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NIH Data Management and Sharing Plans

This guide will present three options for engaging with content on how to write Data Management and Sharing Plans for NIH grants. Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced options will be available which will cover all necessary elements for writing the plan and

Overview of the DMSP

  • All NIH grants submitted after January 25, 2023.
  • The Data Management and Sharing Policy (simple policy) applies to all research that generates scientific data including: Research Projects, Some Career Development Awards, Small Business SBIR/STTR, and Research Centers. Individual NIH Institutes, Centers, or Offices may have additional policies and expectations (see NIH Institute and Center Data Sharing Policies).

Data Management and Sharing Plans ensure proper storage and handling of scientific data, and they lay out how a researcher will make scientific data available after the award period is over. Sharing scientific data accelerates biomedical research discovery, in part, by enabling validation of research results, providing accessibility to high-value datasets, and promoting data reuse for future research studies. 

  • A 2 page (maximum) DMSP is required upon submission of the grant proposal.
  • The DMSP is part of the Budget Justification section.
  • DMPTool.org is a great resource for writing the DMSP.
  • Options at TTU for repositories to meet data sharing requirements are the TTU Dataverse Collection, TTU Dryad, and the TTU Institutional Repository, Think Tech. NIH also has a list of Repositories for Sharing Scientific Data.

A Data Management and Sharing Plan (DMSP) contains the following elements:

  • Data Type – briefly describe the scientific data type, format, and amount to be managed, preserved, and shared.

  • Related Tools, Software, and/or Code – If specialized tools are needed to access or manipulate the data; are they open source, purchased, or created?

  • Standards – An indication of what standards will be applied to the scientific data, if any.

  • Data Preservation, Access, and Associated Timelines – Name of the repositories, how the scientific data will be findable, when it will be available, for how long will it be available (usually 10+ years or for as long as you anticipate it being useful)

  • Access, Distribution, or Reuse Considerations – Describe any applicable factors affecting subsequent access, distribution, or reuse of scientific data related to informed consent, privacy and confidentiality protections, data repository approval, and any restrictions imposed by federal, Tribal, or state laws, regulations, policies or existing/anticipated agreements.

  • Oversight of Data Management and Sharing – Indicate who will be monitoring and managing the plan, usually a PI, co-PI, or collaborator.

For a more in-depth explanation of each section of the DMSP see the section titled Writing Your DMSP. 

Data Management and Sharing Plan Consultation

The Texas Tech University Libraries' Data Management Team is here to help researchers in preparing data management and sharing plans for inclusion in NIH grants. 

The Team offers individual consultations to help write these plans. This can allow the researcher(s) to walkthrough the required elements of a data management and sharing plan and receive suggestions and help on writing it. 

Please email matthew.mceniry@ttu.edu for more information.