NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy FAQ

NIH has a number of sharing policies. 

Compare the Data Management and Sharing Plan vs. Resource Sharing Plan:

Data Management and Sharing Plan

• Required for all applications submitted to funding opportunities subject to the NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy
• Use new “Other Plan(s)” attachment field on PHS 398 Research Plan or PHS 398 Career Development Supplemental Form
• Address data management and sharing
• Address genomic data sharing (GDS) policy expectations when applicable
• Respond to any NIH Institute and Center or program-specific expectations related to data sharing outlined in the specific funding opportunity

Resource Sharing Plan

• Not always required
• Use Resource Sharing Plan Attachment field on PHS 398 Research Plan, PHS 398 Career Development Supplemental Form, or PHS Fellowship Supplemental Form
• Address other applicable NIH-wide sharing policies (e.g., Model Organism Sharing Policy, Research Tools Policy)
  • For example, if you create a new model organism as part of your research, a Resource Sharing Plan must be submitted.
• Respond to any NIH Institute and Center or program-specific expectations related to non-data resources (e.g., software sharing) outlined in the specific funding opportunity

More information on all NIH sharing policies can be found on the NIH scientific data sharing site.

In terms of publications, presentations, and briefs, you could include these in your DMS Plan under Element 4: Data Preservation, Access, and Associated Timelines. For example, you should ideally be getting persistent identifiers (e.g., DOIs, handles, ARKs) for your scientific data and these should be included in any publications or other research outputs you create. Linking the data to your articles/presentations should be considered when discussing how others will find, access, and reuse your work.