Research funder policies

Guidance on data management requirements and links to individual policies for various research funders.

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Research funder policies

Many research funders in the UK have policies on the management and sharing of research data. While policies vary, they generally include the following requirements:

Write a data management plan (DMP), usually on application.
Look after your data appropriately during the research.
Preserve and share your data as widely as permitted - funders generally expect data to be retained for a minimum of 10 years after a project, but you should check for specific funding conditions.
Include a data availability statement in publications (required for UKRI funders).

You can access DMP templates for many individual funders, along with guidance and feedback options, by logging into the Sheffield version of DMPonline. However, you should check the DMP requirements for your specific funding. Further guidance and examples are available from the Digital Curation Centre (DCC).

The UKRI funders share common principles on making your research data open, but individual funders have their own data management guidelines and policies. You can find links to these policies, along with those of other funders and also summaries provided by the DCC, below.

UKRI funders (dropdown)

AHRC

AHRC research funding guide (including data management plan guidance)

Policy summary (DCC)

BBSRC

BBSRC data sharing policy

Policy summary (DCC)

EPSRC

EPSRC research data expectations
Policy summary (DCC)

ESRC

ESRC research data policy

UK Data Service guidance