The NIH is implementing a new requirement for sharing and managing data arising from NIH funding: the NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy (NIH DMSP). This policy requires all award proposals received on or after January 25, 2023 to include a Data Management and Sharing Plan with the proposal.

January 25, 2023 is fast approaching! If you are considering submitting a proposal to the NIH with a deadline near this date, you should be thinking about how to write such a plan. Fortunately, Galter Library and other organizations have created some tools and incentives to motivate and inspire you.

Galter Data Librarian Sara Gonzales, MLIS, has crafted a thorough GalterGuide on the NIH DMSP. She outlines tips, tricks, and links to NIH documentation regarding the policy and resources for writing a plan. The guide also includes  recommended repositories for data sharing, Galter Library’s resources on the DMSP, and Feinberg School of Medicine Information Technology department’s policies on data storage and security.

To support researchers through the transition we are excited to offer a new class on the NIH DMSP. Upcoming classes are listed on the left side of the Galter Library classes page, and our class schedule is updated monthly so there will be more classes offered in the future. While you’re visiting our classes page, be sure to check out all the other classes on data management that are offered by Galter.

Our Galter team has been hard at work compiling useful information and practical tips for investigators who are planning their DMS plans. Don’t miss out on the “Ten simple rules for maximizing the recommendations of the NIH data management and sharing plan”, a manuscript recently published in PLOS Computational Biology by Sara Gonzales,  and coauthored by Matt Carson, PhD, Head of Digital Systems and the Galter DataLab and Kristi Holmes, PhD, Professor of Preventive Medicine and Director of Galter Library.

In addition to local training and resources, guidance from the NIH can be accessed through the NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy Webinar Series. The first webinar in the series was broadcast on August 11, 2022 and will be shared soon; in the meantime a resource slide deck has been made available. Registration is open for the second webinar on September 22, 2022.

Do you have to write an NIH DMS plan for an upcoming grant proposal? Why not win some cash for your time and effort? The DataWorks! Data Management Plan Challenge is an effort co-sponsored by the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) and the Network of the National Library of Medicine National Center for Data Services (NNLM-NCDS). It will award 10 Outstanding DMSP awards, each including a prize of $500. You must create your plan using the DMPTool (it’s free). Deadline for this challenge is October 21, 2022. For information on how to enter, visit the DataWorks! Data Management Plan Challenge website.