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Research Data Management: National Institutes of Health

Information for researchers on data management.

National Institutes of Health

Current Policy:

The 2003 Data Sharing Policy applies to final research data generated from grants, cooperative agreements, intramural research, contracts, or other funding agreements of $500,000 or more per year.  See Research Covered Under the Data Management & Sharing Policies for more details.

NIH’s 2003 Data Sharing Policy came into effect on October 1, 2003 and will end on January 25, 2023. The policy will remain in effect for applications submitted before January 25, 2023. Note that competitive renewals occurring after January 25th, 2023 for previously funded awards will be subject to the 2023 Data Management & Sharing (DMS) policy.
 

After January 25th, 2023:

Expectations Under NIH’s Data Management & Sharing Policy

Under the Data Management & Sharing (DMS) Policy, NIH requires researchers to prospectively plan for how scientific data will be preserved and shared through submission of a Data Management and Sharing Plan.

Investigators are required to:

Note that ICs may supplement the DMS Policy as appropriate. Be sure to consult your funding opportunity or contact a Program Officer (extramural) or Scientific Director (intramural).

The effective date for the DMS Policy is January 25, 2023.

The policy applies to all NIH-supported research that results in the generation of scientific data, regardless of funding mechanism. See Research Covered Under the Data Management & Sharing Policy for more details.

The DMS Policy does not apply to research and other activities that do not generate scientific data, for example: training, infrastructure development, and non-research activities.

Additional information

  • FAQ (NIH Data Sharing)
  • NIH Data Sharing Policies - list of Institutes, Centers, and Programs with specific data sharing and data management plan requirements. 
  • Individual requests for applications (RFAs) and program announcements (PA) may specify other requirements or expectations for data sharing that apply to specific projects.