Resource Sharing Plan
Developing a Resource Sharing Plan
Many NIH funding opportunities require a “Resource Sharing Plan.” NIH provides guidance on resource sharing policies through their website and via this podcast. If data will not be shared, you must explain why--for example, HIPAA-related data or other information may be considered confidential and thus not appropriate for sharing. Otherwise, there are at least three areas relevant to data sharing that reviewers may expect to see addressed.
Data Sharing
Investigators who are seeking $500,000 or more in direct costs in any year must provide a brief description of how the final research data will be shared. Certain opportunities at lower funding levels may also require a data sharing plan. NIH provides a breakdown of key elements that should be included. There is also a sample data sharing plan available on the NIAID website.
Sharing Model Organisms
All applications that involve developing model organisms must include a plan for sharing and distributing these resources.
Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS)
All applications that include genome-wide association studies must provide a plan for submitting the data to the NIH-designated data repository. NIH provides an example template for a data sharing plan specific to GWAS data.
Sample Resource Sharing Plans
Here are some additional examples:
R01 Sample Applications and Summary Statements
Other examples can be found here:
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