FAIR Data and Data Management in Horizon Europe projects

1st October 2024 at 3:08 pm

With the transition from Horizon 2020 to Horizon Europe, the European Commission issued new Open Science requirements for EU-funded projects. The Open Research Data Pilot, in which only selected H2020 projects participated, was replaced with mandatory requirements in Horizon Europe, applicable to all funded projects.

The most significant new requirement regarding research data management is the mandatory Data Management Plan (DMP) that must be submitted as a deliverable during the early phase of Horizon Europe-funded projects. The DMP establishes a consistent data management approach for all project partners involved in the project, taking into account the different types of data generated in the project, and is guided by the FAIR data principles (Wilkinson et al., 2016). These principles provide concise guidelines for making research data Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable. Since their establishment by a diverse set of stakeholders, they became largely synonymous with good data management and were widely adopted by academic publishers and funding agencies, including the European Commission.

Timeline and updates

The DMP deliverable is typically due in the first year of the project, but the exact timing may vary depending on the granting authority and type of project. In most Research and Innovation Actions, Innovation Actions and EIC projects, the DMP is due in month 6 of the project. In MSCA Doctoral Networks, the DMP is due in Month 13 to account for the time required to recruit all doctoral candidates.

Depending on the type of project, having several DMPs may best serve your goals – for instance, projects involving a clinical trial might benefit from a separate DMP for clinical data and projects with substantial security concerns may require a separate DMP for security-relevant data. Some granting authorities further require regular updates of the DMP. EISMEA, the granting authority of the European Innovation Council, requires updated DMP deliverables for each reporting period (RP) with due dates in M6 for RP1, M30 for RP2 and M48 for RP3 in our recently funded EIC Pathfinder projects PIONEAR, POLINA and BONOSCOPY.

Templates and guidelines for Data Management Plans

The European Commission provides a general template for the DMP deliverable and some granting authorities provide specific templates for their funded projects, including the European Research Council. Many institutions have adopted this approach and provide additional resources, such as the Max Planck Society and ETH Zurich.

From our extensive experience participating in over 58 Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe projects, we know the challenges researchers often face when setting up a DMP early in the project lifecycle. Typically, many project details are not yet fully defined at the outset, making it difficult to draft a DMP that is both complete and accurate. Recognizing this, we have developed templates and input collectors to guide researchers step-by-step through the process of creating a robust DMP that aligns with project goals and funding requirements. Below is an overview of the key input required to complete the DMP.

What you need to do to ensure your data are FAIR

In practice, a few key guiding principles should be considered to ensure the data generated in a project are FAIR:

1. Use standards applicable in your field of research
2. Provide rich metadata for each dataset
3. Deposit your data in trusted data repository

Using a trusted repository that assigns a persistent identifier (PID) to each dataset is key to ensure long-term storage and FAIRness of the data. Examples of trusted generalist repositories are Zenodo, Figshare, EUDAT, Dryad and Open Science Framework and a comprehensive overview of discipline-specific repositories was published by Scientific Data.

Do you need support?

Are you looking for support with FAIR data management in your Horizon Europe project? At accelopment, we know that effective data management is crucial for maximising the impact and visibility of your research. With a wealth of experience across numerous EU-funded projects, our team is ready to assist you in developing and implementing a comprehensive Data Management Plan that aligns with the FAIR principles. Contact us to find out how we can help your project achieve its data management goals.

Dr. Jörn-Frederik Wotzlaw
Research & Innovation Project Manager

Patrick Schneier
Research & Innovation Project Associate