Funder requirements

If you are funded by one of the UK Research Councils, then in line with the Research Council Common Principles on Data, you are required to include a statement in your published paper on how and on what terms any underlying data can be accessed by third parties. If there are good or compelling reasons to restrict access to the data, these should be included in the statement.

The sections below give a summary of data policy requirements from major research funders. For additional information, see the DCC’s overview of funders’ data policies.

These requirements should be seen as augmenting both the existing University of Oxford research data policy and the general principles of good practice in research data management.

Please note that while efforts have been made to provide an accurate summary of each funder's position, requirements for individual funding programmes may occasionally vary. If you are in doubt about what is required in a particular case, please contact either Research Services or the Research Data Oxford team.

UK Research Councils

Expand All

AHRC logo

Summary

Data management plan required at application? A full data management plan is no longer required. Projects that are using or collecting data should cover key data management issues in the Ethics and Responsible Research and Innovation section of the application.

DMP template available from funder? No. Brief guidance on the data management issues that should be discussed is provided by the AHRC. An AHRC data management plan template is available via DMPonline.

Data management costs covered by funder? The AHRC does not provide funding in research grants for  publication costs associated with traditional text-based publications (e.g. journal articles, monographs, etc.), as these are covered by block funding. However, publication costs associated with other research outputs may be included in grants as a Directly Incurred Other Cost, as long as these costs are fully justified.

Data publication timeframe? Not specified.

Data preservation timeframe? Not specified.

Preferred data repository? No.

Data access and sharing? Research funded by the AHRC is covered by the overarching UKRI policies, which state that publicly funded research data should be made openly available in a timely and responsible manner, with as few restrictions as possible.

Further resources

 

Last reviewed 2024-07-03.

BBSRC logo

Summary

Data management plan required at application? Yes: all applications seeking research grant funding from BBSRC must submit a data management plan. This should include concise plans for data management and sharing as part of the research grant proposal, or provide reasons why data sharing is not possible or appropriate. The plan should be a maximum of one side of A4.

DMP template available from funder? No, though a list of suggested areas to cover is provided. A BBSRC data management plan template is available via DMPonline.

Data management costs covered by funder? Funding to support the management and sharing of research data (for example staffing, physical resources such as storage and networking capability) can be requested as part of the full economic cost of a research project.

Data publication timeframe? Data should be made available with as few restrictions as possible in a timely and responsible manner. It is expected that this would generally be no later than the release through publication of the main findings, and should be in-line with established best practice in the field. Where best practice does not exist, release within three years of generation of the dataset is suggested as a guide. 

Data preservation timeframe? Data should securely held for a period of ten years after completion of the research project.

Preferred data repository? Data sharing via an existing database, repository or other community resource is expected where possible. Researchers are encouraged to share data through mechanisms affording the widest availability for generating added value and enabling reuse. The BBSRC supports a number of data sharing resources.

Additional requirements? Grantholders are requested to capture and record data sharing activities on Researchfish.

Further resources

 

Last reviewed 2022-06-22.

ESRC logo

Summary

Data management plan required at application? All grant applicants planning to generate data are required to submit a data management and sharing plan. The plan should be a maximum of three pages of A4.

DMP template available from funder? No. An ESRC data management plan template is available via DMPonline.

Data management costs covered by funder? Yes: costs of data management and data preparation for sharing should be included in the grant proposal.

However, as the ESRC funds long-term data preservation via the UK Data Service, separate preservation costs will generally not be covered.

Data publication timeframe? All data created or repurposed during the lifetime of the grant must be deposited with a responsible data repository within three months of the end of the grant.

Data preservation timeframe? Not specified.

Preferred data repository? Data may be deposited with the UK Data Service (the ESRC data service provider), or another appropriate repository such as an institutional one. If the latter option is taken, the UK Data Service should be informed of the published location.

Access: Research data arising from ESRC-funded research should be made available for reuse by other researchers. In exceptional cases where data sharing is deemed impossible, a strong argument must be presented to justify this.

Researchers depositing with the UK Data Service will be asked to specify conditions of access, including the degree of confidentiality to be observed in making the data available to others. The UK Data Service offers secure access facilities for sensitive data.

Any legal, ethical or commercial constraints should be considered in detail before starting research, with the aim of maximising data sharing.

Further resources

 

Last reviewed 2022-06-24.

EPSRC logo

Summary

Data management plan required at application? No: unlike many other funders, the EPSRC does not require a plan to be submitted as part of a grant application. However, EPSRC nevertheless expects that project-specific data management plans should exist for all data. An EPSRC data management plan template is available via DMPonline.

Data management costs covered by funder? Support may be requested for any costs related to research data management which will be incurred during the project. However, funds should be used in an efficient and cost-effective manner.

Data publication timeframe? Appropriately structured metadata should be published online within twelve months of the data being generated. This should indicate what research data exists, why, when and how it was generated, and how to access it (or provide a summary of any access restrictions). Any metadata which refers to digital research data should include a robust digital object identifier.

(Note: a straightforward way to provide the required metadata and identifier will often be to deposit a copy of the data in a suitable archive or repository.)

Data preservation timeframe? Research data must be securely preserved for at least ten years after any privileged access period expires, or, if others have accessed the data, after the last date on which access to the data was requested by a third party.

Preferred data repository? No.

Access: Published research results should always include information on how to access the supporting data.

Publicly funded research data not generated in digital format should be stored in a manner that means it can be shared in the event of a valid request for access to it.

(Note: the research data covered by the EPSRC policy may not include every piece of data produced during a project. EPSRC have indicated that they expect data which underpins published research outputs to be kept as a priority. You should decide what needs to be kept in consultation with your PI or Head of Department.)

Additional requirements? EPSRC funded researchers are required to enter details of project outcomes into the online reporting system Researchfish.

Further resources

 

Last reviewed 2022-06-22.

MRC logo

Summary

Data management plan required at application? A data management plan is required as an integral part of the application. The maximum length for most types of study is three sides of A4 (or four for longitudinal studies), but for less complex projects the plan may be much shorter.

DMP template available from funder? Yes: guidance and a template are available. The template is also available via DMPonline. The Research Data Oxford FAQ page includes guidance on how to complete Section 7.

Data management costs covered by funder? Costs related to data sharing should be included in the resources section of the proposal form. This may include people, equipment, infrastructure and tools to manage, store, analyse and provide access to data.

Data publication timeframe? Valuable data arising from MRC-funded research should be made available to the scientific community with as few restrictions as possible, in a timely and responsible manner. Where personal data is involved, the appropriate regulatory permissions must be in place before the data can be shared.

Data preservation timeframe? Not specified.

Preferred data repository? No: researchers should choose an appropriate discipline-specific data repository.

Access: A limited and defined period of exclusive data use is reasonable. Data must be released with high-quality metadata to enable sharing.

Further resources

 

Last reviewed 2022-06-24.

NERC logo

Summary

Data management plan required at application? All applications for NERC funding need to include a one-page Outline Data Management Plan (ODMP). Once a project is funded, the Principal Investigator should work with the relevant NERC data centre to develop this into a full data management plan, which should be agreed within three to six months of the start date of the grant.

DMP template available from funder? Templates and guidance are available. The templates are also available via DMPonline.

Data management costs covered by funder? Any costs associated with preparation of the data should be included on the grant proposal. Costs associated with management of the data once it has been passed to the data centres will be funded separately, and should not be included in the grant proposal.

Data publication timeframe? All datasets with long-term value should be made available for others to use, in a timely manner and with as few restrictions as possible, usually via one of the NERC data centres. Researchers have a right to a period of exclusive use of their data, but this is normally restricted to two years from the end of data collection.

Data preservation timeframe? Not specified.

Preferred data repository? Yes: NERC has a network of data centres, which together form its Environmental Data Service.

Access: Environmental data held by the NERC data centres will generally be made freely available without any restrictions on use, except in those cases where regulations or third party rights require NERC to restrict access or to levy charges.

Other requirements: As with all UKRI-funded research, all publications arising from NERC funding must include a statement on how the supporting data and any other relevant research materials can be accessed.

Further resources

 

Last reviewed 2022-06-24.

STFC logo

Summary

Data management plan required at application? Yes, a data management plan is required for most funding schemes, with the exception of Public Engagement.

DMP template available from funder? No, though guidance is provided on what the plan should cover. The plan should not be longer than two pages of A4.

An STFC data management plan template is available via DMPonline. The STFC advises that Digital Curation Centre (DCC) guidance is followed.

Data management costs covered by funder? Yes. Any resources required to preserve and share the data should be specified and justified.

Data publication timeframe? The length of any period of exclusive access to data (e.g. to allow the study team to exploit the results of their research) should be specified and justified.

Where there are accepted norms within a field, they should normally be followed. Data underpinning published research outputs should generally be available within six months of the output’s publication.

Data preservation timeframe? Where possible, the original data should be retained for a minimum of ten years from the end of the project. Where data is not re-measurable, efforts should be made to retain it indefinitely.

Preferred data repository? No.

Access: Data should normally be deposited in an appropriate repository – for example, an institutional repository, or a subject-specific database. 

Data should be made openly available, unless there are specific reasons (e.g. legal or ethical ones) why this should not happen. 

Data should be accompanied by sufficient metadata to enable reuse.

               

Further resources

 

Last reviewed 2022-06-28.

Other funding bodies

Expand All

Gates Foundation logo

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is a non-profit organisation focused on fighting poverty, disease, and inequity around the world.

Summary

Data management plan required at application? Applicants for some grants may be required to complete a Data Sharing Plan.

DMP template available from funder? Yes.

Data management costs covered by funder? Not specified.

Data publication timeframe? Data underlying published research results should be made available immediately - that is, as soon as the relevant article is published.

Data preservation timeframe? Not specified.

Preferred data repository? Established discipline-specific repositories are preferred. Where there is no suitable discipline-specific repository, an institutional or generalist repository may be used.

Repositories should: allow funder acknowledgment; allow data reuse with licensing no more restrictive than Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Generic License (CC BY 4.0); assign datasets persistent and unique identifiers, such as DOIs (digital object identifiers); and provide long-term storage and preservation.

Access: Underlying data necessary to replicate the published findings should be made openly available wherever possible. Publications must include a data availability statement: when legal or ethical restrictions prohibit public sharing, grantees must indicate how others may obtain access to the data. The foundation endorses the FAIR Data Principles as a framework to promote the broadest reuse of research data.

Further sources of help

 

Last reviewed 2025-01-13.

British Academy logo

The British Academy is the UK’s national body for the humanities and social sciences.

Summary

Data management plan required at application? A formal data management plan is not required. However, some funding schemes ask applicants for a statement about how any digital data developed during the project will be stored, and about how it will be made accessible.

Data management costs covered by funder? No guidance given.

Data publication timeframe? Requirements vary between funding schemes, so applicants are therefore advised to read the guidelines carefully to check what's expected. Some British Academy programmes require the data and associated documentation to be offered for deposit within 'a reasonable time' after the completion of the project. Others have encouraged researchers to give serious consideration to data sharing strategies throughout the project, and where possible, to share data while the project is still ongoing.

Data preservation timeframe? Not specified.

Access: The British Academy does not currently have an overarching policy on data management and sharing. Requirements vary between funding schemes, so applicants are therefore advised to read the guidelines carefully to check what's expected. Some British Academy programmes specify that digital resources should be deposited in an appropriately accessible repository, while recognising that access to confidential data may need to be restricted.

Further sources of help

 

Last reviewed 2022-09-14.

CRUK logo

Cancer Research UK is a cancer research and awareness charity.

Summary

Data management plan required at application? All applicants seeking funding from CRUK are required to submit a data management and sharing plan as part of their research grant proposal.

DMP template available from funder? No. A CRUK template is available via DMPonline.

Data management costs covered by funder? Yes: the cost of 'proportionate, relevant data management and sharing activities' may be included in applications.

Data publication timeframe? In general, no later than at acceptance for publication of the main findings, though researchers are asked to aim to release data earlier if possible. There are some special cases where the timescale may vary (e.g. when a patent application may be filed). For longitudinal studies, it is expected that subsets of the data will be released at appropriate times during the research project.

Data preservation timeframe? Minimum of five years after grant end. The research integrity guidelines state that where resources permit, it is advisable for raw data and related material to be retained for a minimum of ten years or, in the case of population health and clinical data, a minimum of twenty years.

Preferred data repository? No.

Access: Cancer Research UK outlines accepted methods for sharing data in its guidelines. CRUK’s data policy encompasses all high quality data from funded research that can be shared, regardless of whether it has been used in a publication.

Further sources of help

 

Last reviewed 2022-09-13.

Horizon 2020

Horizon 2020 was an EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. It ran from 2014–2020.

Summary

Data management plan required at application? Unless opting out of the Open Research Data Pilot, all funded projects need to submit a DMP within the first six months of the project. A detailed description and scope of the Open Research Data Pilot requirements is provided on the Participants Portal.

DMP template available from funder? Guidelines and a template are provided. A Horizon 2020 data management plan template is also available via DMPonline.

Data management costs covered by funder? Yes.

Data publication timeframe? Researchers should aim to deposit the data needed to validate results presented in academic publications at the same time as the publications themselves appear.

Data preservation timeframe? Not specified.

Preferred data repository? No. The Open Access Infrastructure for Research in Europe (OpenAIRE) is the recommended entry point for researchers to determine which repository to choose. Other listings of repositories that Horizon 2020 recommend include the Registry of Open Access Repositories (ROAR) and the Directory of Open Access Repositories (OpenDOAR).

Access: Open access to research data is the default for participants in the Open Research Data Pilot. However, where this is inappropriate (for example, because data is confidential or because a patent may be filed), projects are able to opt out of this. The data management plan should explain how the data will be made FAIR (that is, Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable), including details of the licences that will be attached to data to facilitate reuse. More details can be found in the Guidelines on Open Access to Scientific Publications and Research Data in Horizon 2020 (PDF).

Further sources of help

 

Last reviewed 2022-09-14.

Horizon 2020

Horizon Europe is the EU’s key funding programme for research and innovation, running until 2027. 

Summary

Data management plan required at application? Applicants who intend to generate or collect data must provide a brief overview (no more than one page long) on how the data will be managed in line with the FAIR principles (that is, be made Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable). Projects that receive funding must then submit a comprehensive data management plan within six months.

DMP template available from funder? Yes: a template is available from the EC (look under 'Templates & forms', then 'Project reporting documents'). A Horizon Europe template is also available via DMPonline.

Data management costs covered by funder? Yes.

Data publication timeframe? No specific timeframe is given, but data should be deposited as soon as possible.

Data preservation timeframe? Not specified.

Preferred data repository? No specific location for data deposit is mandated. However, researchers should use a trusted repository which allows data to be as open and as FAIR as possible. An OpenAIRE Guide for Researchers provides advice on selecting an appropriate repository.

Access: Data should be made available following the principle 'as open as possible, as closed as necessary', and in line with the FAIR principles.

Further sources of help

 

Last reviewed 2022-09-14.

European Research Council logo

The ERC is a public funding body of scientific and technological research conducted within the European Union (EU) and Associated Countries.

Summary

Data management plan required at application? No, but all ERC projects that generate research data are required to submit a data management plan within six months of the start of the project.

DMP template available from funder? Yes (download link in right-hand sidebar). An ERC data management plan template is also available via DMPonline.

Data management costs covered by funder? The ERC recognises that activities such as data annotation and deposit are time consuming activities, and consequently ERC grant money can be specifically earmarked for these purposes.

Data publication timeframe? Not specified. However, the intended timeframe for data sharing should be given and justified in the data management plan.

Preferred data repository? A subject-specific repository is preferred, if a suitable one is available. Researchers should check that any repository being considered is sustainable in the long term; further guidance on selecting a repository is given in the ERC's Open Research Data and Data Management Plans document.

Data access and sharing: Data should be made openly available unless there are specific considerations (such as security or privacy concerns) that make this inappropriate. As with the timeframe for data sharing, any planned restrictions on access should be specified and justified in the data management plan. Whether it is openly accessible or not, data should be managed in line with the FAIR principles: that is, it should be Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable.

Further sources of help

 

Last reviewed 2022-10-13.

FCDO logo

The Department for International Development (DFID) was merged into the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to become the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in September 2020. At time of writing, much of the documentation relating to development funding on the FCDO site still refers to DFID.

See the Research at FCDO web page for further details. Information about International Development Funding is also available.

Summary

Data management plan required at application? Yes: an Access and Data Management Plan must be included in the project design.

DMP template available from funder? Yes: see annex, page 13.

Data management costs covered by funder? Yes.

Preferred data repository? Raw or derived datasets should be deposited in a suitable open access discipline or institutional repository. DFID maintained its own repository, called R4D, which provided an alternative option for deposit of simple datasets: this has now been superseded by the FCDO's Research for Development Outputs. 

Metadata for all datasets should be provided to the funder.

Data publication timeframe? Data should be deposited within twelve months of final data collection.

Data preservation timeframe? Researchers should retain raw datasets, and provide free access on request, for a minimum of five years after project completion.

Access: Open access - use open licences such as Creative Commons, favouring CC-BY.

Further sources of help

 

Last reviewed 2022-06-28.

Leverhulme Trust logo

The Leverhulme Trust provides grants and scholarships for research and education, and is one of the largest all-subject providers of research funding in the UK.

Summary

Data management plan required at application? No. The Leverhulme Trust does not currently have a formal data management and sharing policy.

DMP template available from funder? N/A.

Data management costs covered by funder? Open Access charges are a permissible expense, providing these are incurred during the period of the award. However, researchers should note that this guidance relates to Open Access publishing generally, rather than specifically to data.

Access and data sharing? There are no stipulations regarding mandatory archiving or open access publication for Leverhulme grant holders.

Further sources of help

 

Last reviewed 2022-09-13.

NIH logo

The National Institutes of Health is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, funding biomedical and health-related research.

Summary

Data management plan required at application? Yes. From 25 January 2023, any application for NIH funding for a project that will generate scientific data is required to submit a data sharing plan.

DMP template available from funder? A sample format page and guidelines are available from the NIH website.

Data management costs covered by funder? Yes: these should be included in the budget at time of application. Guidance on allowable costs is available.

Data publication timeframe? As soon as possible, and no later than the time of an associated publication or the end of the award period (whichever of the two is earlier).

Data preservation timeframe? Minimum three years after grant end. Some contracts may specify a different period.

Preferred data repository? No: researchers are encouraged to select the repository that is most appropriate for their data type and discipline.

Access: Researchers are expected to maximise the appropriate sharing of scientific data, which is defined as data commonly accepted in the scientific community as being of sufficient quality to validate and replicate the research findings. This includes data underlying findings which have not been published (these may include negative or null findings). However, the NIH recognises that there are sometimes justifiable reasons to restrict sharing - for example, on legal or ethical grounds.

Further sources of help

 

Last reviewed 2022-12-07.

NIHR logo

The National Institute for Health Research is a UK organisation funded by the Department of Health and Social Care, with the aim of improving the health and wealth of the nation through research.

Summary

Data management plan required at application? Data management and access plans are being introduced across all NIHR funding programmes. They must be completed during the start-up of research.

Data management costs covered by funder? Not specified.

Preferred data repository? Deposit in an appropriate repository is encouraged where possible, but no specific repository is mandated. The NIHR is one of the original funders of Europe PMC, designed to provide a free online archive of research publications and datasets.

Access: Data sharing statements must be included when publishing research findings, describing how to access the underpinning research data. Managing the data remains the responsibility of the organisation carrying out the research: this may include arranging data use agreements with third parties requesting access to the research data.

Further sources of help

 

Last reviewed 2022-12-12.

The Royal Society - logo

The Royal Society is the independent scientific academy of the UK, dedicated to promoting excellence in science for the benefit of humanity. 

Summary

Data management plan required at application? If the research will generate data of significant value to the research community, then most Royal Society funding schemes require an outline of the data management and sharing plan.

DMP template available from funder? No: no set format is mandated, though guidelines on what to cover are provided. The plan should be a maximum of 200 words long.

Data management costs covered by funder? Research data management is included in the list of eligible directly incurred costs that the Royal Society will cover, as long as the costs are deemed appropriate.

Data publication timeframe? Data should be made available 'within a reasonable timeframe'.

Data preservation timeframe? Not specified.

Preferred data repository? No.

Access: Data should be made publicly available in a managed and responsible manner, with as few restrictions as possible. Data outputs should be deposited in an appropriate, recognised, publicly available repository. They should be made intelligently open by fulfilling the requirements of being discoverable, accessible, intelligible, assessable, and reusable.

Further sources of help

 

Last reviewed 2025-01-10.

Wellcome Trust logo

The Wellcome Trust is a charity which funds biomedical research.

Summary

Data management plan required at application? Where the research will generate data, software, or materials that will hold value as a resource for others in academia or industry, an Outputs Management Plan is required. This covers the management of all significant types of research output, including data.

DMP template available from funder? No. A Wellcome Trust template is available via DMPonline.

Data management costs covered by funder? Yes: any justified costs for delivering the plan will be covered as part of funding the research.

Data publication timeframe? As a minimum, the data (and associated software) underpinning research papers should be made available to other researchers at the time of publication. Where research data relates to public health emergencies, quality-assured interim and final data should be shared as rapidly as possible.

Data preservation timeframe? Not specified.

Preferred data repository? No.

Access: Researchers should maximise the availability of research data, software, and materials, and make these available with as few restrictions as possible.

Further sources of help

 

Last reviewed 2022-12-14.

If your funder isn't listed above, please contact the Research Data Oxford team.