A-LIFE and Chemistry (AIMMS) Research Data Management portal

• RDM news

  • 01/2026. The 2026 PhD RDM Kickstart course details have been updated. Please see the "RDM Kickstart Course" section below for more details.

• Looking for RDM support?

  Data management can sometimes seem like a daunting task, especially when suddenly confronted with requests for data management plans and making your data FAIR etc. Fortunately, there is a growing network of RDM support developing at the VU.

  • The A-LIFE, C&PS, Data Steward, Brett Olivier. For practical, data management questions, writing data management plans, metadata, annotation, tools, storage solutions or software development and publication. 
  • For A-LIFE researchers for any RDM and software related questions try the A-LIFE Research Data Management channel or contact Irene. 
  • The VU library RDM support team is available for all your general RDM questions.
  • For questions about working with privacy sensitive data, contact the Faculty of Science, Privacy Champion.
  • More information on RDM in the Faculty of Science? Contact the BETA Data Steward or other faculty support team

• Facilities and documentation

  A quick guide to RDM related facilities and information available at the VU. 

  • Faculty of Science RDM resources
  • VU RDM resources
  • Looking for VU Data Storage options, try the Storage Finder or IT services.
  • DMPOnline at the VU provides an interactive, template driven portal for the collaborative, writing, sharing and exporting of DMP's. 

• Spotlight on: Using DMP Online to write Data Management Plans

  Common questions when asked to write a Data Management Plan (DMP) are: "Where do I start?", "What is this DMP asking for?" and "How do I easily work on this DMP and share it with my colleagues or research partners?". To help you answer these questions the VU provides the DMP Online tool.

  DMP Online facility provides a web-based, template-driven way of creating DMP's. It includes the official templates of a number of funding agencies (including NWO and ZonMW) and supplements or replaces completing the DMP templates made available by funders. 

  Some of the advantages of using the DMP Online include:

  • Inline guidance. For each question in the DMP, guidance is provided on what is expected in that section
  • Collaboration. In progress DMP's can be shared with colleagues to review, edit or collaborate.
  • Comments. Each question has a comments section where colleagues or reviewers can provide suggestions on how to answer the related question.
  • Export. Once completed the DMP can be exported in various formats including Word, PDF, CSV or HTML.
  • Create a living document. Most DMP's need to be updates as the project progresses. DMP Online simplifies this process and has various facilites for working with and updating DMP's.
  • GDPR registration. All research projects that fall under the GDPR, for example, that have human participants, need to be registered in the VU GDPR registry. This is done in DMP Online please see this page for more details.

  Are you a researcher in the A-LIFE or Chemistry & Pharmaceutical Science (C&PS) Departments who want to create a DMP using DMP Online? You can easily access specialist Data Steward support on writing DMP's and using DMP Online.

• PhD RDM Kickstart course information

  Welcome to the PhD Research Data Management Kickstart course

  PE&RC graduate school members, please note that the "AIMMS RDM Kickstart course" and the "Research Data Management course" mentioned in your TSP both refer to this course.

  The Research Data Management (RDM) Kickstart course starts with a workshop which will introduce you to concepts and good practices that enable good research data management. This includes topics such as the research data cycle, data formats, FAIR data and metadata, interoperability and archiving. 

  During the workshop you will start writing a Data Management Plan (DMP) for your PhD project and hand it in for review. You will then discuss your DMP with a Data Steward and get personalised feedback on your data management plan. Towards the end of your PhD you will be invited for a second consultation where we will discuss relevant data management topics. You will also be introduced to the RDM Exit Document which should be handed in before your contract at the VU ends. Once this is returned you will receive a course certificate of completion.

  The course schedule includes:

  • The Kickstart Workshop (1 session, 3 hrs on-campus): includes a lecture and practical work-session where you start working on your own project DMP.
  • DMP submission and review (2-3 weeks after workshop): you complete your project DMP and hand it in for review.
  • 1st consultation (1-6 weeks after DMP hand-in): a one-on-one consultation to discuss your project data management and DMP.
  • 2nd consultation (1-2 years before your contract ends): a second consultation to discuss your project data management and introduction to the PhD RDM Exit Document.
  • Before PhD completion (3-4 years):  Hand-in the PhD RDM Exit Document to complete the course and receive the course certificate and credit. 

  The next edition

  The next edition (2025.2) of the A-LIFE and Chemistry & Pharmaceutical Sciences (CPS) course will start with the Kickstart workshop which will take place on campus: 

  • 16 April 2026 from 14:00 -17:00

  Please register for the course now:  https://forms.gle/e5fX7ohvUEhXpg8Q7

  Who should register for this course?

  • All new A-LIFE and Chemistry PhD's are required to do this course.
  • Any A-LIFE and Chemistry PostDocs and staff are welcome to join the workshop session.

  Once you have registered you will receive an Outlook workshop invitation and more information. This may take a few days.

  Future editions

  • Kickstart course workshop 2026.2: November 2026

  A minimum number of participants per course is required, if this number is not reached registered participants will be invited to enrol in the following edition of the course. 

  Please note that this RDM Kickstart course is neither associated with, nor can be substituted by, the "PhD Writing a data management plan" course organised and presented by the VU Library (UB).

  If you have any RDM/course related questions or want more information, please contact Brett Olivier, the A-LIFE and Chemistry Data Steward. PI's and project leads, customized versions of the workshop can be arranged for consortia and large projects, please contact me to discuss options.

• Comments, questions or suggestions?

  Please contact Brett Olivier the A-LIFE and CPS Data Steward.