Data Management and Sharing Plans & Budget Guidance

A Data Management and Sharing Plan (DMSP) outlines how the study team plans to manage and share scientific data, associated metadata, other relevant data, and related documentation produced by the study. Effective January 25, 2023, the new NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy requires submission of a DMSP with any proposals involving scientific data generation. This requirement is in line with the NIH HEAL Initiative®’s requirements specified in the HEAL Public Access and Data Sharing policy. NIH and HEAL are committed to ensuring that each award in the HEAL Data Ecosystem effectively plans and implements data management and sharing, thus enabling the HEAL Data Platform to serve as a powerful tool to catalyze scientific discovery and innovation around treatments for pain and opioid use disorders.

What This Means for Prospective Awardees

The NIH HEAL Initiative® previously required submission of a DMSP before the official NIH-wide policy change. However, the policy now requires submission of a DMSP at the point of application for proposals submitted on and after January 25, 2023. Additionally, there are HEAL-specific requirements that must be included in a DMSP for HEAL proposals and implemented throughout the research data lifecycle for HEAL-funded studies. See below for the list of HEAL-specific DMSP requirements, and visit the NIH HEAL Initiative®’s webpage outlining HEAL-specific requirements for more information.

  • Select a HEAL-compliant repository to house your data long-term
  • Register your HEAL study in the HEAL Data Platform to enable other researchers to access your study’s data
  • Submit study-level metadata to the HEAL Data Platform to enable other researchers to find your study through search
  • If you have a pain clinical study, you must use HEAL core Common Data Elements (CDEs)
  • HEAL awardees are required to use broad consent language permitting data sharing and reuse where possible

If you have any questions about these requirements, reach out to the HEAL Stewards via our Connect With Us form!

Resources

  • NIH Example DMSPs
  • DMSP templates are available via DMPTool.org
    • The NIH-Default DMSP template can be found by indicating the National Institutes of Health as Funder on the Create Plan tab.
    • A HEAL Data 2 Action (HD2A) template was developed by the HD2A program for mixed methods research. It may be relevant and useful for other HEAL applicants, as well. Click here for more information, including instructions for accessing and a preview of the template.
  • Aligning the Checklist for HEAL-compliant Data with NIH DMSP Elements
  • Fresh FAIR Webinar: DMSPs 12-1-22
  • Fresh FAIR Webinar: DMSP Examples 4-20-23
  • NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy Webpage
  • Complying With the HEAL Data Sharing Policy
  • HEAL Stewards Checklist for HEAL-compliant Data
  • Data Curation Budgeting Resource (PDF)