Your application may need to include a plan for sharing model organisms, final research data, or genomic data.
If any of these requirements apply to your research, write your plan or plans as a single attachment.
All plans go in the Resource Sharing Plan attachment to the PHS 398 Research Plan form. They do not count toward the Research Strategy page limit.
To find out what to do, read the information below, which summarizes the main points from NIH Sharing Policies and Related Guidance on NIH-Funded Research Resources.
Model Organism Sharing
If you plan to create a new model organism, you need to submit a sharing plan.
First, review the Definitions, Policy, Applicability, and Rationale section of Frequently Asked Questions: Model Organisms for a list of organisms that require a plan. Include a justification if you plan to develop one of these organisms but are not providing a plan. Add information to other sections of the application as appropriate.
For sample plans, see the following:
- Complex Model Organisms Sharing Plan
- Model Organisms Sharing Plan for Mice
- Simple Model Organisms Sharing Plan
Data Sharing
A data sharing plan is required only for applications requesting $500,000 or more in direct costs for any year unless otherwise specified in the funding opportunity. You may request funds in your budget to prepare, document, and archive data.
Include a justification if you are requesting that amount and are not providing a plan. (You will also need NIAID approval to submit an investigator-initiated application requesting that level of funding and document the approval in your cover letter. For details, see the Big Grants SOP.)
Your plan should state how you will share the final data set, without identifiers, through your institution no later than the time the main findings are accepted for publication. For a sample plan, go to our Sample Data Sharing Plan.
Add information to other sections of the application as appropriate. NIH Data Sharing Policy and Implementation Guidance tells you how a data sharing plan may affect other parts of the application.
NIH has issued a new Final NIH Policy for Data Management and Sharing, which will require NIH-funded researchers to prospectively submit a plan outlining how they will manage and share scientific data from their research. On January 23, 2023, this new policy will replace the 2003 NIH Data Sharing Policy that is currently in effect. For more information about implementation of this new policy, see NIH Data Sharing Policy and Implementation Guidance.
Genomic Data Sharing
When you propose research that will generate or use for subsequent research large-scale human or nonhuman genomic data, highlight this in your Cover Letter and include a genomic data sharing (GDS) plan in the Resource Sharing Plan of your application. This policy applies to all NIH-funded grants or contracts at any funding level.
"Large-scale" is a key qualifier; not every project that generates genomic data falls within the scope of the NIH GDS policy. As examples, large-scale data include the following:
- Genome-wide association studies (GWAS)
- Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays
- Genome sequence, transcriptomic, epigenomic, and gene expression data
Note that NIAID Implementation of NIH’s GDS Policy goes beyond the NIH expectation with these bolded points:
Both large-scale human and non-human genomic data will follow the NIH guidelines and be released no later than six months after initial data submission begins or at the time of acceptance of publication, whichever comes first, to unrestricted- or controlled-access data repositories for rapid public access.
Check the NIAID Genomic Data Sharing page for when the policy applies, data submission and release, sample data sharing plans and templates, informed consent for sharing data from human samples, institutional certification, and more.
Finishing Up
Look over the sharing plans you’ve written and imagine where a critical reviewer might identify potential questions or weak spots.
Enlist others to do that too—they can look at your application with a fresh eye. Include people who aren't familiar with your research to make sure you can get your point across to someone outside your field.