#  Executive summary

The aim of designing a RELACS data management plan is to define the project
data management policy i.e. how data may be shared and exploited, and how data
will be curated and preserved to i) efficiently exploit data in each WP and
between various WP by cross-analysis, ii) use efficiently experimental data
for modelling activities and inversely, and iii) to save data and associated
metadata for future use after the project. The RELACS Collaborative Workspace
Platform will be the common support for the collection of data. Each WP leader
will ensure that data are correctly deposited on the platform and manage the
rights for an efficient functioning. The responsible of the Collaborative
Workspace will manage the functioning and the organisation of the Workspace.
The coordinator is responsible for the whole process.

#  Aim and approach

The aim of designing a RELACS Collaborative Workspace Platform is to bring
together data acquired in the RELACS project, in order to i) efficiently
valorise data in each WP and between various WP by cross-analysis, ii) use
efficiently experimental data for modelling and iii) to save data and
associated metadata for future use after the project. Particular attention is
paid to the non-disclosure of data that may compromise justified interests of
the SMEs and of data with exploitation potential. Data not requiring
protection is discoverable, accessible, assessable, interoperable and useable
beyond their original purpose. The data generated, or used by the project and
not covered by data protection is managed and shared using the secure
internet-based “RELACS Collaborative Workspace Platform”. This allows data to
be Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable (FAIR). During the project
lifetime, access to data is restricted to project partners to help ensure full
exploitation.

Curation and preservation: RELACS data generated (except proprietary
background or foreground IP) a archived in the data archive facility (“Data
Resource Centre”) provided by FiBL by the administrative and scientific
coordination (WP9). The archiving facility will continue to be hosted by FiBL
beyond the RELACS project for future analysis by the scientific community and
the organic sector, on FiBL´s own resources.The size of the data to be stored
might range between 10 GB and 1TB.

**Figure 1** Data management policy of RELACS

Exploitation: The Ex. Com, assisted by the IPACC, identifies project results
with exploitation potential or commercial value or results that are costly and
difficult to replicate. The Ex, Com. assesses the best options for exploiting
these results (e.g. opt for disclosure and publication of results or
protection through patent or other forms of IPR), consulting patent attorneys,
IP specialist agents and officers at the partners’ Knowledge Transfer
Departments if required. During the general meetings, a special session on IP
issues will be scheduled to enable open discussions and joint decisions on the
best strategies for managing and exploiting the project results. Hence,
protection of the interests of all the involved parties are ensured. This will
enable the exploitation strategy by all parties to be reviewed regularly and
to make sure any relevant result is on route for exploitation (directly by the
partners or indirectly by third parties) with convenient terms and conditions
for all project partners. Decisions relating to data management needed between
meetings will be approved through correspondence.

Concerning the data generated and not covered by data protection, the project
will by default provide open access in line with the “Open Access to research
data” policy. This will ensure facilitated access, re-use and preservation of
its research data as set in the article 29.3 of the Model Grant Agreement.
Fundamental scientific results will be freely disseminated through appropriate
channels: scientific publications, presentations at international conferences
and workshops, etc. Data (not susceptible to be exploited further by project
partners and anonymised if needed) will be disclosed 12-24 months after the
end of the project. New data will become accessible at regular intervals
provided that they have been fully exploited by project partners to make
possible for third parties to access, mine, exploit, reproduce and
disseminate, free of charge for any user in compliance for open access rules.
After the project end, beneficiaries will deposit the digital research data
generated in their institutional research OpenAire compliant data repository.
The procedure to follow will be regulated by the Consortium Agreement and
advertised on the project website.

#  Organisation and functioning

FiBL has the responsibility of designing the RELACS Collaborative workspace
and managing its functioning (described in details in Deliverable D9.3). This
workspace will be partly used to save experimental data acquired during the
RELACS project, and also to capitalise on “acquired data” of partners who
would agree to have them shared at the benefit of the project (specified as
background in the “backgrounds” annex of the Consortium Agreement).

The coordinator of RELACS, as WP9 leader, is supervising the full process and
helps each WP leader to ensure the efficient use of the RELACS Collaborative
Workspace Platform, and for solving eventual difficulties to obtain data from
partners.

The WP leader organize the experimental work in the WPs by ensuring that
common protocols are implemented (common or specific protocols as decided by
the partners under the responsibility of the WP leader). Each Research

Team located in several countries and institutes carries out the experimental
work in the WPs. The RELACS Collaborative Workspace Platform allows to bring
together in the same support and the same format the various and heterogeneous
experimental data collected. The WP leaders organise the design of Template
Files for collecting data. The Research Teams collaborate with the WP leader
by providing data and by depositing the labelled files and cross-referencing
in the directory of the RELACS Database. The RELACS Collaborative Workspace
Platform also comprises a common description and labelling scheme to allow for
clear identification of experiment ID, owner of data, study directors,
experimental designs, codes and data.

##  Data types

RELACS data will include: (i) Survey data (WP1-6) to assess statistics and
expert opinion on current uses of contentious inputs, (ii) data of meta-
analyses (WP 3 and 6) (iii) experimental data from field experiments including
inventories of exchanged materials (WP1-6), (iv) confidential data related to
production of alternative inputs and associated business plans (WP 1, 2, 4 and
6), (v) data used to conduct socio-economic assessments (WP1-6, WP7) and (vi)
public data such as policy briefs, recommendations, working and final papers
on roadmaps (WP7 and 8).

Standards and Control: RELACS will define standard protocols on socio-economic
assessment for all WPs while established protocols for trials (e.g. EPPO
guidelines) will be used throughout the project. WP9 will produce and update a
"Handbook of protocols and methodology" as part of the Data Management Plan to
be used with all WPs. The aim will be to define standardized ways to collect,
analyse, store and format the data produced by RELACS partners and third
linked parties, in order to facilitate data sharing. This will be achieved in
four steps: (i) agreement on data to be collected for which purpose, (ii)
agreement on the methodology of data collection or analysis; the selected
methods/protocols will be stated in the 'living' Handbook, which will be
continuously updated during the course of the project, (iii) agreement on
format of the data files will be made for the purpose of data harmonization,
(iv) agreement on the units of measurement used to report on the data in order
to avoid a posteriori data conversion and associated potential mistakes.

Modelling & Statistical analysis: Principles and algorithms of simulation
models and statistical analysis will be described in scientific publications
according to rigorous scientific standards for transparency, reproducibility
and conciseness vs. completeness.

##  Contents of the RELACS Collaborative Workspace Platform

The RELACS experimental database is composed of various files (templates
completed by each Research team) including data and metadata required. The
RELACS experimental database is a specific directory hosted on the RELACS
Collaborative Platform. Each partner has access to the RELACS Collaborative
Platform. This main directory contains the sub-directories corresponding to
all WPs and tasks; The WP leaders are responsible to deliver the rights on the
directory corresponding to their WP, for reading and writing (one of them or
both).

Each WP leader of WP1, WP2, WP3, WP4, WP5 and WP6 has the responsibility to
organize the design of adapted RELACS Templates according to the type of
experiment done in each WP. The Templates are Excel files including Data and
clear identifiers.

The Research teams have responsibility to complement the RELACS database with
experimental data collected during the RELACS project. The WP leader has the
responsibility to verify that the experimental data are appropriate and
deposed correctly and in due time by each partner on the RELACS experimental
database directory.

##  Update of the process

The process presented below will necessarily be evolutionary. It will be
adapted and specified as the project RELACS evolves to take into account
unexpected situations and also the way in which the partners will take
ownership of the RELACS Collaborative Platform and the difficulties
encountered during the use of the process. The goal is that all users are not
put off by the use of the Collaborative Platform and that the RELACS
Collaborative Platform is regularly completed and that all results are
accessible to all partners with access rights.

#  General rules and confidentiality

##  Data secrecy, backup and data archiving

Data management and use is regulated in detail through the Consortium
Agreement (CA). The CA regulates the process of obtaining IP protection,
exploitation and revenue sharing between partners.

Specific secrecy agreements and/or material transfer agreements will be signed
among partners involved in tasks with sensitive IP and commercial issues, if
required. Confidentiality for external guests will be managed through secrecy
agreements. The WPs have been designed to optimize the use of data and avoid
conflicts of interest between partners.

Curation and preservation: Data will be deposited in existing and maintained
EU and international archives to ensure their accessibility during and long
after the project has ended. The RELACS Collaborative Platform is hosted by
FiBL on its servers in Switzerland, ensuring a long life of the data
collection and an access to future analysis by the scientific community.

##  Organisation of data flows

Parties contributing to connected experiments/surveys will follow a common
protocol and provide data in a joint format. These files of raw data will
comprise all data necessary for clear identification of experiment ID,
experimental design, ownership and any information needed to (meta-)analyse
data ex post. The data files are collated in the WP specific collaborative
workspace under the supervision of each WP leader. The WP Research Teams will
use previous year’s data to adjust the protocols for next year’s experiments
as needed. The timely execution of this annual cycle is important for the WP’s
functioning.

Researchers of the WP and maybe of other WPs will request data from the
database and refine these through statistical analyses to generate results
presented in publications. This will typically be an activity near the end of
the project, and it is the responsibility of the WP researchers that the
collected data will be appropriate for statistical analysis and for scientific
publication.

Each WP leader is also in charge of the data flows inside the WP and is
responsible for delivering data to other WPs upon request. Those responsible
for the WP experiments will use previous year’s data to adjust the protocols
for the year’s experiments as needed. The timely execution of this annual
cycle is important for the WPs functioning.

#  Conclusion

Curation / preservation and exploitation of data are crucial parts of the
RELACS activities and addressed by the data management plan. The RELACS
Collaborative Platform is a core tool for these activities. The successful
establishment of the RELACS Collaborative Platform and procedures for date
sharing in RELACS will be a dynamic process and will be implemented and
adapted as part of an ongoing process.