Preparing a Data Management Plan (DMP)

A Data Management Plan is a document specifying how research data will be handled both during and after a research project. It identifies key actions and strategies to ensure that research data are of a high-quality, secure, sustainable, and – to the extent possible – accessible and reusable.

Why develop a DMP?

Creating a DMP is considered good practice for any research project using or generating data. After all, planning is the first step towards proper research data management.

Decisions made early on affect what you can do later, so good and timely planning can save you a lot of time and problems in the longer run. It also helps you consider the necessary resources and costs for data management, so you can include these in your grant applications.

In addition, you may be required to draft a DMP, for example by your research funder.

DMP requirements

More and more research funders require a short data management statement or plan as part of the grant proposal process, and a full-blown DMP after funding has been approved.

Ghent University's RDM policy framework also strongly encourages all researchers to create DMPs for their projects. In addition:

  • A DMP is mandatory for BOF- and IOF-funded research awarded from 2020 onwards.
  • The Education & Examination Code requires all PhD students first enrolled in the academic year 2020-2021 or after to write a DMP. 
  •  Some Faculties (e.g. Psychology and Educational Sciences, Law and Criminology) require PhD students and/or other researchers to submit a DMP.
  • DMPs may also be required as part of the ethical approval process.
  • Even if a full DMP is not required, a record of processing activities is needed to comply with the GDPR when working with personal data. This GDPR record is also required to initiate the drawing up of an agreement by Ghent University's TechTransfer team (if applicable).

Overview of funder and university-wide DMP requirements

Horizon 2020 Horizon Europe ERC   
BELSPO FWO & VLAIO cSBO BOF IOF

PhD students

(Education & Examination Code)
DMP in proposal

NO

(but include RDM paragraph under 'Impact' section)

NO

(but include RDM paragraph under multiple sections of application. Full DMP is mandatory in case of public emergency and if required by work programme)

NO           

YES

(provisional DMP)

NO

(but answer 5 RDM questions in application form for FWO)

 NO           NO           NO
Initial DMP

YES

(by month 6)

YES

(by month 6)

YES

(by month 6)            

YES

(by month 6)

YES                 

(by month 6)

YES            

(by month 6)

YES            

(by month 6)

YES

(by month 6)
Final DMP

YES

YES

NO

(but keep initial DMP up to date)

YES                 

YES

YES                 

YES                 

YES

(prior to public defense)
Periodic report DMP

YES

 YES NO NO NO NO NO NO
Specific DMP  template

YES

(recommended)

YES

(recommended)

YES

(recommeded)

YES

(recommended)

YES

(mandatory)

NO                       

(use any template in DMPonline.be)

NO              

(use any template in DMPonline.be)

NO                        

(use any template in DMPonline.be)

Writing a DMP

What topics to cover

A good DMP takes into account the applicable regulations and data policies, and considers the whole research data lifecycle.

It typically addresses the following topics:

  • What data will be collected, and how.
  • How data will be documented.
  • How any ethical and legal issues will be dealt with.
  • How data will be stored and backed up during research.
  • Any plans for preserving (some of the) data beyond the project's end.
  • Any plans for sharing or providing access to (some of the) data.
  • Who will be responsible for data management and what additional resources may be required.

What to cover in your DMP may also depend on your funder. Many research funders provide their own DMP template. Ghent University also has various templates for researchers not writing a DMP for a specific funder. Funder and institutional templates can be accessed via DMPonline.be.

Online planning tool DMPonline.be

DMPonline.be is an online planning tool to help you write an effective DMP based on an institutional or funder template.

With the tool, you can:

  • Sign in with your UGent account and create a new DMP. The tool takes you step-by-step through a number of data management questions based on a relevant DMP template. Guidance is available to help you answer the questions.
  • Select a suitable DMP template and guidance depending on the requirements. The tool contains different templates and guidance associated with either UGent (generic or Faculty-specific) or external research funders (including FWO, VLAIO cSBO, BELSPO, ERC and Horizon Europe).
  • Easily share plans with collaborators within and outside UGent
  • Export completed plans in various file formats
Need more help? Check this (re)Search tip on how to use DMPonline.be.

A living document

Treat your DMP as a living document: created before or in the early stages of research, but updated where necessary in the course of the project. You may not know all the answers at the outset, and circumstances may change.

The final DMP

At the end of the project, the final DMP must be submitted to some funders. This final version of the DMP will contain a description of how the research data were managed during research, and how the generated/collected research data are shared and preserved.

Need help? Check this (re)Search tip on how to write a final DMP.

Example DMPs

Not sure what to write in your DMP? Have a look at example DMPs from other research projects (but keep in mind that not all have been reviewed for quality!). 

You can find public DMPs via the following sources:

Some example DMPs from Ghent University researchers:

DMP feedback

For various templates, evaluation grids are available to (self-)assess your completed DMP:

You can also request feedback on your DMP via rdm.support@ugent.be. If you have to submit a DMP for a funder, please allow us enough time to review your DMP. Do not wait until just before the submission deadline to get in touch!

More information