on the RDM intranet site (internal link only).

If you’re starting a Horizon 2020 project and would like advice and support for writing a data management plan, please email library-research-support@open.ac.uk