Data Management for Research : Learn About NIH DMSPs

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is implementing a new policy to further their efforts to improve the reproducibility and reliability of NIH-funded research through effective and efficient data management and data sharing practices. This policy, NOT-OD-21-013, went into effect on January 25, 2023, and applies to “all research, funded or conducted in whole or in part by NIH, that results in the generation of scientific data.”

Key points of this policy:

• A data management and sharing plan (DMSP) is required at the time of application.
• Compliance with the DMSP as approved by NIH Institute, Center, or Office (ICO) is required. Specifically:
  • An approved DMSP will become a term and condition of the Notice of Award.
  • NIH will monitor compliance with the DMSP during the award period. Noncompliance at the end of the funding period may factor into future award decisions.
• The use of established repositories for the sharing of data is strongly encouraged.
• Expects that data will be made accessible “as soon as possible, and no later than the time of an associated publication, or the end of the award/support period, whichever comes first.”
• Reasonable costs related to data management and sharing may be included in NIH budget requests. 

Check out this new interactive tool from the Network of the National Library of Medicine to find the best NIH-supported data repository for your research.

Need help choosing a repository? This flowchart from the Generalist Repository Initiative is a great place to start.

Checklist created by the NIH DMSP Guidance Working Group. Additional helpful resources are available at this link.

Short video from FASEB DataWorks on budgeting for data management in NIH grants

• Data Management and Sharing Policy - NIH's central resource for all things related to the policy. Includes sections on:
  • Planning and budgeting for data management & sharing
  • Data management best practices
  • Methods for sharing scientific data and choosing repositories
• Implementation details for the NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy
• FAQ on the 2023 Data Management and Sharing Policy
• FAQ on budgeting for data management & sharing

DMPTool is an easy to use, browser-based resource that helps demystify the process of drafting data management plans (DMPs) and data management and sharing plans (DMSPs). I particularly recommend it for those new to writing data management and sharing plans.

DMPTool has developed a template plan to meet 2023 NIH DMSP requirements. Community-developed guidance and sample language is available in the DMPTool by logging in and selecting the “NIH-GEN DMSP (Forthcoming 2023) template” from the Create Plan section. 

DMPTool gives step-by-step instructions and guidance, allowing you to:

→ Create ready-to-use DMPs and DMSPs for specific grant-funding agencies including the NIH.

→ Satisfy funder requirements for DMPs and DMSPs, including those that require machine-actionable or machine-readable plans.

DMPTool also provides a convenient starting point for DMP writers, because resources such as funding agency guidelines, advice for principal investigators, and even sample DMPs are available on the site.

Ready to get started?  Just visit the DMPTool site and create an account with your Northeastern email address to start building your own plan.

NLM-Scrubber is a freely available clinical text de-identification tool. Its goal is to produce HIPAA compliant deidentified health information for scientific use.

Learn more and download NLM-Scrubber