DMP Writing Made Easy: Empowering Chemists for Better Research Data Management

A data management plan (DMP) is essential for effective research data management (RDM) and implementing the FAIR principles. However, translating complex data workflows into a meaningful document can often not feel intuitive for researchers. To address this, NFDI4Chem has developed a support system tailored to the needs of the chemistry community.

The journey began with the creation of a low-barrier, chemistry-specific DMP template. Based on surveys and interviews with chemists, this template was developed to align with the DFG checklist and is available as a Research Data Management Organiser (RDMO) catalogue.

As part of an incubator project within the DMP4NFDI integration phase, NFDI4Chem built on this by conceptualising a dedicated workshop. This collaboration between NFDI4Chem and the DMP4NFDI base service aimed to enhance community outreach and training by providing shared teaching materials.

On 21 January 2026, NFDI4Chem hosted the online workshop ‘DMP Writing Made Easy: A Hands-On Workshop for Chemists‘ for the first time. Designed for researchers (PhD students and above), this five-hour session combined brief theoretical input with practical exercises.

Participants used the tool RDMO4Chem to create their own DMPs using the chemistry-specific template. A follow-up Q&A session was held two weeks later to ensure long-term support, allowing participants to discuss any questions that had arisen while continuing their projects.

In the spirit of open science, the workshop materials were published on Zenodo as an open educational resource (OER) following the event. The materials are intended for reuse by other consortia and institutions, and include comprehensive presentation slides with detailed speaker notes, an in-depth plan for running the workshop, supplementary reading materials, and organisational guidelines. By making these resources publicly available, NFDI4Chem is contributing directly to the development of outreach support for the wider NFDI community.

The success of this initiative, along with the lessons learned, were presented at the RDA Deutschland Tagung 2026 in Potsdam on 24–25 February. A poster presentation showcased the concept of the workshop and the valuable feedback received from its first participants.

The evaluation results showed high satisfaction with the work pace, comprehensive slides, and step-by-step guidance. Participants noted that, despite their prior knowledge of DMPs being low, the hands-on approach made the content applicable to their work. One of the key lessons learned was the necessity for a thorough revision of the DMP template based on user feedback. Building on these results, NFDI4Chem is launching a new incubator project with DMP4NFDI to update the DMP template, additionally aligning it with the NFDI Template Framework to make it machine-actionable.

NFDI4Chem continues to support chemists in making their data FAIR. All the workshop materials and the chemistry-specific template can be found here and via Zenodo.