The Executive Board has introduced these new guidelines to further strengthen research datamanagement within the UvA. This should facilitate the proper reuse of data and minimise the unnecessary duplication of research projects. The careful handling of data can also help researchers maximise their societal impact.

In addition to the FAIR principles, the institutional motto 'Open where possible, closed where necessary' will remain in force. The UvA is subject to legislation and regulations on the retention of data, such as the Netherlands Code of Conduct for Research Integrity and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The new RDM guidelines fall within this legal framework.

The guidelines also establish the responsibilities of all parties involved in research data management at the UvA. This includes researchers, data stewards, institute directors, faculty boards and the UvA as a whole. As a minimum requirement, UvA researchers must now store a description of their data – or ideally, the data themselves – in a data archive such as the institutional UvA/AUAS data repository Figshare. Additionally, all research data must be entered as research results into Pure, the UvA's research registration system.

The new RDM guidelines replace previous UvA and AUAS guidelines from 2014.