Increasingly, research data management plans are not just recommended by external funding bodies and institutions, but have in fact become a core component of funding criteria. This applies to funding lines on various levels (regional, national, and international) and for disciplines ranging from the natural and life sciences, to the humanities, right through to the social sciences.

Growing numbers of institutions such as colleges, universities, institutes, and research foundations are developing guidelines and policies on how to consistently handle research data responsibly.