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:

NSF, National Science Foundation

• Data Management Plan Requirements: Changes to the NSF Data Sharing Policy, as noted in the NSF PAPPG 24-1 Supplement 2, are effective for awards issued after 2026-01-22. These include:
  • Dissemination and Sharing of Research Results (Chapter XI.D.4). Recipients are expected to:
    • Extend public sharing of “the primary data, samples, physical collections, software, inventions, curriculum material, and other supporting materials created or gathered in the course of work under NSF awards.”
    • Justify and detail any exceptions in their DMSP, and get written approval from their program officer for subsequent changes.
    • Use permissive licenses for public reuse when “incentives for development and dissemination of inventions, software and publications that can enhance their usefulness, accessibility, and upkeep” are not sufficiently pertinent. Incentives should not be a barrier to sharing “results, data, and collections” with other researchers.
  • Data Management and Sharing Plans (Chapter II.D.2.(i).(ii)). Recipients are expected to:
    • Create their DMSP using NSF provided on-line tool. See NOTE.
    • “Share all data supporting NSF funded publications at the time of publication. Exceptions to this sharing requirement must be described and justified within the DMSP.”
    • NOTE: The Research.gov tool referred to will be released on April 27, 2026. Proposals submitted before that date should continue preparing the DSMP as a PDF upload as guided by the appropriate unit, directorate, or program. Generally, these are 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.

NIH, National Institutes of Health

• National Institutes of Health (NIH) Policy for Data Management and Sharing:
  • Current: 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)
    • NIH Scientific Data Sharing: Policies and Access to Data (web, updated 2025-08-05)
  • Future: Changes as noted in NOT-OD-26-046 are effective  for applications submitted for due dates on or after May 25, 2026. These include a simplified approach and form for DMSPs that focus on assent and compliance. While this will speed your application, it will do little to encourage an intentional process to plan and budget for the data management activities required to successfully meet sharing expectations.
    • Explainers
      • What the changes look like (UC Libraries)
      • What the changes mean (WUSTL Libraries)
    • MITL’s Data Management Services is here to consult on early data management planning that aligns with actual workflows and takes advantage of reliable resources that enable data can be shared effectively and in alignment with known principles.

DOE, Department of Energy

• Public Access Plan, issued December 31, 2024 with full implementation by December 31, 2025:
  • New guidance for data will be developed for implementation which will cover details as described in the 2023 plan. Applications require a data management and sharing plan (DMSP), a living document which covers “unclassified and otherwise unrestricted digital scientific data arising from research and development activities undertaken with DOE funds,” (including those data and materials not in publications) and at a minimum address “what data will be publicly shared, the data or metadata standards that will be used, any related tools, software, or code, how data will be shared and preserved, and any necessary data protections.” Costs may be included in the proposed budget.
  • Current guidance on DMPs may be found here.

NEH, National Endowment for the Humanities

• The Office of Digital Humanities requires data management plans as a part of grant applications for proposals and awards.

For information regarding other agencies, see  science.gov’s Public Access Plans and Guidance page, review 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.

Updated 2026-03-30