Funder requirements

In order to promote open access to research data, many funding agencies require research data produced as part of a funded project to be made publicly available. Many agencies have instituted requirements for data sharing and formal data management plans, including, but not limited to:

• National Science Foundation (NSF) Data Management Plan Requirements: As an extension of the NSF Data Sharing Policy, grant proposals must include a data management plan of no more than 2 pages describing how all data resulting from the research will be managed and deposited in a repository. Data underlying research papers must also comply with publisher data sharing policies. Note: requirements may evolve in line with the NSF Public Access Plan.
• National Institutes of Health (NIH) Policy for Data Management and Sharing, effective January 25, 2023: promotes the management and sharing of scientific data generated from NIH-funded or conducted research and requires data management plans within grant proposals.
  • MIT’s Key Points: NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy (PDF)
  • MIT Resources for NIH Policy for Data Management and Sharing (PDF)
• The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Office of Digital Humanities requires data management plans as a part of grant applications for proposals and awards.

For information regarding other agencies, see the DMPTool’s funding agency templates, check funder open access requirements, look at the funding agency’s website, or email us for help.

For help in writing these plans, see our guidance on data management plans and contact us for individual assistance at data-management@mit.edu.

For information on requirements for other kinds of research output (i.e., research papers, article manuscripts), see the MIT Libraries’ page on Research Funder Policies.