Sponsors are looking for a thoughtful data management plan in which data will be properly obtained, analyzed, reported, and published.

Most funding agencies now require a Data Management Plan (DMP), but almost any research project would benefit from having one in place prior to collecting a single data point. A complete DMP outlines the processes, strategies, and overall architecture of the security, processing, and publication of data involved in your research project. The Office of Research’s (OR) updated data management pages and partnership in offering DMPTool are two resources to help researchers create and follow through on proposed DMPs.

Whether you have applied for hundreds of grants or are working on your first, having the right information and tools can give your submission a competitive advantage. Sponsors are looking for a thoughtful data management plan in which data will be properly obtained, analyzed, reported, and published, but creating and executing the plan requires the expertise and knowledge of many groups across campus, often leaving key questions and concepts uncovered in the submitted DMP.

By utilizing DMPTool to craft, share, and review, you will have access to examples, guided questions, and available institutional resources for over 40 funding agencies. Each DMP template provides a structured outline helping ensure all required sections and topics are present and covered using up-to-date sponsor published resources.

The Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP) has added successfully funded UT Dallas proposals to relevant templates for inspiration and reference. Additionally, the Office of Information Technology (OIT) has contributed a summary of technology resources that are available for all faculty to protect, preserve, and publish research data. Together we hope that this set of resources will help you create and execute robust DMPs as part of funded research projects.

OR has also finished revamping our data management webpages to include guidance and links to common resources so check that out, as well. DMPtool provides accurate DMP templates from the Alfred. P. Sloan Foundation to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and many sponsors in between.