NSF Data Management Plan
Steve Riesbeck
Research Grants Development Coordinator
Russ College of Engineering and Technology
Stocker 182
riesbeck@ohio.edu
3-0631
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NSF Data Management Plan
 NSF Guidelines
 Definitions
 Contents of your plan
NSF Guidelines: PAPPG
“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.”
---NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide, Section
VI.D.4.b.
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NSF Guidelines: ENG
The full policy specifically requires prompt
preparation and submission of publications,
recognizes allowances for restricting release of
privileged or proprietary information, encourages
sharing of software and inventions, and
recognizes intellectual property rights. Such
dissemination of data is necessary for the
community to stimulate new advances as quickly
as possible and to allow prompt evaluation of the
results by the scientific community. ---NSF
Engineering Directorate guidelines
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NSF Guidelines: Solicitation
Example: Program Solicitation NSF 11-524
Nanotechnology Undergraduate Education (NUE) in Engineering
 Data Management Plan: The PAPPG contains a clarification of
NSF's long standing data policy. All proposals must describe
plans for data management and sharing of the products of
research, or assert the absence of the need for such plans.
FastLane will not permit submission of a proposal that is
missing a Data Management Plan. The Data Management
Plan will be reviewed as part of the intellectual merit or broader
impacts of the proposal, or both, as appropriate. Links to data
management requirements and plans relevant to specific
Directorates, Offices, Divisions, Programs, or other NSF units
are available on the NSF website at:
http://www.nsf.govbfa/dias/policy/dmp.jsp. See Chapter II.C.2.j
of the GPG for further information about the implementation of
this requirement.
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NSF Data Management Plan
What data are included?
 Research data are formally defined as “the recorded factual material
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commonly accepted in the scientific community as necessary to
validate research findings” by the U.S. Office of Management and
Budget (1999).
The basic level of digital data to be archived and made available
includes (1) analyzed data and (2) the metadata that define how these
data were generated. These are data that are or that should be
published in theses, dissertations, refereed journal articles,
supplemental data attachments for manuscripts, books and book
chapters, and other print or electronic publication formats.
• Analyzed data are (but are not restricted to) digital information that
would be published, including digital images, published tables, and
tables of the numbers used for making published graphs.
• Necessary metadata are (but are not restricted to) descriptions or
suitable citations of experiments, apparatuses, raw materials,
computational codes, and computer-calculation input conditions.
---NSF Engineering Directorate Guidelines
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NSF Data Management Plan
What data are not included at the basic level?
 The Office of Management and Budget statement
(1999) specifies that this definition does not include
“preliminary analyses, drafts of scientific papers,
plans for future research, peer reviews, or
communications with colleagues.”
 Raw data fall into this category as “preliminary
analyses.”
 ---NSF Engineering Directorate Guidelines
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NSF Data Management Plan
Exceptions
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Some proposals may involve proprietary or other restricted data. For example, projects
having proprietary information that will eventually lead to commercialization, such as
Engineering Research Center (ERC), Nanoscale Science and Technology Center (NSEC),
Industry/University Cooperative Research Center (I/UCRC), Small Business Innovative
Research (SBIR), Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR), and Grant Opportunities for
Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI) awards. In addition, membership agreements,
contracts, involvement with other agencies, and similar obligations may place some
restrictions on data sharing.
Any such data-management issues should be discussed as well as the conditions that might
prevent or delay the sharing of data. The proposal’s DMP would address the distinction
between released and restricted data and how they would be managed. Exceptions to the
basic data-management policy should be discussed with the cognizant program
officer before submission of such proposals.
A similar situation arises from the special circumstances that arise from requirements to
protect human subjects. Data-sharing policies for awards that involve human subjects
should recognize and address human-subjects protocols and the need to protect privacy
and confidentiality (see http://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/) .
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Your Data Management Plan
Contents
Expected data
Period of data retention and data sharing
Data formats and dissemination
Data storage and preservation of access
Post award monitoring
NSF Page Limit = 2 pages
NOTE: More stringent data management requirements may be
specified in particular NSF solicitations
(Template available)
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Your Data Management Plan
EXPECTED DATA
 In the performance of the proposed project, the following
types of data, samples, physical collections, software,
curriculum materials, and other materials are expected to
be produced: <<List or describe what primary data is
expected to be produced>>
 From these, the following types of data are to be retained:
<<List or describe what will be retained>>
 Data for retention and sharing does not include preliminary
analyses (to include raw data), drafts of scientific papers,
plans for future research, peer reviews, or communications
with colleagues.
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Your Data Management Plan
PERIOD OF DATA RETENTION AND DATA SHARING
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Established policies for project data retention and data sharing and best
practices at Ohio University shall apply.
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Retention of research data shall be three years after conclusion of the
award or three years after public release, whichever is later. Public
release of data shall be at the earliest reasonable time; namely, the earliest
reasonable time is immediately after timely publication.
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Exceptions requiring longer retention periods may occur when: 1) data
supports patents; 2) questions arise from inquiries or investigations with
respect to research; 3) student involvement requires data to be retained
for a timely period after a degree is awarded; 4) data represents a
significantly large collection that is widely useful to the research
community; 5) data is identified as proprietary or restricted. Research
data that support patents shall be retained for the entire term of the patent.
For the proposed project, the following exceptions are anticipated: <<List
or describe any anticipated exceptions plus the rationale for why data
requires longer retention or limitation on public release>>
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Your Data Management Plan
PERIOD OF DATA RETENTION AND DATA SHARING (cntd)
 In order to make data available to others, including
metadata, the following specific data formats, media, and
dissemination approaches shall be used: <<List or describe
applicable formats/media, and how the data will be shared
and disseminated>>
 Established policies and best practices at Ohio University
for public access and sharing shall apply, including
provisions for appropriate protection of privacy,
confidentiality, security, intellectual property, or other
rights or requirements. A listing is available online at
http://www.ohio.edu/policy/index.html and
http://www.ohio.edu/orsp/guide/index.htm.
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Your Data Management Plan
DATA STORAGE AND PRESERVATION OF ACCESS
 The following physical and cyber resources and
facilities shall be used for the effective
preservation and storage of research data: <<List
or describe the resources and facilities to be
used for storage and preservation>>
 The lead PI shall be responsible for assuring data
storage and access, to include project
performance and compliance of collaborators and
sub-awardees.
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Your Data Management Plan
POST-AWARD MONITORING
 After an award is made, data management
will be reported to NSF primarily through
the normal Annual and Final Report
process and through evaluation of
subsequent proposals. Data management
shall be reported in subsequent proposals
by the PI and Co-PIs under Results of
prior NSF support.
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Steve Riesbeck
Research Grants Development Coordinator
Russ College of Engineering and Technology
Stocker 182
riesbeck@ohio.edu
3-0631
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