NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy (2023)

What information should I include in the NIH Data Management and Sharing Plan?

Your plan should be two pages or less and answer questions in the following sections:

1. Data Type: Identifying data to be preserved and shared
2. Related Tools, Software and/or Code: Tools and software needed to access and manipulate data
3. Standards:  Standards to be applied to scientific data and metadata
4. Data Preservation, Access, and Associated Timelines: Repository to be used, persistent unique identifier, and when/how long data will be available
5. Access, Distribution, or Reuse Considerations: Descriptions of factors for data access, distribution,or reuse
6. Oversight of Data Management and Sharing:  Plan compliance will be monitored/managed, and by whom

For more details on what to include in each section, see the NIH's guidance in the Supplemental Information to the NIH Policy for Data Management and Sharing: Elements of an NIH Data Management and Sharing Plan

Also, see the Extended Reference Guide, created by librarians and data professionals, for detailed information about what to include in each section.

Can I include data management costs in my budget request?

Yes. Reasonable costs allowed include: curating data, developing supporting documentation, preserving and sharing data through repositories, and local data management considerations.

Things NOT allowed include: infrastructure costs typically included in indirect costs, costs associated with routine conduct of research (e.g., costs of gaining access to research data)

DMP Tool, run by the University of California Curation Center, is a free tool that help researchers by providing:

• Funder templates for answering questions in each section
• Guidance from funders, DMP Tool staff, and institutions
• Possible example answers
• Publicly shared plans to view examples
• Award Winning Plan from the FASEB DataWorks! Data Management Plan Challenge

Affiliated institutions can customize the templates to provide guidance and example answers specific to their institution, such as ITS services.

As the University at Albany is affiliated, enter your Albany email address to be prompted to authenticate with your UAlbany credentials.