Funder requirements

When you apply for an AHRC grant you'll need to: 

• check where you should address data management, it might be in a specific ‘Data Management’ section or in an ‘Ethics and Responsible Research and Innovation’ section 
• outline how you’ll follow UKRI's data sharing policy 
• address any legal and ethical considerations of collecting or sharing data
• make sure you’ve observe any word limits. 

The AHRC research funding guide covers the application process. 

Collected data and other project outputs can be deposited in any suitable data repository.  Archaeology data should be deposited with the Archaeology Data Service. 

When you apply for a BBSRC grant you should: 

• confirm the suggested length and structure of the data management and sharing section, which can vary by funding call
• outline how you’ll comply with UKRI’s data sharing policy 
• show awareness of the BBSRC’s data sharing policy 
• demonstrate the ways you can use existing infrastructure to share research data in a timely and responsible way.

For further guidance, the BBSRC offers advice on what to include in your application. 

If you’re looking for support during your research award, the council have compiled BBSRC resources and facilities – for example specialist data banks or repositories. Where no specialist facility exists, data may be shared via any suitable data repository.  

In your grant application you will:  

• submit a data sharing plan, reflecting the FAIR data (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable) principles 
• refer to CRUK’s data sharing guidelines, which address standards, timeframes, methods and agreements that you need to observe or put in place according to the type and sensitivity of data
• include eligible costs relating to delivering the data sharing plan according to the CRUK costs guidance. 

 CRUK have compiled some practical guidance for researchers on writing data sharing plans. The guidance should be read in conjunction with the CRUK data sharing and management policy. 

As part of the application process you’ll need to: 

• use the ‘Data Management’ section of your application to outline how you’ll manage and share data throughout the data lifecycle in line with the ESRC framework for research ethics 
• address this list of data management headings, specific to ESRC applications 
• review existing datasets as part of your research planning and, where appropriate, explain why existing data cannot be used to answer your research question. 

Once you’ve gathered data, consider which data repository service you will use if you plan to share data. Data created by ESRC funded projects can be archived with the UK Data Service. If you deposit data in a different suitable data repository, you’ll need to create a metadata entry for that data in the UK Data Service ReShare repository.  

ESRC’s expectations are set out in the ESRC Research Data Policy.  

When you complete your application form you should: 

• check where you should address data management, it might be in a specific ‘Data Management’ section or in an ‘Ethics and Responsible Research and Innovation’ section
• outline your approach to gathering, storing and sharing data including ethical or legal considerations and strategies to not preclude further reuse of data. 

The EPSRC research data policy framework sets out their data management expectations. The council draws particular attention to the principles that publicly funded research data should be made as widely and freely available as possible in a timely and responsible manner and that the research process should not be damaged by the inappropriate release of such data.   

When you apply for funding you will: 

• check the requirements of the call you are applying to
• submit a brief data management plan (DMP) in Part B of your application. The plan should be no more than one page and include the headings listed in the standard application form (PDF)
• include a project management work package, which should include plans for data management, dissemination and communication of research.  

If you receive funding you must develop a detailed DMP in the first six months of your project, addressing the FAIR data (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable) principles. 

Keep updating your plan as needed – you’ll be asked to submit at least one subsequent version of the plan by project end. 

Deposit data in a suitable data repository and make data openly available where possible, or via controlled access where necessary. Check whether your call specifies which data repositories you can use.  

The EU’s expectations on knowledge and data sharing are set out in the EU’s open science policy.  The EU considers data management and data sharing to be part of a broader approach to open science and you may find it helpful to reference open research principles in your application stage and subsequent data management plans. Open science is evaluated under the ‘excellence’ assessment criterion and should be covered in your methodology.

When you apply to MRC you should: 

• understand that all research proposals require a data management plan (DMP), which is considered by peer reviewers
• be aware the word limit of your application can vary depending on the type of study  
• if you are asked to submit your DMP via the online text box in the UKRI Funding Service, make sure you cover the headings in the MRC data management plan template which offers guidance for each section  
• address risk management and any ethical, legal and contractual considerations in your DMP  
• use the plan to justify data related costs within your project, such as people, equipment, infrastructure and tools to manage, store, analyse and provide access to data. 

During and after your research, deposit your data in any suitable data repository but pay particular consideration to the data access controls offered. 

You can find MRC’s expectations for good data management practice, including handling health and clinical trials data, in their data management and sharing policies.  

When you apply for funding from NERC you’ll need to: 

• fill in the ‘Data Management and Sharing’ question indicating what data you’ll generate and an approximate data volume  
• read NERC’s data management planning guidance
• identify which NERC Environmental Data Centre is the most suitable for your data
• approach the Environmental Data Centre for advice on what data management costs should be included in your grant application and for discipline-specific guidance on how to prepare data, model data and model code for long term storage and dissemination.  

NERC has a commitment to support the long-term management of environmental data and funds the Environmental Data Service which is made up of discipline-specific Environmental Data Centres. In most cases, data arising from NERC funded projects should be offered to the relevant NERC Data Centre within two years of collection, and where possible made openly available for anybody to use.  

Funded NERC projects work with the NERC Data Centres to expand the proposal stage plan to a full data management plan (DMP) within the first three to six months of the project. 

NERC’s data management expectations are set out in the NERC data policy. 

When applying for your grant, you should complete the ‘Data management and sharing’ section of the Funding Service application with reference to the UKRI data sharing policy.  

You should deposit any collected data in a suitable data repository to maximise scientific value. 

STFC’s requirements for data handling are set out in the STFC data management plan guidelines and STFC scientific data policy. 

As part of the application process, you should: 

• submit an outputs management plan (the Wellcome Trust uses ‘outputs management’ instead of a DMP to emphasise the breadth of materials that should be covered, including data, software, other materials such as cell lines and intellectual property)
• see Wellcome’s advice on how to complete an outputs management plan 
• include any costs associated with your outputs management plan. 

Where possible, share data and other materials in line with the FAIR data (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable) principles. You should minimise restrictions on access to your data while respecting the necessary safeguards for the research participants.  

When you have data, you should deposit it in a recognised subject area data repository, or a more general data repository if a specialist service in not available. Consult the Wellcome Trust list of approved repositories.  
 
The Wellcome Trust’s expectations for data handling and sharing are explained on their data guidelines page.