Data management in your project

If you apply for a grant at ZonMw and/or receive a grant for a research project, you can find here the grant conditions, procedures, and templates for research data management and stewardship (RDM). The section, Background information and FAIRification, you can read more about the approaches, services and infrastructures to create data that comply with the FAIR principles.

Scroll down for the information you need for your RDM:

ZonMw’s policy and requirements for RDM and FAIR data
ZonMw’s procedures for RDM in 5 steps
Making a data management plan
Choosing a DMP template
Summarizing the information you need to provide about your RDM (including the key items)

ZonMw’s policy and requirements for RDM and FAIR data

The aim of ZonMw’s policy for RDM is that all funded projects deliver data (and other assets), that are ‘as open as possible and as closed as necessary’. RDM is an important pillar in ZonMw’s policy for Open Science, and it is required for research projects as stated in ZonMw’s grant conditions. In order to optimize the outcome of regular RDM, ZonMw looks for and creates opportunities to include the FAIR guiding principles into its procedures, and thereby facilitate that data become findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable (for humans and for machines).

Note that FAIR data are not necessarily open data. For various reasons, e.g. privacy protection, one may need to set restrictions on the access to data (i.e. ‘restricted access’).

Introducing the FAIR guiding principles

Data are FAIR when they are ‘machine actionable’, meaning that the computer (machine) must be able to find de data on the internet, to understand what they mean, and to work with them. ZonMw is introducing in a number of research programmes innovative approaches to improve the level of FAIRness of research data (and at least their metadata). ZonMw therefore collaborates with Health-RI and GO FAIR Foundation to ensure that it has access to state of art tools, services and support for researchers and data stewards who are involved in ZonMw’s research projects.

ZonMw’s procedures for RDM in 5 steps

To create reusable (and if possible FAIR) data, you need to take several actions in the course of your grant proposal and research project.

The actions include:

Selecting the data, physical resources (e.g. collections of biomaterials, recordings, etc) and/or software, that you will use in your project, and preserve as assets for future research;
Ensuring the quality of the data and their safe storage;
Protecting the privacy of the subjects, and ensuring other legal, ethical, and societal issues;
Annotating the data, and providing rich, and preferably FAIR metadata that are needed to inform future users who want to work with the data;
FAIRifying the data and/or metadata.

The phases are explained in 5 steps

1. Preparing your project: call for proposals

As soon as you start to plan a new project, you must also start planning your RDM. Indeed, the choices that you make regarding RDM also affect the overall plans for your research project. In the call for proposals you can find the requirements for Open Science and FAIR data. Note that some research calls invite you to take part in specific activities to FAIRify your data.

2. Preparing your project: grant application

For most ZonMw programmes you do not have to submit a DMP during the grant proposal phase (unless the call for proposals indicates otherwise). However, you do need to show in your application how you are planning your RDM ahead.

Therefore:

Anticipate on the grant requirements: the grant conditions, the allowed DMP templates, and the key items that you need deliver. Read more about ‘Choosing a DMP template’ in the section below.
Look for support and guidance online, in particular at Health-RI and GO FAIR Foundation.
Contact a data steward, preferably one at your research institute who knows the services and facilities that are available.
Consider the options to reuse existing data (or other resources such as sample collections);
Check with the owner of the data the conditions for reusing the data. Note that existing resources that were generated with public funding must be made available for reuse;
Check whether there are standards, data models and technologies that are common within your research domain. Preferably, you use them as well.
Estimate the costs of the RDM activities during your project, and include these in the budget form. A rough estimate is 5% of your research budget. The budget must at least be sufficient to cover time and costs for RDM, to involve a data steward, and – if applicable - to take part in activities to FAIRify your data. Check also whether you need to budget for additional data services or storage facilities. In general, ZonMw does not provide funding for long term preservation of data.

In your pre-application (‘projectidee’) you explain whether you plan to reuse existing data (or other resources), or whether you need to generate new resources. In the full application (‘subsidieaanvraag’) you explain how you prepared for the items 3 to 7.

3. Preparing your project: continue after the funding has been awarded

In the first 3-6 months of your project, you need to finalise your DMP. Therefore:

•   Check your early preparations for RDM in step 2.
•   Ask support from your data steward when creating your DMP, and/or ask feedback to improve its quality.
•   Check whether you can comply with ZonMw’s requirements for RDM, and whether you will be able to provide the information on the required key items.
•   Check your grant letter whether there are additional requirements (e.g. to fill out the FAIR metadata schemes for your project).
•   Submit your DMP at ZonMw.

4. Report about the progress of RDM during your project

In your midterm report:

•   you submit (if applicable) an updated version of your DMP,
•   you provide the information about the required key items as far as you have available at this stage of your project. Follow the instructions in the template for your report.
•   If required in your research call (or grant letter): fill out the FAIR metadata schemes for your project.

5. Report about the output of RDM at the end of your project

In your final report:

•   you submit the final version of your DMP,
•   you provide the complete information about the required key items. Follow the instructions in the template for your report.
•   If required in your research call (or grant letter): fill out the FAIR metadata schemes for your project.

Making a data management plan

A data management plan (DMP) is obligatory in (most) of ZonMw’s research programmes. Follow the 5 steps for RDM to prepare, execute and finalise your DMP.

What does ZonMw do with your DMP?

ZonMw uses your DMP (1) as a reference for the key items you provide, and (2) to get insight into the standards, data models, infrastructures (etc) that are used in your research domain. Note that ZonMw will NOT review your DMP. You and your data steward are responsible for the quality of your DMP. ZonMw will only monitor the outcome of your RDM activities with (a selection of) key items.

Choosing a DMP template

There are several options to choose a DMP template. For example, you may use the template of ZonMw, or the DMP template of your research institute (provided that it is acknowledged by ZonMw and NWO). For FAIR RDM, ZonMw may require to use the DS-wizard.

More about the options to choose a DMP template

You may use the DMP template of your own institute. Check here to see whether the template is acknowledged by ZonMw. If you have a DMP template that is not on the list yet, you may send a request to toegangtotdata@zonmw.nl, and ZonMw will contact you for the acknowledgement.
You may use ZonMw's DMP template that is available on DMPonline: Nederlandstalig en Engelstalig format
There are two versions:
o    DMP-template 2016 – 2018 (in Dutch) only for researchers who already made a
o   DMP before 2019.DMP-template 2019 (in English), the updated version of the template 2016-2018, for researchers who start a DMP in 2019 and further.
o   Below you can find more information about ZonMw’s templates on DMPonline.
In international research projects, you may need to use one of the following options (consult your programme manager):
o   A DMP template that is based upon the Science Europe core requirements for data management plans, published in the Practical Guide to the International Alignment of Research Data Management.
o   The DMP template of Horizon 2020 or Horizon Europe.
o   A DMP template as indicated in the call for proposals.
For ZonMw-NWO collaborative programmes, you need to follow the instructions of your programme manager.
The Data Stewardship Wizard is an online tool for making a DMP. It is designed to support your RDM planning, matching your type of research. You can also use this tool for support on RDM issues when you are filling in one of the above mentioned templates.

More information about ZonMw’s DMP templates on DMPonline

Information in Dutch:

Hoe gebruik ik DMPonline?
Extra informatie bij het DMP-template 2016-2018:
Uitleg over het opstellen van een ZonMw datamanagementplan
Voorbeeld ingevuld DMP
Voorbeeld feedbackbrief ZonMw

Information in English:

How do I use DMPonline?
Additional information about the DMP-template 2016-2018:
Instruction for composing a ZonMw data management plan

Summarizing the information you need to provide about your RDM

In the application phase, you show how you prepare for RDM. You therefore use the data management section in the application form (some programmes have a separate checklist).
Once your grant is awarded, you write your DMP and submit it to ZonMw within the first 3-6 months of the project.
At midterm and at the end of your project, you report about the outcome of your RDM activities by providing information about the key items. You also submit the updated and/or final version of your DMP.
For research calls that introduce FAIR RDM practices, ZonMw will inform you how to fill in the FAIR metadata forms that are provided for your programme or research domain.

Background information, support & community building
FAIRification
Open Science in COVID-19 research
ZonMw's policy point Open Science - FAIR data
our general information about FAIR data and data management

Attention! Please consult this website regularly for updates and solutions.

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