EPSRC expectations on Research Data Management

As of the 1st of May 2015 EPRSC-funded projects have to comply with several new expectations.

EPSRC expectations arise from core principles summarised below:

"Publicly funded research data should generally be made as widely and freely available as possible in a timely and responsible manner";
preservation and sharing of data contribute to the impact of research;

"The research process should not be damaged by the inappropriate release of such data" and "researchers should be entitled to a limited period of privileged access to the data they collect";

Researchers and students funded by EPSRC "will be required to comply with this policy, or, in exceptional circumstances, to provide justification of why this is not possible" (exemptions for legal, ethical and/or commercial reasons); EPSRC can contribute to supporting the costs involved by data management.

EPSRC Research Data Policy - Definition of research data

"Research data is defined as recorded factual material commonly retained by and accepted in the scientific community as necessary to validate research findings; although the majority of such data is created in digital format, all research data is included irrespective of the format in which it is created."

Implementation notes for these principles are explained below.

To understand more about Research Data Management and your responsibilities you may find it useful to read UCL Research Data Policy, EPSRC Research Data Policy and its clarifications of expectations.

If you have any difficulty in meeting these expectations, and at whatever stage of your project, please contact your Research Data Support Officers.

These FAQs for EPSRC-funded projects can also be of help.