Embedding Benefits and Impact: Ideas from the History DMP Project

I would like to draw JISC Managing Research Data Programme projects’ attention to elements in the History DMP Project’s plan which, as well as being good models for these sections, I think will be of broader interest to projects seeking to embed their work.  The plan may be found at http://historydmp.wordpress.com/history-dmp-project-plan/

The sections in question are 1.5 Anticipated Impact and 3.5 Sustainability Plan, specifically the short discussion after the table.  Other projects may find these sections useful prompts for their own considerations of benefits and impacts which may be generated, and for how a project may plan to achieve sustained benefits/impact after its life.

In the table, the History DMP Project makes plans for sustaining specific project outputs, and then continues:

[P]lanning for the sustainability of the work carried out in the project, and the data management plan itself, will also be incorporated into departmental planning during the project’s lifetime. The University’s annual strategic planning round for 2012-13 will take place during the project period, and this offers an opportunity to formally adopt approaches for support of the data management plan for future research. Specific possibilities, which will be considered at departmental and University level, include:

  • Identifying specific data impact case studies for submission to REF2014
  • Adding data management to the research & training seminar series
  • Adding data management to the Staff Development Programme
  • Incorporating data management into postgraduate workshops
  • Inclusion in research strategies

Institutionally we shall be guided by the DISC UK DataShare Policy-making for Research Data in Repositories Guide in establishing the management of datasets within the repository as part of the long-term implementation of the data management plan and extension of the role of the repository for this purpose.

I think this list forms a useful prompt for actions which may be appropriate for other projects seeking to sustain, embed and enhance the impact of their work.