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Federal Funding policies for Data Management and Sharing: Home

Description of federal funding policies for data management and sharing

Funding Policies for Data Management and Sharing

In August 2022, the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) released a memorandum on public access to federally funded research. This memorandum requires federally funded research to include data management plans describing how the data used in the research is going to be made publicly available.

If you are a researcher at CMU conducting federally funded research, your work will be subject to these policy changes, effective no later than 2025. Whether you are initiating a new research project or continuing an existing one, it is beneficial to have a Research Data Management plan that aligns with the new policy changes. This will not only streamline your research cycle process but also make it more sustainable.

National Institute of Health (NIH)

NIH Policy for Data Management and Sharing

Notice Number: NOT-OD-21-013

Key aspects of the policy:

  • The policy reinforces NIH's commitment to making research results and outputs publicly available through effective data management and sharing practices.
  • It applies to all NIH-funded research that generates scientific data, regardless of funding level or mechanism.
  • The policy takes effect on January 25, 2023.
  • Researchers must submit a Plan outlining how scientific data and metadata will be managed and shared.
  • The Plan should consider potential restrictions or limitations on data sharing.
  • NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices (ICOs) may request additional specific information in the Plan.

This policy promotes the FAIR data principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable), and aims to improve the reproducibility and reliability of research findings while maximizing the value of NIH-funded research.

You can find the policy with updates in the following link: NIH final policy for data management and sharing

And here: Data Management and Sharing Policy Overview

National Science Foundation

NSF Data Sharing Policy

NSF-funded researchers are expected to share with other researchers, at no more than incremental cost and within a reasonable time, the primary data, samples, physical collections and other supporting materials created or gathered in the course of work under NSF awards.

General guidance

The policy requires to include the following:

  • Types of data: samples, physical collections, software, curriculum materials, etc.
  • Standards for data and metadata
  • Policies for data access and sharing
  • Policies for data reuse, redistribution and production of derivatives
  • Plans for archiving data and other research outputs, and for preserving access to them.

 

Read more about the general guidance here: PAPPG II.D.2(ii).

Directorate and/or division guidance

Division/discipline specific guidelines are shown below. If the guidance you are looking for is not provided below, follow the general requirements.

 

For more details and information please visit NSF's website on Data Management Plans.

Research & Data Services Librarian

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Alfredo Gonzalez-Espinoza
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