As of the Work Programme 2017 all thematic areas of Horizon 2020 by default participate in the "Open Research Data Pilot". The pilot follows the principle "as open as possible, as closed as necessary". Participants may at any time opt out of the pilot by giving reasons.
The following instruments do not automatically participate in the Open Research Data Pilot: co-funded projects, Prizes, ERC PoC (Proof of Concept), ERA-NET Cofund (if no research data is produced) and the SME Instrument (Phase 1).
Projects participating in the Open Research Data Pilot are subject to the following rules according to article 29.3 of the Grant Agreement (GA):
- The research data underlying a project publication must be made available via Open Access.
- Further research data may be published on a voluntary basis.
- A Data Management Plan (DMP) must be drawn up for each project, which includes all research data generated in the action and describes the handling of the data.
- Third parties must be enabled as far as possible to make further use of the data (automated analysis, exploitation, reproduction, dissemination). Information about the tools necessary for using the data (e.g. software) – or if possible the tools themselves – must be made available.
- All other obligations under the GA (data protection, confidentiality etc.) naturally also apply to projects participating in the Open Research Data Pilot.
Opting out of the Open Research Data Pilot
The following options are available:
- Complete opt-out in the application phase (has no influence on the evaluation)
- Complete opt-out during the grant preparation phase
- Complete opt-out during project implementation (via amendment)
- Partial opt-out for individual datasets, providing the relevant reasons for opting out in the DMP (the other obligations described above continue to apply)
In the event of a complete opt-out, article 29.3 GA does not apply to the entire project. Consequently, there is neither an obligation to draw up a DMP nor to publish research data.
The following opt-out reasons can be given:
- Incompatibility with the obligation to protect results
- Confidentiality/security issues
- Data protection
- Incompatibility with main objective of the project
- The project will not generate/collect any research data
- Other legitimate reasons
Data Management Plan (DMP)
Projects participating in the Open Research Data Pilot must submit a first version of the DMP within the first 6 months of the project, which must be updated at least prior to each review. The DMP must collect the research data and describe their handling based on the FAIR principles (findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable). The plan must, among others, specify to what extent the data is made available to third parties (place of storage, licences, storage period, embargo periods, etc.) and provide reasons why some datasets will not be shared or will only be shared under restrictions.
Costs of data management are eligible. Please note the prerequisites for cost eligibility.
More information can be found ...
- in the Annotated Grant Agreement (AGA), article 29
- in the Online Manual of the EU Commission
- in the Guide of Science Europe (explanations and guidance on how to draw up a DMP)
- in the LEARN Research Data Management Toolkit for efficient management of research databases
- in the information document of the EU Commission "Open Research Data in Horizon 2020"
- in our link collection (see "Downloads")
- under "Templates for Data Management Plans (DMPs)"
- under "Open Science"
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