Skip to Content

Plan Your Data Management

Version 4.10 by Veronika Kocher on Thursday, 03 Sep 2026 10:09
Warning
For security reasons, the document is displayed in restricted mode as it is not the current version. There may be differences and errors due to this. 
.dmp{max-width:1400px;margin:0 auto;color:#322f2b}.dmp *{box-sizing:border-box}
.dmp-card{border:1px solid #e3ded6;border-radius:11px;background:#fcfbf8;box-shadow:0 1px 3px rgba(0,0,0,.035)}
.dmp-eye{font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.075em;text-transform:uppercase}
.dmp-hero{height:125px;overflow:hidden;background:#f1eee9}.dmp-hero img{width:100%;height:100%;object-fit:cover;object-position:center 48%;display:block}
.dmp-sec{margin:0 0 30px}.dmp-sec h3{font-size:22px;margin:0 0 7px;color:#35312d}.dmp-sec>p{color:#6a655e;line-height:1.58;max-width:1180px}
.dmp-grid{display:grid;grid-template-columns:repeat(auto-fit,minmax(270px,1fr));gap:14px}
.dmp-box{padding:15px 16px;border:1px solid #e3ded6;border-radius:9px;background:#fcfbf8}.dmp-box h4{font-size:17px;margin:0 0 6px;color:#35312d}.dmp-box p{margin:0;color:#625d56;line-height:1.5}.dmp-box ul{margin:8px 0 0 19px;padding:0;color:#625d56;line-height:1.5}
.dmp-check{position:relative;padding:12px 13px 12px 37px;border:1px solid #e3ded6;border-radius:8px;background:#fffdf9;color:#504a44;line-height:1.5}.dmp-check:before{content:"✓";position:absolute;left:13px;top:10px;color:#e94b13;font-weight:800}
.dmp-info{padding:15px 17px;border:1px solid #c7e5ed;border-left:5px solid #21b6d7;background:#eaf6f9;border-radius:8px;color:#365e68;line-height:1.55}.dmp-info strong{color:#2d5661}
.dmp-warn{padding:15px 17px;border:1px solid #efd9cc;border-left:5px solid #e94b13;background:#fff6f1;border-radius:8px;color:#67564e;line-height:1.55}.dmp-warn strong{color:#744531}
.dmp-rights{padding:15px 17px;border:1px solid #efdca7;border-left:5px solid #f0aa00;background:#fff9e9;border-radius:8px;color:#665a38;line-height:1.55}.dmp-rights strong{color:#6d571c}
.dmp-store{padding:15px 17px;border:1px solid #cfe8d8;border-left:5px solid #38b76a;background:#eff9f2;border-radius:8px;color:#45614e;line-height:1.55}.dmp-store strong{color:#35543f}
.dmp-tablewrap{overflow-x:auto;border-radius:9px}.dmp-tbl{width:100%;border-collapse:collapse;background:#fffdf9;min-width:820px}.dmp-tbl th,.dmp-tbl td{border:1px solid #e3ded6;padding:10px 11px;vertical-align:top;text-align:left;line-height:1.45}.dmp-tbl th{background:#f3efe8;color:#403b36}.dmp-tbl td{color:#56504a}
.dmp-step{padding:15px 16px;border:1px solid #e3ded6;border-top:4px solid #e94b13;border-radius:9px;background:#fcfbf8}.dmp-step .n{font-size:12px;font-weight:800;color:#8a4d36;letter-spacing:.06em}.dmp-step h4{font-size:17px;margin:3px 0 6px;color:#35312d}.dmp-step p{margin:0;color:#625d56;line-height:1.5}
.dmp-service{display:block;padding:14px 15px;border:1px solid #e3ded6;border-radius:9px;background:#fcfbf8;color:#322f2b;text-decoration:none}.dmp-service:hover,.dmp-service:focus{background:#fffdf9;text-decoration:none}.dmp-service strong{display:block;margin-bottom:4px}.dmp-service span{display:block;color:#625d56;line-height:1.45;font-weight:400}
.dmp-linkgrid{display:grid;grid-template-columns:repeat(auto-fit,minmax(260px,1fr));gap:8px}.dmp-navlink{display:block;padding:10px 11px;border:1px solid #e9e4dc;border-left:3px solid #e94b13;border-radius:6px;background:#fffdf9;color:#252321;text-decoration:none;font-weight:600;line-height:1.35}.dmp-navlink:hover,.dmp-navlink:focus{background:#fff7f1;text-decoration:none}
.dmp-chip{display:inline-block;padding:4px 8px;margin:3px 4px 3px 0;border-radius:14px;background:#f3efe8;border:1px solid #e3ded6;color:#5c5650;font-size:12px;text-decoration:none}
@media(max-width:680px){.dmp-hero{height:105px}.dmp-sec h3{font-size:20px}}
Planning research data, materials and outputs across the project lifecycle
ENABLE · DATA MANAGEMENT PLAN

Turn data management into a working project routine — not a form you fill in once

A practical Data Management Plan (DMP) records how your project will organise, store, protect, document, share, preserve or dispose of its data and materials. For artistic and arts-based research, this can include physical objects, audiovisual material, software, performances, process documentation and artistic outputs as well as conventional research data.

Treat the DMP as a living working document. Start with what you know, record unresolved decisions, assign responsibility and update the plan when the project changes.
A DMP does not mean that everything must become open. It should make restrictions visible and explain why access, sharing or reuse may need to be limited because of personal data, consent, copyright, confidentiality, cultural sensitivity, contractual obligations, security or other legitimate constraints.
Start from your material inventory. If you have not yet mapped the data, materials, documentation and outputs your project will create, collect or reuse, begin with Identify Your Data & Research Outputs.
DMP TOOL COMING SOON

Interactive Art & Research DMP Tool

A local form will connect the eleven core DMP questions with funder-specific requirements and export DMPs as PDF, JSON, YAML and Markdown. Funder profiles are maintained separately from the tool so that FWF, Horizon Europe, ERC or FFG requirements can be updated without reprogramming the form.

Open DMP Tool ↗ COMING SOON
STEP 1 · DEFINE THE SCOPE

Decide what your DMP needs to cover

Your DMP should follow the real project, not an abstract template. Begin with the project structure, funding requirements and the material types you have already identified.

Project & plan identity

Project title, lead, host unit, partners, funding programme, project dates, DMP owner, DMP version and last review date.

Data, materials & outputs

What will be created, collected, commissioned or reused; expected formats, physical carriers, scale, dependencies and master versions.

Roles & responsibilities

Who creates, documents, stores, backs up, controls access, approves sharing, deposits outputs and completes handover.

Storage, backup & access

Working locations, authoritative copies, backup routine, recovery, access groups, account ownership and security requirements.

Organisation & versioning

Folder structure, naming, version conventions, master files, working copies, export formats and change control.

Metadata, provenance & documentation

What information is needed to understand origin, creator, context, method, transformation, relationships, software and versions.

Rights, ethics & protection

Copyright, licences, consent, personal data, confidentiality, contracts, community or cultural protocols and restrictions.

Sharing, publication & reuse

What can be shared, with whom, when, under which licence, through which repository/platform and with what documentation.

Retention, preservation & disposal

What should remain after project end, what can be deleted, retention periods, preservation formats, repository/archive and handover.

Resources & costs

Storage, specialist software, digitisation, transcription, metadata work, repository fees, preservation, staff time and other data-management costs.

STEP 2 · CREATE THE MINIMUM WORKING DMP

Record decisions that the team can actually follow

A useful first DMP can be short. The important thing is that it names responsibilities and turns assumptions into explicit decisions.

QuestionMinimum decision to recordResponsible / review point
What are we managing?Material/data/output types, origin, formats, physical carriers, approximate quantity or expected growth.Project lead + person closest to the material.
Where is active work stored?Approved working location and location of the authoritative/master copy.Data/documentation responsibility; review when infrastructure changes.
How is it backed up?Backup location, frequency, responsibility and how recovery is checked.Named owner; test before critical production/publication stages.
Who can access what?Access groups, account ownership, restrictions and process for adding/removing people.Project lead / system owner; review when staff or partners change.
How are files and versions organised?Folder structure, file naming, version convention, master/working/derivative distinction.Team-wide rule; review when workflows become unclear.
What documentation is required?Minimum metadata, provenance, README/context documentation, technical dependencies and relationships.Creator + documentation owner.
What is sensitive or restricted?Personal/confidential/culturally sensitive material, consent status, legal or contractual restrictions and required protection.Project lead with specialist advice where needed.
What rights apply?Ownership, third-party material, licences, permissions and unresolved rights questions.Project lead / rights responsibility; resolve before publication.
What will be shared or published?Outputs/materials to share, access level, timing, licence, repository/platform and exceptions.Project lead + output owner.
What happens at project end?Keep, deposit, preserve, hand over or delete; final owner; access closure; retention period if applicable.Named closure owner; confirm before final reporting.
When is the DMP reviewed?Planned review dates plus event-based triggers.DMP owner.
Simple rule: every important DMP statement should answer at least one of these: what, where, who, how, when, under which conditions, and what happens at the end?
STEP 3 · PLAN FOR CHANGE

Review the DMP when a decision actually changes

Do not update the plan only because a calendar reminder appears. Use scheduled reviews, but also connect reviews to concrete project events.

REVIEW 1

Proposal / award / project start

Align the working plan with the submitted proposal, funder requirements, approved budget, staffing, partners and actual infrastructure.

REVIEW 2

New material or method

Update the DMP when new datasets, media types, software, equipment, participants, collections or documentation workflows are introduced.

REVIEW 3

People or partner changes

Recheck access, account ownership, responsibilities, handover, agreements and where authoritative copies are held.

REVIEW 4

Before publication / exhibition / sharing

Confirm rights, consent, personal-data handling, metadata, file quality, access level, licence and repository/platform route.

REVIEW 5

Before project closure

Decide what is retained, deposited, preserved, deleted or transferred; close obsolete access and document final responsibilities.

FUNDER REQUIREMENTS

Work from the actual template, call and binding project conditions

Your internal working DMP can be broader than the formal funder template. For a funded project, however, the current DMP template, the specific call or call guide, the funding agreement or Grant Agreement and the deadlines stated there are decisive. The links below therefore point directly to DMP-relevant documents or document areas.

FWF

For the relevant approved FWF projects, the DMP is required for project start, is submitted with the funding agreement, uses the same language as the proposal, is versioned throughout the project and is submitted in its final version with the final project report.

Horizon Europe

Research Data Management is a mandatory Open Science practice for projects generating or reusing research data. The detailed DMP is normally a deliverable by month 6 and is maintained as a living document.

ERC · Horizon Europe

Horizon Europe-funded ERC projects include Research Data Management as a work package. The DMP is due no later than the end of project month 6; the ERC guidance also addresses dissemination level, FAIR, resources and data security.

ERC – Open Science in ERC Projects: RDM work package, DMP deadline & template ↗

FFG · always check the specific call

For FFG funding, DMP rules are call- and instrument-specific. Record the URL of the actual call, the version/date of the guide and whether a DMP is mandatory at submission, mandatory during the project/reporting, recommended or not required.

FFG – current Basisprogramme call documents 2025/26 ↗

For other FFG programmes, always use the current programme/call page and the guide linked there.

Other funders / partners: Do not record only the funder name. Store the exact URL of the binding requirement or template, its version/date and deadline in the DMP. For questions about the internal funding route or how funder requirements apply at the Angewandte: Support Kunst und Forschung ↗.
STEP 4 · CONNECT THE DMP TO REAL WORKFLOWS

A plan is useful only if it points to actual places, rules and people

Storage: name the actual working environment, not “university server”.
Backup: state what is backed up, where, how often and by whom.
Access: use named groups/roles and define what happens when someone leaves.
Files: document folder, naming and version rules where the team can find them.
Metadata: specify the fields or README information required for each important material type.
Rights: link permissions, licences and consent records to the material they govern.
Sharing: identify the target repository/platform before the final week of the project.
Preservation: distinguish active storage, backup, repository deposit and long-term preservation.
Red flag: “We will decide at the end” is not a data-management strategy. Decisions that affect consent, rights, file formats, metadata, storage, documentation or preservation often have to be made while the material is being created.
SERVICES & SUPPORT

Who to involve at the Angewandte

Use specialist support where the DMP reveals a real requirement. Not every project needs every service.

University Library · Research Data Management & Support ↗For research-data management, metadata, repository and preservation-oriented questions. The Library currently lists Research Data Management & Support as part of its team expertise. Research Data Management & SupportCurrent University Library contact for RDM support: veronika.kocher@uni-ak.ac.at Angewandte RepositoryRepository questions and deposit planning: repositorium@uni-ak.ac.at Support Kunst und Forschung ↗For funded artistic/scientific research, funder requirements, proposal/project coordination and the administrative funding route. Project Support ticket contactprojektsupport@uni-ak.ac.at Data Protection ↗For specialist review where personal-data processing, data sharing, external processors/platforms or privacy risks require clarification. Data Protection Officer: dsb@uni-ak.ac.at
RELATED NAVIGATOR TOPICS

Turn each DMP decision into the next practical step

Identify Your Data & Research Outputs File Organisation & Naming Storage, Backup & Security Data Protection & Ethics Copyright, Rights & Licences Collaboration Setup Document Processes, Metadata & Provenance Review Your Data Management Decide What to Share FAIR, CARE & Open Science Choose a Repository or Publication Platform Preserve Data & Artistic Outputs
Need help reviewing a DMP? Bring the current funder template or internal draft, your material/output inventory, planned storage locations, project partners and the main questions that are still unresolved. This makes support much faster and more concrete.
Search terms & related topics
data management plan · DMP · research data management · RDM · data lifecycle · data stewardship · data inventory · research materials · artistic research data · data types · file formats · storage · backup · access control · file naming · versioning · metadata · provenance · documentation · personal data · data protection · ethics · consent · copyright · licences · sensitive data · data sharing · open data · FAIR · CARE · repository · preservation · retention · deletion · funder requirements · FWF DMP · Horizon Europe DMP · project closure · handover · Datenmanagementplan · Forschungsdatenmanagement

\n\n
\n\nFailed to execute the [html] macro. Cause: [When using HTML content inline, you can only use inline HTML content. Block HTML content (such as tables) cannot be displayed. Try leaving an empty line before and after the macro.]. Click on this message for details.
\n