Research funder policies

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

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Policy update: 14 October 2026

UKRI have published their new all-council research data policy. The new policy applies to all in-scope UKRI research funding opportunities launched on or after 1 April 2027 and replaces all existing UKRI council policies.

For the first time, the policy will also apply to UKRI-funded doctoral studentships that begin on or after 1 April 2027.

Key updates

For all in-scope UKRI-funded research and studentships, a full Data Management Plan (DMP) must be in place within 6 months of the start of the award or start of the studentship. Individual schemes may request a DMP on application.
Research data must be shared (wherever it can be shared responsibly and appropriately*) no later than 2 years from the end of the funding; data must be shared using an appropriate repository, must be documented in line with the FAIR Principles, and must be shared with an appropriate re-use licence. At a minimum, a FAIR metadata record describing the dataset must be shared using an appropriate repository or registry no later than the time of publication. Data should normally be retained for a minimum of 10 years after publication.
Research publications must include a Data Access Statement (or, Data Availability Statement) which must cite the Persistent Identifier (e.g., DOI) for the data or metadata record.
The contributions of those involved in generating, processing, analysing and curating data and research-relevant digital objects must be appropriately acknowledged and recorded in research outputs; this should be done using a recognised taxonomy such as the Contributor Role Taxonomy (CRediT).
Annexes to the policy describe additional requirements applying to ESRC- and NERC-funded research; additional requirements for MRC-funded research to follow.

The policy applies to all materials collected, created, generated, observed, or derived through research and used to support, validate, or inform research findings, including (but not limited to): quantitative and qualitative research data; measurements and observational data; software and code; image, sound, and video files; the documentation of creative practice; synthetic data; and manuscript translations.

This page will be updated as UKRI publish further guidance and DMP templates, but all are welcome to contact the Library RDM Team with any queries at rdm@sheffield.ac.uk

*Responsible data sharing is as open as possible, and as closed as necessary. Data needs to be shared and reused responsibly, in line with applicable legal, regulatory, security, ethical, contractual ,or commercial considerations. UKRI recognises this means some data need to be restricted, but with any delays or restrictions on sharing justified and justifiable.

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 and funding calls have their own data management guidelines and requirements. You can find links to useful information for UKRI and other funders below.

UKRI funders (dropdown)

AHRC

AHRC research funding guide (including data management plan guidance)

BBSRC

BBSRC data sharing policy

EPSRC

EPSRC research data expectations

ESRC

ESRC research data policy

UK Data Service guidance

MRC

MRC application and policy guide (including data management plan guidance)