Examples
Worked examples
- Is an instance
A DMP whose dataset list is auto-populated from new Zenodo deposits tagged with the project grant ID.
- Is an instance
A DMP revised at the project's annual review to add a new sensitive dataset.
Counter-examples
Looks similar, but isn't
- Not an instance
A DMP filed at proposal and never updated is still in the creation phase in substance, even if the project has moved on.
- Not an instance
A project closeout report is not a DMP active-phase document.
Editorial commentary
The active phase is the middle stage of the DMP lifecycle: it begins once a project starts generating or handling data and lasts through the end of the period of performance. Where the creation phase produces a DMP built largely on placeholders and estimates at proposal time, the active phase is where those placeholders are reconciled against reality — dataset entries become specific deposits with DOIs, storage estimates are checked against actual usage, and any ethical or technical change is recorded as a formal plan revision.
Why it is tracked separately from post-award administration
The active phase is scoped narrowly to one document — the Data Management Plan — not to the award as a whole. It happens to run for the same span of calendar time as the post-award phase, but the two describe different lifecycles: post-award tracks spending, compliance, and reporting for the entire award; the DMP active phase tracks whether one specific document still accurately describes what the project is doing with its data. A project’s general post-award administration can be running smoothly while its DMP sits unrevised since submission — which is exactly the gap the active-phase concept exists to flag.
What triggers a revision
Common triggers for a mid-project DMP revision include a new data type or collection method not anticipated at proposal stage, a change in the intended repository or access conditions, discovery that a dataset needs sensitive-data handling not originally planned, or a funder-mandated periodic check. Each revision is versioned, not silently overwritten, so a reviewer can see how the plan evolved against what was actually produced.
What drives revisions and what follows
Active DMPs are the principal use case for machine-actionable workflows, because automated updates from repositories, storage systems, and institutional research-information systems reduce manual maintenance burden. Funders that require a DMP (Horizon Europe, UKRI, many US agencies) generally expect at least one substantive review during this phase, often tied to a periodic report. The active phase ends, and the DMP closeout phase begins, when the project ends and the plan is reconciled one final time against what was actually delivered and archived.
Also known as
live DMP phase · in-flight DMP
Machine-readable encodings
Use in your systems
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