At the May 2025 UK RDM Club Call, we will examine the strategies adopted by UK universities to encourage postgraduate researchers to consider data management when planning and performing their research. The session will explore the findings of a recent survey conducted among UK universities to determine the extent to which Data Management Plan (DMP) expectations are applied to postgraduate researchers.

During the talk, we will discuss the motivations for introducing DMP expectations for postgraduate researchers, the extent to which institutions expect them, the stage at which they are produced, strategies adopted to encourage greater take-up, processes for review and feedback, and the practical challenges encountered by institutions in promoting adoption.

The session will conclude by outlining a set of characteristics that universities should consider if they wish to implement a DMP mandate for postgraduate research progress, along with a proposal on how the data management community can collaborate to address common concerns and barriers to adoption.

Speaker

Gareth Knight, Research Data Manager at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine