Starting October 1, 2024, recipients of grants and cooperative agreements are required to include in their Research Performance Progress Reports (RPPRs) responses to several new questions that align with the Final NIH Policy for Data Management and Sharing.
You’ll be asked:
- Whether data has been generated to date and what type of data it is.
- Whether data has been shared for use by others.
- If data has been shared, in what repository and under what unique digital identifiers.
- If data has not been shared, what is the status of data sharing (e.g., being prepared for submission, submitted to repository, not yet expected to be shared).
- If data has not been generated and/or shared as outlined in an approved DMS Plan, what corrective actions have or will be taken to comply with the approved Plan.
For more information, refer to the NIH Guide notice Reminder: Reporting Data Management and Sharing (DMS) Plan Activities in Research Performance Progress Reports (RPPRs) Submitted on or After October 1, 2024. Also refer to the NIH RPPR Instruction Guide, available on the Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR) page.
Revisions to DMS Plans
Occasionally, you may need to revise your DMS Plan—whether it’s to update your timeline or the scientific direction of your research or perhaps use a different repository. As of October 1, 2024, there are also new processes for submitting requests for revisions through the Just in Time (JIT) Module, Prior Approval Module, or RPPR Module in eRA Commons.
If changes to your DMS Plan are necessary, they will need to be reviewed and approved by the funding NIH institute or center (IC) before the changes can be implemented. All requests for approval must be submitted by the authorized organization representative [i.e., signing official (SO) role in eRA Commons] at least 30 days in advance of the requested change, and the currently approved DMS Plan remains in effect for the award until the request is approved by the IC.
Note that the processes for submitting requests and revised DMS Plans depend on where you are in the grant award cycle. Before the award is made, applicants must use the “Data Management and Sharing Plan (DMSP) Revision” section of the Just in Time (JIT) Screen in eRA Commons to submit a revised DMS Plan. After the award is made, you can request a change simultaneous with RPPR submission (technically, within 30 days before or after your RPPR due date); use Section C.5.c to select “Upload Revised Data Management and Sharing Plan” and follow the instructions provided to complete the required entry. When revisions to the DMS Plans need to be requested off-cycle (other than at the time of the RPPR), recipients must Select “Prior Approval – DMS Request” in the Prior Approval Module to request the change.
Note that SOs will no longer use the “Other Request” type in the Prior Approval Module to submit a request to change the DMS Plan.
For more information and additional resources, refer to the NIH Guide notice Updated Processes for Requesting Revisions to an Approved Data Management and Sharing (DMS) Plan.