New -- Data Management Plans Required

FYI-- Effective for all new NSF applications received by NSF on and after January 18th,2011

(If an application is submitted on January 15,2011, because of the long holiday weekend it won't be received until the 18th and if it lacks the data management plan information it will be returned.)

Dissemination and Sharing of Research Results

NSF Data Sharing Policy

Investigators are expected to share with other researchers, at no more than incremental cost and within a reasonable time, the primary data, samples, physical collections and other supporting materials created or gathered in the course of work under NSF grants. Grantees are expected to encourage and facilitate such sharing. See Award & Administration Guide (AAG) Chapter VI.D.4.

NSF Data Management Plan Requirements

Proposals submitted or due on or after January 18, 2011, must include a supplementary document of no more than two pages labeled "Data Management Plan." This supplementary document should describe how the proposal will conform to NSF policy on the dissemination and sharing of research results. See: Grant Proposal Guide (GPG) Chapter II.C.2.j for full policy implementation.

Requirements by Directorate, Office, Division, Program, or other NSF Unit

Links to data management requirements and plans relevant to specific Directorates, Offices, Divisions, Programs, or other NSF units, are provided below. If guidance specific to the program is not provided, then the requirements established in Grant Proposal Guide, Chapter II.C.2.j apply.

Please note that if a specific program solicitation provides guidance on preparation of data management plans, such guidance must be followed.

Engineering Directorate (ENG)

Directorate-wide Guidance

Geological Sciences Directorate (GEO)

Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate (MPS)

Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences Directorate (SBE)

Directorate-wide Guidance

Data Management & Sharing Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) (updated November 30, 2010)

SUPPLEMENTAL DOCUMENTS
Plans for data management and sharing of the products of research. Proposals must include a supplementary document of no more than two pages labeled "Data Management Plan." This supplement should describe how the proposal will conform to NSF policy on the dissemination and sharing of research results (see AAG Chapter VI.D.4), and may include:

the types of data, samples, physical collections, software, curriculum materials, and other materials to be produced in the course of the project;
the standards to be used for data and metadata format and content (where existing standards are absent or deemed inadequate, this should be documented along with any proposed solutions or remedies);
policies for access and sharing including provisions for appropriate protection of privacy, confidentiality, security, intellectual property, or other rights or requirements;
policies and provisions for re-use, re-distribution, and the production of derivatives; and
plans for archiving data, samples, and other research products, and for preservation of access to them.

Data management requirements and plans specific to the Directorate, Office, Division, Program, or other NSF unit, relevant to a proposal are available at:http://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/dmp.jsp. If guidance specific to the program is not available, then the requirements established in this section apply.

Simultaneously submitted collaborative proposals and proposals that include subawards are a single unified project and should include only one supplemental combined Data Management Plan, regardless of the number of non-lead collaborative proposals or subawards included. Fastlane will not permit submission of a proposal that is missing a Data Management Plan. Proposals for supplementary support to an existing award are not required to include a Data Management Plan.

A valid Data Management Plan may include only the statement that no detailed plan is needed, as long as the statement is accompanied by a clear justification. Proposers who feel that the plan cannot fit within the supplement limit of two pages may use part of the 15-page Project Description for additional data management information. Proposers are advised that the Data Management Plan may not be used to circumvent the 15-page Project Description limitation. The Data Management Plan will be reviewed as an integral part of the proposal, coming under Intellectual Merit or Broader Impacts or both, as appropriate for the scientific community of relevance.

For additional information about "Data Management Plans" and questions about complying with this new NSF requirement, please contact Alex Kanous at the Data Sharing Resource Center:akanous@umich.edu

Thank you
David M. Plawchan
Managing Project Representative