Effective research data management relies on knowing which policies and supports apply to your work. This page brings together key resources at SETU, across national research bodies, and from international funders. Here you will find guidance on data protection, ethics, and open research, along with practical tools like DMPonline and the FAIR principles. These resources are designed to help you build strong Data Management Plans, meet funder requirements, and ensure your research data remains secure, reusable, and impactful.
The purpose of this guide is to assist researchers in better understanding the area of Research Data Management and in meeting funders’ requirements in devising a Data Management Plan (DMP). An increasing number of national and EU funding agencies and schemes such as EU Horizon Europe require researchers to develop a detailed plan for managing, storing or preserving data, sharing their data with the general public and the secure destruction of data following relevant retention periods. Devising a Data Management Plan is also good research practice for you and your wider research team even when the data cannot be shared for various reasons - legal, privacy, secondary use, etc.
Please see the SETU Research Ethics Committee Operations and Guidance document for guidance on how to complete an application.
Prior to completing your ethics application form, please review the Policies section of the SETU website.
Click here for further information on completion of Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA).
The following policies are important to review before completion of your ethics application form:
SETU Protected Disclosures Policy
SETU Intellectual Property Policy
SETU Conflict of Interest Policy
SETU Research Ethics Committee Operations and Application Guidance Documentation
A practical guide developed by Ireland’s Consortium of National & University Libraries (CONUL) to support researchers in understanding open research. It covers open access publishing, FAIR data, research integrity, and the changing landscape of scholarly communication.
Designed to help you at each stage of your research journey. From preparing your research project and discovering relevant resources (Section 1) to research data management and reproducibility (Section 2), writing and publishing (Section 3), sharing and publishing data (Section 4), licensing your work (Section 5) and communicating your research (Section 6) every chapter provides you with practical tips that can be implemented immediately.
SETU Data Protection – This page outlines South East Technological University’s approach to data protection and GDPR compliance. It includes the University’s Data Protection Policy, privacy notices, guidance on handling personal data, and contact details for the Data Protection Officer (DPO), who provides advice and oversight to ensure researchers meet legal and ethical obligations when working with sensitive data.
https://www.setu.ie/about/policies-and-documents/data-protection
Data Protection Policy – The University’s core policy outlining responsibilities and procedures to ensure compliance with GDPR and Irish data protection law. Essential reading for anyone handling personal or sensitive data in research.
Privacy Notices – Explain how SETU collects, uses, stores, and shares personal data across different contexts. Researchers can adapt these principles when drafting participant information sheets and consent forms.
Data Subject Rights – Guidance on the rights of individuals under GDPR, including access, rectification, erasure, restriction, objection, and portability. Important when designing consent processes and managing participant data requests.
Data Breach Information – Practical instructions for recognising, reporting, and responding to data breaches. A critical resource for mitigating risks in research projects involving personal data.
Data Protection Officer (DPO) Contact – The University’s DPO provides advice, training, and oversight to support GDPR compliance. Researchers should consult the DPO when working with sensitive or personal data to ensure ethical and legal standards are met.
The purpose of this document is to assist SETU researchers to promote transparency, collaboration, and accessibility in the research process. It aims to make research findings, data, and methodologies openly available to the public, fostering innovation, reproducibility, and the advancement of knowledge across various disciplines. For the purposes of this policy all data is defined under SETU Data Protection Procedures as any representation or other object(s) that are created or gathered for the purposes of producing research or scholarship, and which can be used to validate or reproduce original research findings. The underlying research materials which support research publications can be described as research data.
Data Steward & Digital Innovation Officer – Provides tailored guidance on Data Management Plans (DMPs), FAIR data practices, and open research requirements. This role supports researchers in meeting funder and policy obligations, choosing appropriate repositories, and implementing best practice in data storage, documentation, and preservation. Contact: Rachael O’Brien - Rachael.OBrien@SETU.ie