NWO and ZonMw will change approval process for institutional DMP-templates
From 1 March 2026 institutions do not need to send their data management plan (DMP) templates for approval by NWO and ZonMw. Both organisations will continue to require a DMP for funded projects, and all DMPs must still comply with the Science Europe Core Requirements for Data Management Plans.
In their research data management policies, NWO and ZonMw require project leaders to submit a DMP before the start of a project. A DMP is a document in which the project leader defines how they will handle data, from acquisition to publishing. It ensures that the project leader has thought about how to make the data findable, reusable and compliant with laws and regulations. Approval of the DMP by NWO or ZonMw remains a condition for project commencement.
The process until now
To support researchers, both funders provide their own DMP templates, which are based on the Science Europe core requirements and are designed to ensure that all essential elements are addressed. In addition, NWO and ZonMw have allowed research institutions to develop their own institutional DMP templates to provide researchers with tailored guidance about institutional support and tools. Until now, these institutional templates had to be approved by NWO and ZonMw to ensure a consistently high quality of institutional templates and compliance with funder requirements. Once approved, researchers at those institutions could use the institutional template instead of the NWO or ZonMw template.
Over the years, NWO and ZonMw have collaborated on reviewing and approving more than 30 institutional DMP templates. As the original objective of ensuring high-quality templates has been achieved, NWO and ZonMw will no longer review or approve institutional DMP templates.
What will change in practice?
From 1 March 2026 onwards, research institutions no longer need to send their institutional DMP templates for approval by NWO and ZonMw. Institutional templates must still:
- Comply with the Science Europe Core Requirements for Data Management Plans
- Include the name of the data steward who reviewed the DMP and the date of that consultation
The difference is that compliance with these requirements will no longer be checked at the template level by NWO or ZonMw, but remains the responsibility of the institution.
NWO and ZonMw will continue to require that a DMP is submitted and approved by their staff before the start of a project. If, during review, a DMP does not meet the required elements, it may be rejected.
For questions, email openscience@zonmw.nl (ZonMw) or datamanagement@nwo.nl (NWO)