NIH’s 2023 Data Management and Sharing Policy

Updates, 1/12/2023

No Hypertext

NIH has clarified that Data Management and Sharing Plans must not include hypertext (e.g., hyperlinks and URLs). NIH’s hyperlink policy applies to DMS Plans as well, and NIH may withdraw the application from consideration if hypertext is included.

For example, in the DMS Plan attachment, investigators should include the name of the proposed data repository but should not provide the link or URL. For more format guidance and other details on what to include, see the Writing a Data Management & Sharing Plan page.

Cross-posted from the NIH extramural NEXUS – DMS Plan Tip: Leave the Hypertext at Home

Sample DMS Plans

NIH has provided an expanded selection of sample DMS Plans for educational purposes. Note: these samples are not intended to be used as templates and their use does not guarantee approval by NIH. For additional context, see the NIH extramural NEXUS – Sample DMS Plans To Get You Started.

Email Templates for Alerting Your NIH Investigators

The simple Email Template provided in September 2022 is still available. For a more detailed announcement/reminder, RAs are welcome to use this Expanded Email Template.

Updates, 12/14/2022 – NIH proposal budgets will often need to include Data Management and Sharing (DMS) costs, which should be presented on a single line item in the SF424 budget.

Note: For ERA System-to-System (S2S) proposals, the RA will need to go into the SF424 and manually separate out the DMS costs onto a separate budget line in Section F, Other Direct costs.

Resources for budgeting DMS costs:

For the latest DMS resources from NIH, please review their recent blog post: 12 Days of Data Management and Sharing Tips & Resources.

Update, 11/10/2022 – The ASU Library now has an NIH 2023 Data Management and Sharing Policy webpage dedicated to the with information, FAQs, and resources for researchers applying for NIH funding. The ASU Library is also hosting an ASU NIH Data Sharing Policy Community Conversation on November 17, 2022 at Noon.

Update, 10/10/2022 – NIH has posted recordings and resource slides for both Part I and II of their webinar series, A Conversation with NIH: Implementing the New Data Management and Sharing Policy.

Don’t forget to explore the many other resources on the NIH Scientific Data Sharing website and ASU Researcher Support pages including:

9/26/2022 – The new NIH Policy for Data Management and Sharing (DMS Policy) becomes effective on January 25, 2023. Please alert NIH investigators in your unit (sample Email Template).

The new NIH DMS Policy requires all competing grant applications, contract proposals, intramural research projects, and other transactions funded in whole or in part by NIH which generate scientific data and/or metadata to include a Data Management and Sharing Plan (DMSP). Definitions of scientific data and metadata are included below.

As a reminder, the ASU Library provides Research Data Management support, including a DMP Tool and DMP Templates for data management plan writing. Also, ASU’s Research Storage Finder is available to help researchers identify the most appropriate storage option for various types of research data.

  • Scientific data is defined as: “The recorded factual material commonly accepted in the scientific community as of sufficient quality to validate and replicate research findings, regardless of whether the data are used to support scholarly publications. Scientific data do not include laboratory notebooks, preliminary analyses, completed case report forms, drafts of scientific papers, plans for future research, peer reviews, communications with colleagues, or physical objects, such as laboratory specimens.”
  • Metadata is defined as: “Data that provide additional information intended to make scientific data interpretable and reusable (e.g., date, independent sample and variable construction and description, methodology, data provenance, data transformations, any intermediate or descriptive observational variables).”

NIH DMSPs must outline in two pages or less how scientific data and any accompanying metadata will be managed and shared. NIH guide notice NOT-OD-21-013 describes recommended elements to address, including:

  • Data Type
  • Related Tools, Software, and/or Code
  • Standards
  • Data Preservation, Access, and Associated Timelines
  • Access, Distribution, or Reuse Considerations
  • Oversight of Data Management and Sharing

Researchers should acknowledge legal, ethical, or technical factors that may affect the scientific data and communicate potential limitations with individuals or entities that will preserve and share the scientific data.

The NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices (ICO) will review DMSPs to confirm that data management and sharing meet expectations. Additional information may be requested from the ICO prior to making an award.

Resources