Data Management Sharing Plans: Best Practices, Tools and Budget Considerations
The University of Missouri Libraries provides information and resources for faculty to comply with data management and sharing plan (DMSP) requirements from sponsors of research that results in the generation of scientific data. Sponsored Programs Administration provides information on National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Science Foundation (NSF) DMSP requirements in the Sponsored Programs Procedure Guide.
A DMSP describes what you will do with your data during and after your research project. Tips for preparing your DMSP include contacting University of Missouri Division of IT early for your research computing needs, a careful review of the sponsor’s requirements, addressing any questions with your program officer, and locating a repository for your data.
Sponsor requirements for the plan vary. Researchers applying for grants that require a DMSP can use DMPTool, a service of the University of California Curation Center, to help write the plan. The University of Missouri faculty and staff can use this resource. The tool provides templates as well as guidance for federal agencies and foundations, generating a customized DMSP for submission with a grant application. NIH also provides sample plans for investigator’s use.
Sponsors may allow direct costs for the DMSP as part of the project budget. Preparers should refer to agency-specific guidance. NIH grant applicants may include costs to execute the DMSP in the budget as line items. Examples of allowable costs include labor for the data curation, preservation, de-identification, preparation of metadata, and data deposit fees for future preservation and sharing. To prevent errors during submission, follow NIH grant proposal guidelines for budget line entry and written justification.
For more NIH-specific information, visit NIH DMSP FAQ.
As a reminder, Principal Investigators are responsible for ensuring that appropriate data use agreements are in place prior to sharing sensitive data and should contact the Sponsored Programs Administration Research Contracts team to discuss getting one in place.
Agency-Specific Guidance:
- NSF Dissemination and Sharing of Research Results
- NSF Public Access Policy and Plan
- NIH Data Sharing Policy
- DOE Public Access Plan
- DOE Office of Science Statement on Digital Data Management
- NASA Public Access Plan
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