Data Management for Grants and Other Projects

Help your future self. Whether or not your project requires a formal Data Management Plan, planning for your project's data needs can help you avoid unexpected pitfalls and save you time and frustration.

Create data management plans using DMPTool

Learn more about NIH's 2023 Data Management & Sharing Policy

Research Toolbox at KU (SSO required)

Data Management Plans

A data management plan (DMP) asks you to think through possible problems:

  • Where is your data?
  • Is your data backed up? Somewhere reliable and safe?
  • Is your storage sufficiently secure for the sensitivity of your project?
  • Is your data documented? Could you confidently recreate your results?
  • What if key personnel leave the project?
  • What happens to the data after the project is over?
  • Can someone else use your data without your help?

By answering these questions and occasionally revisiting the answers, you will contribute to the long-term health of your project.

DMPTool

Projects that receive funding from federal agencies and many other sources require that a data management plan be submitted as part of the grant application. Many funding agencies offer a template for this purpose. When applying for a grant, consider using the DMPTool to help draft your plan, share drafts with colleagues and reviewers, and export your plan to a .txt or .rtf file.

The DMPTool:

  • Is accessible using your KU Online ID
  • Contains most U.S. agency templates
  • Includes local KU resources inside many templates
  • Offers sample DMPs

KU Research Toolbox

KU's Research Toolbox (SSO required) contains links to essential KU resources for applying for and managing grants.

GIS and Data Contacts

GIS Resources
April Friedl, Senior GIS Analyst
Watson Library
april.friedl@ku.edu
785-864-6432

Research Data
Jamene Brooks-Kieffer, Data Services Librarian
Watson Library
jamenebk@ku.edu
785-864-5238

Digital Humanities
Watson Library
Institute for Digital Research in the Humanities
idrh@ku.edu