Data Management Plan

A data management plan (DMP) describes the (intended) research data management and responsibilities over the entire life cycle of the data. It can vary greatly in scope depending on the project.

Of course, creating and maintaining a data management plan involves some effort. However, this can pay off by identifying potential problems at an early stage, regulating responsibilities, (access) rights and accountabilities and achieving a better understanding of the data and a clear idea of what should happen to it once the project is complete. Some funding bodies also require a data management plan when applying for third-party funding.

Various tools and templates offer help in creating a data management plan - for example the Research Data Management Organizer RDMO, which is freely available at RWTH Aachen University. You can also get support and advice on creating a data management plan from the RWTH RDM team - please contact the IT Center service desk.

You can also find more information in these instructional videos on

Data management according to plan

Contents of a data management plan

A comprehensive introduction to FDM and a clear explanation of why this is helpful and important can be found in the self-study course created and regularly updated by the central FDM team at RWTH, from which the above videos are taken.