Research Data Management (RDM) for Third-Party Applications
A successful application for third-party funding of research projects requires good data management.
Third-party funders request different levels of information on research data management (RDM) when submitting applications.
Regardless of the specific requirements of third-party funding organisations, the preparation of a data management plan (DMP) and early advice on data management from the university's service facilities is recommended for all research projects.
DFG - German Research Foundation
The DFG website offers good first guidance on what to consider regarding RDM when applying for third-party funding on their webpage Handling of Research Data.
In the form of a checklist on handling research data, the DFG has also compiled six aspects that should be included in research proposals on the topic of RDM and provides a good overview of the most frequently asked questions in an FAQ.
Further specific requirements for each funding format are listed below (as of Dec. 2023):
Individual Research Grants, Emmy Noether, Walter Benjamin
Overview funding formats:
DFG Individual Research Grants
DFG Emmy Noether
DFG Walter Benjamin
RDM requirements:
- Information in the application text on handling research data
- Integration into existing structures
- Considerations for data preservation after the end of funding
Project-specific explanations in section 2.4, based on the content of the DFG checklist
Research Units
Overview funding format:
DFG Research Units
RDM requirements:
- Information in the application text on handling research data
- Description of support from participating institutions
Specify handling of data in the proposal outline and full proposal in section 2.3; project-specific explanations in section 2.4, based on the content of the DFG checklist
Priority Programmes
Overview funding format:
DFG Priority Programmes
RDM requirements:
- Consideration of subject-specific standards
- Utilisation of available infrastructure for research data
Base content on DFG checklist
Collaborative Research Centers (CRC)
Overview funding format:
DFG Collaborative Research Centers (CRC)
RDM requirements:
- Intensive engagement with research data
- Description of the data collected/used
- Planned handling of research data
- Description of support from participating institutions
See proposal template; base content on DFG checklist
Research Training Groups (RTG)
Overview funding format:
DFG Research Training Groups
RDM requirements:
- Information in the application text on handling research data
- Description of support from participating institutions
- If applicable, concepts for teaching skills in research data management
Base content on DFG checklist; implement concepts for teaching skills in the qualification and support concept
Other Funders
EU - European Union
Horizon Europe
Overview funding formats:
Horizon Europe
RDM requirements:
- Data management plan (DMP) for data-intensive research proposals
- Publication of secondary data
- Publication in a repository
- Assignment of persistent identifiers (e.g. DOI)
- Metadata under CC-0 licence (or equivalent)
- Data under CC-BY or CC-0 licence (or equivalent)
- Compliance with the FAIR principles
BMBF - Federal Ministry of Education and Research
All BMBF Formats
Overview funding formats:
Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
RDM requirements:
Note: Requirements may vary depending on the call for proposals, so check specific format details in advance
- Utilization plan of the results
- Publication of the research results in a repository after completion of the project
Volkswagen Foundation
All Formats of the Foundation
Overview funding formats:
Volkswagen Foundation
RDM requirements:
- Data management plan (DMP) for data-intensive research proposals
- Processing according to the FAIR principles required
- Assignment of persistent identifiers (e.g. DOI)
- Use of licenses
Applicable Funds
Some research data management costs can be requested in advance from funding institutions.
Formats and criteria for funding opportunities are described below (as of Feb. 2024).
All DFG Formats
The DFG has specifically defined which costs may be applied for in this context for its funding formats. Detailed information can be found on the DFG website and is summarized below.
Applicable costs are
as project-specific costs:
- Costs for the acquisition and re-utilization of research data
- Transfer of research data to a public repository (person-months, software and hardware)
as other costs:
- Membership and user fees for repositories
The following cannot be applied for:
- Local data backup and archiving of published results
- State-of-the-art IT infrastructure
- Processing of extensive data sets
- Basic services (local storage, documentation of research data)
All Volkswagen Foundation Formats
The Volkswagen Foundation offers the funding format "Data Reuse - Additional Funding for the Preparation and Storage of Research Data (Open Science)" for projects already funded by the foundation.
Requirements & criteria:
- Previous funding by the foundation, up to 6 months after the end of the project
- Letter of support from target repository, suitability of the target repository for the data material
- Detailed data management plan (DMP), quality of the data management concept including compliance with scientific standards and consideration of legal aspects, if applicable
- Relevance of the data material for research
- Feasibility of the data processing concept
Applicable costs are:
- Up to EUR 100,000 EUR
- Funds for the preparation of research data and, in the future, also research software
- In detail: personnel funds, travel expenses, material costs, publication costs
The following cannot be applied for:
- "One-off material resources" (investments)
- Ongoing funds for the storage of research data within the target repository
- Funds for the purchase of third-party data
Tools & Templates
Creating a Data Management Plan (DMP)
Almost all funding organizations require a data management plan (DMP) or a document with equivalent information when submitting an application or at the start of a funded project.
With its own RDMO instance, the Research Data Management Organiser, the university provides a tool for creating your own data management plan (DMP). RDMO contains templates from various funding organizations so that the DMP ultimately meets the requirements of the respective funder. The tool can be used with the regular ZDV login, so additional registration is not necessary.
Text Modules
The university offers all researchers so-called text modules for the preparation of applications.
The text modules are intended to provide background information on various topics that should be considered when submitting a third-party funding application. Provided text passages can be individually adapted to the respective application requirements. In addition to other central topics such as internationalization, public relations and academic staff development, there are text modules on research data management and the university's core facilities.
Further Information on RDM for
