This document describes the policy for research data & software management within the Faculty of Behavioural and Human Movement Sciences (FGB) and defines how the principles described in the VU Research Data and Software Management Policy (Version 3.0, 17-12-2024) are to be implemented at the faculty level.
The policy is also informed by the VSNU Code of Conduct for Research Integrity, the VSNU Code of Conduct on the Use of Personal Data in Scientific Research, the Federa Code of Conduct for Responsible Use of Human Tissue in Medical Research, the Federa Code of Conduct for the Use of Data in Health Research, the Standard Evaluation Protocol (SEP 2021-2027), ICH Good Clinical Practice Guidelines, the Medical Research with Humans Act (WMO), the Medical Treatment Agreement Act (WGBO), the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the national implementation of the GDPR (UAVG).
Data are defined within FGB and this policy as digital/digitizable information (spreadsheets or databases consisting of values representing quantitative or qualitative variables; audiovisual recordings; transcriptions; imaging data) and non-digitizable data (human or animal tissue samples, handwritten notes, paper consent forms) in so far as the non-digitizable data must be maintained in their original form for a certain period of time.
This policy supplements the VU Research Data & Software Management Policy by:
Defining the roles and responsibilities within FGB regarding research data & software management
Advising researchers on the balance between open science and data protection legislation
Informing FGB researchers of FGB specific tools, guidelines and support services for research data management
In addition to the points listed in the general VU Research Data & Software Management Policy, the following policy principles apply within FGB:
Research data management is an essential component of every research project. This means:
Data should be made accessible for reuse through the application of the FAIR principles, while also respecting the constraints of privacy, ethics, facilities, and finances.1
Effective research data management skills and the FAIR-principles are essential elements in the education of PhD candidates and students following research-based Masters and Bachelors programs.
Research data & software management requires teamwork within the faculty. Every individual should know their own responsibilities, but should also be aware of the support services available to them and make use of these services, as required.
Pre-registration of a planned research project is an essential element of research integrity & transparency. All research projects that are required to complete a data management plan, must also pre-register their research at the outset of the research process. The pre-registration should also be updated whenever any changes to the research plan occur.2
It is assumed that researchers know and apply the VSNU Scientific Code of Conduct for Research Integrity, the VSNU Code of Conduct on the Use of Personal Data in Scientific Research, the VU RDM Policy, and the FGB RDM policy. Researchers conducting research projects that fall under the purview of the WMO should also be familiar with the relevant legislation and codes of conduct as described by the CCMO and the VUmc METc.
Researchers who work with personal data are required to understand and comply with the privacy requirements of the GDPR and UAVG and conduct their research in a manner that ensures that data privacy, confidentiality and integrity are maintained throughout the project
Researchers are responsible for determining who is allowed to access (some of) the research data both within the faculty and between institutions. Principal investigators, senior researchers, project coordinators and project leaders should assist junior researchers and interns with this determination; advice from the FGB privacy champion and/or FGB research data steward can be requested, in cases of uncertainty.
Researchers are responsible for determining which documents (e.g. data management plans, data protection impact assessments, data classifications etc.) must be completed for their research project and for the completion of these documents early in the planning stages of their research
Researchers are expected to determine the appropriate facilities, systems and tools for effective research data & software management, seeking advice from ITVO, TO3 and the FGB research data stewards as required.
Researchers are expected to seek advice regarding the ethics and scientific integrity of their research. They are responsible for determining if the project must be approved by an METc, the CCMO or an external body as required by their research funder. If none of these conditions apply, researchers are strongly advised to submit their research proposals to the Scientific and Ethical Review Board (VCWE) for ethical review, while recognizing that the VCWE cannot be held accountable for the researchers’ ethical conduct.6
Research data must be archived according the local FGB implementation of the DSW National Guidelines on Archiving.7
The board will require the teaching of FAIR data management principles in the bachelor, masters, and graduate level curricula.
The board will assess and ensure the compatibility between the RDM policies of the faculty and the interdisciplinary institutes.
The faculty board will report to the university board about the RDM policy for FGB.
The board will appoint research data stewards who will:
The director will ensure the proper functioning, security, and reliability of FGB facilities for data storage and management.
The director will sign contractual agreements with third parties, such as processing agreements with data processors, data sharing agreements and so forth, on behalf of the Stichting VU.
This RDM policy originally took effect on February 1, 2019. The most recent major update was implemented on May 1, 2025. All responsible parties are henceforth expected to be aware of their tasks and to have reviewed any applicable documents.
Research institutes will report annually on their activities to support data & software management.
VU Research Data & Software Management Policy of VU Amsterdam (Version 3.0, 2024)
VSNU Code of Conduct for Research Integrity (2018)
VSNU Code of Conduct on the Using Personal Data in Scientific Research (not currently available; undergoing updates)
Strategy Evaluation Protocol (SEP 2021-2027)
General Data Protection Regulation (2018)
The Dutch national implementation of the GDPR (UAVG, in Dutch only; 2018)
Code of Conduct for Medical Research (in Dutch only; 2022)
ICH Good Clinical Practice Guidelines (2016); Draft for Revision 3 (2021)
See FGB Policy Positions on the GDPR for important legal implications with regards to privacy.↩︎
See Preregistration Essentials Enhancing Transparency in Research for information on what pre-registration is and how to effectively carry it out. FGB staff should use OSF to pre-register their research and, in general, the OSF Preregistration template should be used. However, if another template is more appropriate for the type of research being conducted (e.g. Open-Ended Registration for exploratory research, Qualitative Preregistration for qualitative research etc.) staff are free to select the most suitable option.↩︎
See FGB Security Tips: The Basics, particularly FGB Security Tips: Safe Practices for Students Working With Research Data for more information.↩︎
See FGB Security Tips: The Basics and the associated In-Depth Guides.↩︎
See the Workflow for processing standard privacy agreements for information on determining which privacy agreements are needed and how to put those agreements in place. Further information on the necessary privacy agreements and when they need to be applied is also found in the GDPR Take-Home Points for Researchers.↩︎
The faculty implementation of the Code of Ethics for Research in the Social and Behavioural Sciences Involving Human Participants outlines the ethical standards expected of every FGB researcher.↩︎
Detailed information on the requirements for data archiving within FGB can be found in the FGB Implementation of the National Guidelines for Archiving of Academic Research for Faculties of Behavioural and Social Sciences. For research projects conducted by an interdisciplinary research institute, the institute may have separate guidelines on archiving data.↩︎
In this section, the responsibilities of a department head are tied to the position of department head, not the individual. When one individual steps down from this role, the new individual takes over the responsibilities of their predecessor.↩︎