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Sharing scientific data accelerates biomedical research discovery by enabling validation of research results, providing digital accessibility to high-value datasets, and promoting data reuse for future research studies.

2023 NIH Policy for Data Management and Sharing

NIH has issued the 2023 Data Management and Sharing (DMS) policy (effective January 25, 2023) to promote the sharing of scientific data. This policy emphasizes the importance of good data management practices and establishes the expectation for maximizing the appropriate sharing of scientific data generated from NIH-funded or conducted research, with justified limitations or exceptions. To learn what is expected of investigators and institutions under the 2023 NIH DMS Policy, visit Data Management and Sharing Policy Overview.

This new policy establishes a requirement that applicants submit a Data Management and Sharing Plan for any NIH-funded or conducted research that will generate scientific data, including:

  • Competing grant applications that are submitted to NIH for the January 25, 2023 and subsequent receipt dates.
  • Proposals for contracts that are submitted to NIH on or after January 25, 202.
  • NIH Intramural Research Projects conducted on or after January 25, 2023.
  • Other funding agreements (e.g., Other Transactions) that are executed on or after January 25, 2023, unless otherwise stipulated by NIH.

    To learn more about what types of research projects fall under NIH’s Data Management and Sharing Policy and how NIH handles sharing of proprietary data, please visit Research Covered Under the Data Management and Sharing Policy.

The below links provide information about the 2023 NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy and accompanying supplemental information.

To learn more about the Data Management and Sharing Policy and related guidance visit the NIH Data Sharing webpage.

Genomic Data Sharing Policy

The NIH Genomic Data Sharing (GDS) Policy applies to all NIH-funded research (e.g., grants, contracts, and intramural research) that generates large-scale human or non-human genomic data, regardless of the funding level, as well as the use of these data for subsequent research. To learn more about NIH Genomic Data Sharing expectations and the genomic data submission process visit the NIH Genomic Data Sharing webpage.

To reduce the burden on applicants and staff, NIH now expects a single data sharing plan at time of funding application that satisfies both the GDS Policy and the DMS Policy (NOT-OD-22-198). Therefore, on or after January 25, 2023, NIH will no longer be collecting separate GDS Plans. Genomic data sharing considerations, such as where and when genomic data will be shared, will be expected to be addressed in DMS Plans using the DMS Plan elements. For further details, see Writing a Data Management and Sharing Plan.

NIH’s GDS policy sets forth specific expectations for the submission of data according to the type of data and level of processing. Some studies will generate multiple levels of data; each data level has a different expectation for whether and when it is to be submitted to a repository and when the data should be released for access. Learn about the specific expectation visit Genomic Data Submission and Release Expectations.

Additional NIH Sharing Policies and Related Guidance on NIH-Funded Research Resources

It is NIH policy that the results and accomplishments of the activities that it funds should be made available to the public. The NIH Sharing Policies webpage highlights additional NIH policies and guidance on sharing research resources developed with NIH funding.

To determine which NIH policies apply to a particular project, please see which policies apply to my research?