National Institutes of Health: Proposal Requirement Changes

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) will implement a new Data Management and Sharing (DMS) Policy for all applications submitted for due dates on or after January 25, 2023:

Data Management and Sharing Policy

NIH values the sharing of scientific data because it accelerates and enhances biomedical research and ultimately helps improve human health. Under the 2023 Data Management & Sharing Policy, NIH “requires researchers to prospectively plan for how scientific data will be preserved and shared through submission of a data management plan”. The policy “applies to all research, funded or conducted in whole or in part by NIH, that results in the generation of scientific data”, which is defined by NIH as “data 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.”

Proposal requirements will change in two ways:

1. Data Management and Sharing Plan

Proposals for research that generates scientific data must include a DMS plan. The DMS plan is limited to two (2) pages and should include the following elements:

Data Type
Related Tools, Software and/or Code
Standards
Data Preservation, Access, and Associated Timelines
Access, Distribution, or Reuse Considerations
Oversight of Data Management and Sharing
Any specific information as requested by the IC to which the proposal will be submitted (check FOA)

Hypertext (e.g. hyperlinks and URLS) is not allowed in the DMS plan! The NIH hyperlink policy applies to the DMS plans.

See https://sharing.nih.gov/data-management-and-sharing-policy/planning-and-budgeting-DMS/writing-a-data-management-and-sharing-plan for more information.

2. Data Management and Sharing Costs

Under the 2023 DMS policy, NIH will allow for budgeting of some data management and sharing costs, as long as they are incurred during the performance period.

Allowable costs include:

Curating data/developing supporting documentation
Preserving/sharing data through repositories, including data deposit fees
Local data management considerations

Unallowable costs include:

Infrastructure costs typically included in indirect costs
Costs associated with the routine conduct of research (e.g., costs of gaining access to research data)
Costs incurred outside of the project period

In detailed budgets, data management and sharing costs will be included in the appropriate budget categories (personnel, equipment, suppliest, purchased service, etc., and must be described in a separate section in the budget justification, labeled "Data Management and Sharing Justification".

In modular budgets, data management and sharing costs must be described in the Additional Narrative Justification document.

See https://sharing.nih.gov/data-management-and-sharing-policy/planning-and-budgeting-DMS/budgeting-for-data-management-sharing for more information.

Compliance

The submitted DMS plan will become part of the Terms and Conditions of an award, should the proposal be funded. Compliance with the DMS plan will be determined by the awarding NIH Institute or Center. Failure to comply may result in an enforcement action, which may include additional terms and conditions or termination of an award. It may also affect future funding decisions.