On July 2nd we got together for a hands-on experience in Data Management Plans (DMP). The event started with some presentations and then participants had the chance of putting their heads together to create a DMP for a project. During lunch we went around to ask participants their opinions about data management and the working session they had just participated in.

We interviewed João Dias, a PhD student in Computational Biology and Nádia Duarte, a lab manager, both from Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, about their experience with the workshop and how useful it was.

Bruno Costa: What were your expectations when you signed up for this workshop?

João Dias: My expectations were to broaden my knowledge. I’d like to understand what can be done in terms of data management. What kind of tools exist and what kind of process you have to go through so that these datasets are usable.

BC: And doing this workshop, has it been useful? Did you like it and would you recommend it to someone else?

JD: I would recommend it to everyone that wants to understand a little of what this is. This first part was basically creating a Data Management Plan (DMP). Everyone that is considering applying for a grant with FCT or other, has to think about all of these questions that we worked on. And all of the process, which I was unfamiliar with. So, yes absolutely, I would recommend it.

BC: What were your expectations when you signed up for this course?

Nádia Duarte: I wanted to know more about the best way of doing data management.

BC: And how did this whole group process go? Did you think that it was useful to share the experience with other people from different fields?

ND: Yes, I think it was useful. Some parts are still a bit difficult because you have to integrate several concepts and understand, among all of that data, what is a dataset first. And there are very specific fields that were a bit complicated for us to match. But I think it is useful, it gives us an idea of what is needed, what information you have to gather. I think we still have- But maybe in the afternoon everything will be clearer.

BC: Listening to a talk is one thing, but in fact, people would rather experience it. Have that process of going down a list...

JD: Even the debates that we had… The question of what is a dataset and what isn’t.

ND: But there’s something else, as well. There’s the question of the organization and then there’s each associated file, the associated informatic part… There were some parts where we couldn’t keep up. But I didn’t know what to expect, and now I do!