National Institutes of Health (NIH)

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NIH has issued a new forms package for applications to be used for application deadlines on or after January 25th, 2023

There is only one major change that you need to be aware of – the addition/formalization of the requirement to include a Data Management and Sharing Plan. This replaces the data sharing information previously requested as part of the Resource Sharing attachment. That document is no longer being used for anything other than sharing information about model organisms. All data sharing information must now be included in the mandatory Data Management and Sharing Plan.  Please note that there is now a separate line in the budget for costs related to data management and sharing. It is recommended that this document not exceed 2 pages and should include the following information,

 

Elements of a Data Management and Sharing Plan:

Data Type: Briefly describe the scientific data to be managed, preserved, and shared, including a general summary of the types and estimated amount of scientific data to be generated and a description of which scientific data from the project will be preserved and shared as well as the rationale for doing so. Briefly list the metadata, other relevant data, and any associated documentation (e.g., study protocols and data collection instruments) that will be made accessible to facilitate interpretation of the scientific data.

Related Tools, Software and/or Code: State whether specialized tools are needed to access or manipulate shared scientific data to support replication or reuse, and name(s) of the needed tool(s) and software. If specialized tools or software are needed, provide the name(s) of the needed tool(s) or software and specify how they can be accessed.

Standards: State what common data standards will be applied to the scientific data and associated metadata to enable interoperability of datasets and resources (e.g., data formats, data dictionaries, data identifiers, definitions, unique identifiers, and other data documentation), and provide the name(s) of the data standards that will be applied and describe how these data standards will be applied to the scientific data generated by the research proposed in this project. If applicable, indicate that no consensus standards exist.

Data Preservation, Access, and Associated Timelines: Provide plans and timelines for data preservation and access, including the name of the repository(ies) where scientific data and metadata arising from the project will be archived (do not include hyperlinks); how the scientific data will be findable and identifiable, i.e., via a persistent unique identifier or other standard indexing tools; and when (i.e., no later than time of an associated publication or end of the performance period, whichever comes first) the scientific data will be made available to other users (e.g., the larger research community, institutions, and/or the broader public) and for how long. See Selecting a Data Repository on the NIH Scientific Data Sharing website.

Access, Distribution, or Reuse Considerations: NIH expects that in drafting Plans, researchers maximize the appropriate sharing of scientific data generated from NIH-funded or conducted research, consistent with privacy, security, informed consent, and proprietary issues. Describe and justify any applicable factors affecting subsequent access, distribution, or reuse of scientific data related to informed consent, privacy and confidentiality protections, any restrictions imposed by federal, Tribal, or state laws, regulations, or policies, or existing or anticipated agreements, or any other considerations that may limit the extent of data sharing. See Frequently Asked Questions for examples of justifiable reasons for limiting sharing of data. State whether access to the scientific data will be controlled (i.e., made available by a data repository only after approval).

 

ORSP/MU and NIH have lots of great information available about this new document.

MU information can be found on our data management website.  As you will learn there, we encourage the use of DMPTool, an online tool that helps researchers create data management plans (DMPs). The DMPTool provides data management plan templates, guidance, links to helpful documentation, issues to consider, and specific questions to think about when preparing your DMP. Many funding agencies, including NIH and NSF, require Investigators to share their project’s research data and to provide a DMP at the time of application or prior to any award. For more information about it, you can visit ORSP's DMPTool webpage or the DMPTool website directly.

Helpful NIH websites are here:

 

Please let Project Planning and Development (Erin and Averia) know if you have any questions about this change.  You can reach us both at ORSPppd@marquette.edu.