Institutional support for data management plans: case studies for a systematic approach

Researchers have to ensure that their projects comply with Research Data Management (RDM) requirements. Consequently, the main funding agencies require Data Management Plans (DMPs) for grant applications. So, institutions are investing in RDM tools and implementing RDM workflows in order to support their researchers. In this context, we propose a collaborative DMP-building method that involves researchers, data stewards and other parties if required. This method was applied as part of an RDM workflow in research groups across several scientific domains. We describe it as a systematic approach and illustrate it through a set of case studies. We also address the DMP monitoring process during the life cycle of projects. The feedback from the researchers highlighted the advantages of creating DMPs and their growing need. So, there is motivation to improve the DMP support process according to the machine-actionable DMPs concept and to the best practices in each scientific community.