Data Policy

2. Definitions

Actors: Actors are all researchers and staff members of ZALF involved in the research process who have an existing employment relationship with ZALF.

Research data (RD): Research data comprise all data that arise or have arisen in the scientific work process as a result of the intellectual activity of the actors. They can result from digitisation, source research, experiments, measurements, surveys, simulations or interviews, and are described with metadata.

Research data management (RDM): Research data management is the continuous process of managing, curating, publishing, registering (DOI) and archiving research data throughout its entire life cycle.

Data management plan (DMP): A DMP enables the structured documentation of how research data are handled and used during and after a research project.

Embargo: An embargo is a limited period of time that can be granted to actors to exercise the right of first use of research data.

Research project: A research project is an undertaking at ZALF or with ZALF participation aimed at gaining new insights along a research question.

Metadata: Metadata are structured, standardised contextual information about research data and their characteristics. The metadata standards used by ZALF when publishing research data are mandatory and increase findability and scientific reusability.

Reusability: In line with the ZALF Open Access Strategy and the FAIR principles, this is understood as the possibility to download, copy, distribute and machine-process research data and to use them without significant financial, technical or legal restrictions.

Personal data: Any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person.

3. Scope

This policy on handling research data applies to all actors and research projects at ZALF and to all research data collected or generated at ZALF. Specific agreements with third-party funders take precedence over this policy.

Relevant for this policy are the ZALF statutes of 01.03.2016, the principles for handling research data of 11.07.2017 and the Leibniz Association's guideline on handling research data of 29.11.2018.

4. Data rights and licensing

To ensure the reusability of research data, the guideline on good scientific practice in the Leibniz Association and, in the case of personal data, the ZALF data protection guideline must be observed and documented in the DMP.

All research data are subject to the existing copyright, usage and exploitation rights within the meaning of the statutory provisions. ZALF holds the right of use of research data. ZALF supports the publication of and free access to research data unless statutory provisions, funding conditions or contractual agreements with third parties prevent this.

ZALF's research data are provided with a licensing model that defines access rights and reservations. Special obligations arise for reasons of confidentiality and with regard to data protection provisions in accordance with the GDPR, the BDSG and special statutory regulations.

5. Handling of research data

Upon entry into force of this policy, all research projects are obliged to create a DMP at the earliest possible time, hand it over to the FDM working group and keep it up to date.

Before research data are collected, their later reusability must be clarified. The appropriate and applied licences, contracts and other legal bases such as publication, anonymisation and the rights of third parties shall be documented in the DMP.

All actors involved in collecting research data are responsible for its correctness and quality.

All research data are published after a reasonable embargo period in the ZALF repository or other qualified infrastructures. When research data are published in external infrastructures, the FDM working group must be informed and metadata on these data must be handed over.

The rules of this policy apply accordingly to all research data previously collected at ZALF, insofar as retrospective application is possible. Should further specifications outside this policy become necessary, they can be implemented with the help of the FDM working group.

6. Responsibilities

The Board of Directors is responsible for establishing and amending this policy and for setting the strategic goals of research data management. The Board ensures that suitable resources for research data management and the infrastructure necessary to implement this policy are available to all actors.

The Data Protection Officer advises and supports on questions and adjustments regarding data protection provisions in accordance with the GDPR, the BDSG and special statutory regulations.

The FDM and DIS working groups support the actors in creating and managing DMPs, structuring research data, transferring it to the ZALF repository, describing it with metadata, complying with embargo periods and publishing research data, and provide the necessary infrastructure.

All leaders of research projects as well as independently working researchers are responsible for implementing and complying with this policy.

7. Entry into force and period of validity

This policy comes into force on 01.01.2023 and replaces the policy of 21.09.2021. It applies for an indefinite period.

References

1. Leibniz Association: Open and FAIR Data
2. Guideline on handling research data (DOI)
3. The FAIR Data Principles
4. Principles for handling research data: ZALF internal (FDM working group)
5. ZALF statutes
6. Research Data Guideline 2018
7. Good Scientific Practice Guideline 2019
8. Data protection guideline of the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) e.V.: ZALF internal (FDM working group)
9. GDPR
10. BDSG