Step 1: Check the data management activities in the table and tick those that may apply to your proposed research.

Step 2: For each selected activity, estimate the additional time and/or other resources needed and cost this, e.g. people’s time or physical resources needed such as hardware or software. Find out which resources, e.g. for data storage and backup, are available to you from your institution. Consider whether you need a dedicated data manager.

Step 3: Add these data management costs to your research application. Coordinate resourcing and costing with your institution, research office and institutional IT services.

Step 4: Plan the data management activities in advance to avoid them competing with the need to focus on research excellence.

Remember that when your research project nears the end you do not want these additional data management activities to compete with delivery of your planned outputs, writing of publications and the timely delivery of your project. At this later stage the costs of preparing data for sharing may be significantly higher.