The Academy of Finland requires a data management plan (DMP) for the projects it funds. Researchers who have received a positive funding decision must submit the DMP within eight weeks of the funding decision. The home organisation must also approve the DMP in order to receive the funding.
In its guidelines, the Academy encourages researchers to ask data experts in their own organisation for help in writing data management plans. In our higher education community, Research Data Services offer help and guidance to DMP.
At the beginning of the summer, Research Data Services approached by e-mail researchers who received a positive funding decision in the Academy’s autumn 2020 call and instructed on practical progress and schedule of drafting the DMP. The available support was DMPTuuli’s instructions, Data management Guide, the trainings and contacting the Research Data Services.
We received 45 data management plans for comment. The data management plans were well written. Further comments were most commonly caused by matters related to data storage, data protection issues or the opening of the data.
After commenting, we sent each completed plan for the dean to sign. After the signature, the researcher added the plan to the Academy’s online system and was able to receive funding.
Thank you deans and everyone who sent their plans! The commenting on the plans remained well on schedule and the commenting process went smoothly. The Research Data Services’ support and comment process will also be used in future Academy of Finland funding. Our experience of the process was positive. However, we aim to develop and smoothen it in the future.
