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Research Data Management Requirements of Funding Institutions

This guide forms part of a series of supplemental materials to the Research Data Policy of Freie Universität Berlin.

In recent years, many national and international funding programs have issued guidelines for research data management (RDM) in the context of third-party funding applications. This guide outlines the most relevant requirements for members of Freie Universität. Below you will find the current requirements by the most relevant funders (e.g. BMBF, DFG, European Commission). Further information materials and resources complete the guide.

Funding Application Support from the RDM Team

The Research Data Management team can offer you support with funding applications. We can examine your statement on research data management for the application, review your data management plan, suggest changes, or recommend additions. Please get in contact with us at the earliest possible stage of the process if you require assistance: forschungsdaten@fu-berlin.de

Research Data Management and Funding Applications

  • It is mandatory to provide information on research data management (RDM) in most funding applications.
  • Some funding programs require a data management plan.
  • Personnel expenses and material costs related to RDM are partially eligible for funding.
  • The following aspects must be covered in any application or data management plan:
    • Relevant RDM guidelines (e.g., FAIR principles, research data policy of the research institution, subject-specific recommendations)
    • Data or data types to be generated and/or re-used within the project
    • Planned use of IT infrastructures (such as for backup or storage)
    • Publication of data, for example, in a suited repository
    • Storage of data after the project has ended

Requirements of Selected Funding Institutions

RDM requirements differ not only with regard to the respective funding institution, but also depending on the specific funding line or funding program. The following information may be updated by the respective bodies over time, rendering the information cited here incorrect. Please check each call for proposals for the most recent version of RDM guidelines, including deviating or additional requirements.

  • No systematised guidelines for handling research data; review of the call for proposals required.
  • Calls for increased compliance with FAIR principles regarding data collection, data use, and data archiving. [1]
  • Expenses for research data management are eligible for funding. [1]
  • It endorses some subject-specific guidelines (such as for education research, coastal and marine research, basic physics research on large-scale equipment).[2]
Further documents and relevant links:

  • A data management plan forms part of the project description for the outline submission and full proposal.
  • The data management plan must be updated and attached for interim and final reports.
  • Research data should be documented and, if possible, published.
  • Costs for RDM are eligible for funding and should be included in the preliminary calculation when drawing up the initial concept.
Further documents and relevant links:

  • Including information on research data management (RDM) is obligatory in applications for third-party funding for both individual and collaborative projects (individual research grants, Walter Benjamin Program, Emmy Noether Program, Research Units, Priority Programs, Collaborative Research Centers, and Research Training Groups).

  • It is possible to apply for funding to cover costs incurred for personnel expenses and material costs related to RDM. These include “personnel expenses for the preparation or transfer of data to existing repositories, as well as any software and hardware required for this purpose.” User fees or membership fees for infrastructures can also be described and applied for under “Other costs.”[1]
  • Research data should be published as promptly as possible, provided that this is in line with the principles of data protection, copyright, etc.
Further documents and relevant links:

Horizon Europe

  • Information on research data management and open science practices must be included in the proposal.
  • A data management plan must be submitted within six months after the start of the project; A DMP can be therefore planned as a deliverable of one work package.
  • Research outputs should be managed in line with FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable).
  • If possible, research data should be published in a suitable open access repository (principle “as open as possible, as closed as necessary”).
  • Costs for the open access publication of data are eligible for funding.
Further documents and relevant links:
  • Model Grant Agreement (PDF) (version 1.2, April 4, 2024) provides current requirements for research data management, p. 93.
  • Programme Guide (PDF) (version 4.0., Octorber 15, 2023) includes detailed guide on how to prepare a proposal, description of open science practices (including research data management) and useful resources, p. 40–56.
  • Annotated Model Grant Agreement (PDF) (version 1.0, May 1, 2023), Section 7 addresses key requirements (creating a data management plan, publishing the data in a suitable repository, validation, metadata) and how they are met, p. 375–378.
  • Example Application Form (PDF) (version 8.0, April 4, 2024), Section 1.2 Methodology is particularly relevant (Part B – page 9 of 23); max. one page of the proposal should address research data management.
  • Data Management Plan Template (DOCX) (version 1.1, April 4, 2022).
  • Webseite OpenAIRE[1] Guide RDM in Horizon Europe Proposals (last updated: June 13, 2022) lists which information is mandatory on proposals and which additional information is recommended.

[1] OpenAIRE (Open Access Infrastructure for Research in Europe) is a pan-European infrastructure for promoting open scientific publishing (https://www.openaire.eu/)

European Research Council (ERC)

  • The Horizon Europe requirements outlined above also apply to ERC grants.
Further documents and relevant links:

  • A data management plan is required for the application in the case of data-driven projects.[1]
  • Generated data should be stored in public, non-commercial repositories.
  • Additional funding for the preparation of data can be requested.
Further documents and relevant links:
Version August 21, 2024