Data Management Plan Template Msca

Standard Operating Procedure: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Data Management Plan (DMP) Architecture

1. Document Control Block

• Document ID: SOP-TR-MSCA-DMP-042
• Effective Date: October 24, 2023
• Version: 2.1.0
• Review Cadence: Semi-Annual (Next Review: April 2024)
• Author: Julian Vance, Chief Architect, Template Registry
• Target Audience: Principal Investigators, Research Fellows, Data Stewards, Institutional Administrators

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2. Executive Summary & Purpose

This Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) defines the operational protocol for engineering, executing, and maintaining a compliant Data Management Plan (DMP) under the Horizon Europe Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) framework. The purpose of this protocol is to ensure absolute alignment with European Commission (EC) Horizon Europe requirements for Open Science, FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data principles, GDPR compliance, and institutional intellectual property protection. Adherence to this SOP mitigates non-compliance risks during post-grant audits and guarantees operational readiness for the mandatory month-6 MSCA deliverable.

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3. Scope & Prerequisites

3.1 Scope

This document governs all research data generated, collected, processed, or utilized within MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships (PF), Doctoral Networks (DN), and Staff Exchanges (SE) hosted or partnered via Template Registry frameworks.

3.2 Prerequisites & Tooling

• Software/Platforms: DMPonline (or institutional instance), Zenodo/OpenAIRE-compliant institutional repository, Git-based version control (GitHub/GitLab) for code assets, secure institutional cloud storage (e.g., Nextcloud, encrypted SharePoint).
• Standards & Frameworks: FAIR principles (FORCE11), EU General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679), Horizon Europe Annotated Grant Agreement (AGA).
• Physical/Network Requirements: Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) enabled on all collaborative data storage nodes; institutional VPN for handling restricted or personal data.

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4. Roles & Responsibilities

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5. Step-by-Step Procedure

Phase 1: Initiation and Horizon Europe Alignment (Month 1-2)

• Initialize a new project workspace in DMPonline using the Horizon Europe template.
• Cross-reference the MSCA Grant Agreement (GA) and Description of Action (DoA) to catalog all anticipated datasets, software, physical samples, and digital outputs.
• Establish repository targets for long-term preservation (e.g., Zenodo for catch-all datasets, domain-specific repositories like GEO, DRYAD, or GitHub for code).

Phase 2: Data Collection, Documentation, and Metadata Architecture (Month 2-4)

• Define naming conventions, directory tree structures, and version control policies for all digital assets.
• Select appropriate metadata standards (e.g., DataCite, Dublin Core, DDI) aligned with the scientific domain of the MSCA project.
• Document data collection methodologies, instruments utilized, and calibration logs to ensure reproducibility.
• Establish provenance tracking protocols for any secondary data ingested from external third-party sources.

Phase 3: Ethics, Legal, and GDPR Compliance (Month 3-5)

• Conduct a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) via the institutional DPO if processing Personal Data (GDPR Article 35).
• Draft and integrate explicit informed consent forms for human participant data, ensuring explicit opt-in for open data sharing where applicable.
• Define anonymization and pseudonymization pipelines to strip direct and indirect identifiers prior to repository deposition.
• Document intellectual property (IP) rights, licensing models (e.g., Creative Commons CC-BY-4.0 for data, MIT/Apache-2.0 for code), and embargo periods if commercial exploitation is pending.

Phase 4: Storage, Backup, and Security Operations (Ongoing)

• Implement the 3-2-1 backup rule: 3 copies of data, across 2 different media types, with 1 off-site immutable backup.
• Configure access control lists (ACLs) enforcing the principle of least privilege for sensitive active datasets.
• Schedule automated monthly integrity checks (checksum generation and validation) to prevent silent data corruption.

Phase 5: FAIR Data Sharing and Long-Term Preservation (Month 6 & Milestone Delivery)

• Export the finalized DMP to JSON/PDF format for inclusion in the Month-6 mandatory deliverable package.
• Mint persistent identifiers (e.g., DOIs, ORCID IDs for contributors) for all published datasets.
• Deposit final research assets into an OpenAIRE-compliant trusted repository alongside machine-readable metadata.
• Verify public accessibility links and confirm that metadata is harvestable by academic search engines.

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6. Quality Assurance & Pro-Tips

6.1 Pro-Tips for Architectural Integrity

• "As Open as Possible, as Closed as Necessary": Do not default to restricting access out of caution. Use restricted-access repository options with managed data-access committees when handling sensitive industrial or clinical data instead of hiding data entirely.
• Automate Metadata Generation: Integrate Python scripts or CI/CD pipelines to automatically generate README.md and codemeta.json files within your repository structure to reduce manual documentation overhead.
• Cost Allocation: Remember that Open Access publication fees and long-term data preservation costs are eligible direct costs under Horizon Europe MSCA grants if budgeted in Table 2 of the proposal.

6.2 Common Pitfalls

• The "Vague Repository" Trap: Stating "data will be stored on university drives" is non-compliant. You must name specific open repositories (e.g., Zenodo, figshare) with guaranteed long-term preservation.
• Ignoring Software as Data: Failing to treat custom analysis scripts (R, Python, MATLAB) as research outputs requiring version control and open licensing.

6.3 Metric Thresholds

• FAIR Scorecard Metric: Target $\ge 85%$ compliance score across automated FAIR evaluation tools (e.g., FAIRsFAIR Assessment Tool).
• Metadata Completeness: 100% of deposited assets must contain valid ORCID IDs, explicit license declarations, and persistent identifiers.

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7. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What happens if our research data contains proprietary industrial secrets from an MSCA partner organization?
A: You must leverage the "legitimate interest" clauses in the Horizon Europe GA. Restrict public access via an embargo period or apply a restricted-access protocol to the repository while ensuring the metadata remains publicly discoverable with instructions on how authorized third parties can request access.

Q2: Is a Data Management Plan static, or can it be updated during the fellowship lifecycle?
A: The MSCA DMP is a living document. It must be updated at minimum alongside formal project milestones and reporting periods (e.g., mid-term review and final reporting) to reflect changes in data types, tools, or consortium structures.

Q3: Who pays for the open-access storage and long-term archiving of datasets?
A: Costs associated with open access publishing and data curation/preservation incurred during the active lifetime of the MSCA action are fully eligible for reimbursement under the project's institutional unit costs and management categories.