On 1/25/2023 the National Institutes of Health updated Data Management and Sharing Policy goes into effect which is significantly updated in several areas compared to the previous policy which went into effect in 2003. Please see an overview of the new policy below and visit the links on the left column of this page for more detailed information and how it affects those seeking NIH funding moving forward. For comprehensive information about the new policy directly from the NIH visit
https://sharing.nih.gov/data-management-and-sharing-policy or navigate to
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-21-013.html to read the full policy in detail. The UT Libraries can provide assistance if you have any questions about preparing a data management and sharing plan that complies with the new policy - please visit
https://guides.lib.utexas.edu/nih/help for a list of helpful contacts.
Who does the policy apply to?
The new DSMP policy applies to all researchers seeking NIH funding who will be generating data in the course of their work regardless of funding amount.
What does the NIH consider to be data?
According to the 2023 DSMP, data is defined as follows: “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.”
What does the policy require?
All researchers submitting proposals seeking funding must submit an accompanying data management and sharing plan (DMSP) of no more than 2 pages which describes 6 key elements of how data will be managed: Data type; Related tools, software, and/or code; Data standards; Data preservation, access, and associated timelines; Access, distribution, or reuse considerations; and Oversight of data management and sharing.
Researchers receiving NIH funding will be expected to share their as much of their data as possible (keeping in mind that personally identifiable information and other sensitive information must be protected) and to do so in a timely manner. All data generated in the course of funded research, even data not used towards a publication, must be shared by the end of the funding period. Data used in the preparation of a publication, must be shared prior to the time of publication.
