Umeå University recommends you to draw up a data management plan
Many major research funding bodies require the Principal Investigator (PI) to write a data management plan for a funded project. Even if there are no requirements from your funding body, Umeå University recommends that its researchers write a data management plan. As a doctoral student, you should draw up a data management plan together with your supervisors when you write the research plan for your doctoral studies.
The plan provides support for structure and communication
Writing a data management plan helps you to structure the management of your research data. It allows you to document how you wish to collaborate with your research group or collaborative partners.
You can use your data management plan to communicate workflow, role assignment and data ownership in your research project. You can also use the data management plan to strategise your data publications to cite in your research articles.
Read more about data management plans at researchdata.se
Funding bodies that require a data management plan
The Swedish Research Council, Formas, Forte, Riksbankens Jubileumsfond and Horizon Europe are examples of large research funding bodies that require funded projects to have a data management plan.
Learn more about these funding bodies’ approach to data management plans:
- Plan, manage and make research data available (Swedish Research Council)
- Open science (Formas)
- Open access to research data (Forte)
- Data management plan (Riksbankens Jubileumsfond)
- Model Grant Agreement (Horizon Europe)
Create your data management plan using DMPOnline
In the DMPonline tool, you can easily create a data management plan and revise it regularly to create different versions as needed. You can share the plan with others and choose whether it should be available publicly.
Templates in DMPonline
DMPonline contains ready-made templates from various funding bodies and other organisations to base your work on, such as the Swedish Research Council and the European Commission.
Umeå University uses a template based on the Core Requirements from Science Europe, which the Swedish Research Council and Formas have also adopted. The University’s data management plan template is available in the following versions:
- an open-ended template (Swedish and English);
- a question-based template (Swedish and English); and
- a question-based template adapted for the Chemical Biological Centre (KBC) (English).
The open-ended template includes all questions, whereas the question-based template is conditional and hence adapts the questions to your previous answers. It also provides suggestions on how you can answer the questions.
Log into DMPOnline and create a plan
Log into DMPonline with your UMU ID and password. The first time you log in, you will need to create a user account. After logging in, you will be taken to your dashboard. Once you have created a data management plan, or been invited to edit or comment on an existing one, you can find it on the dashboard.
To create a plan based on Umeå University’s data management plan template:
- Choose “Create a new plan”.
- Enter the project title.
- Select a template and start writing your data management plan.
Keep your data management plan updated
A data management plan is a living document that you need to update during the research process when needed. This may be needed when staff join or leave the project or research methods or legislation change, for example. It is therefore a good idea to review the data management plan regularly. If you have EU funding, you must submit updated versions of your data management plan at the start, middle and end of your research project.
Your data management plan must be archived
You must archive all versions of your data management plan at your department. Contact the archive coordinator at your department for more information.
Archiving your research material
Do you have questions about research data?
The University has a cross-functional support team for research data management, which includes areas such as archiving, legal affairs, IT support, open data, and information security. You can contact the research data support team through the following form:
