NIH Proposed Policy on Data Management and Sharing

The National Institutes of Health posted the Draft NIH Policy for Data Management and Sharing for public comment. Details are available at NIH Data Management and Sharing Activities Related to Public Access and Open Science. Comments may be submitted on the NIH Comment Form by January 10, 2020.

The NIH proposed requirements will apply to all research, funded or conducted in whole or in part by NIH, that results in the generation of scientific data. This includes research funded or conducted by extramural grants and contracts.

The effective date of these new requirements will depend on feedback on NIH’s proposal.

Costs associated with data management and data sharing may be allowable under the budget for the proposed project. See Supplemental DRAFT Guidance: Allowable Costs for Data Management and Sharing.

NIH has posted supplemental draft guidance regarding elements of a Data Management and Sharing Plan. See Supplemental DRAFT Guidance: Elements of a NIH Data Management and Sharing Plan. The plan should describe in two pages or less the proposed approach to data management and sharing that the specific research will employ. If certain elements of the plan have not been determined at the time of submission, an entry of “to be determined” may be acceptable if a justification is provided along with a timeline or appropriate milestone at which a determination will be made. Note, NIH does not expect researchers to share all scientific data generated in a study.