Dear Colleagues,

The research you do is critical to the University’s mission and contributes to the scientific discovery and advancements that make us a top public research institution. As we work together to achieve our institutional research goals, we must continue to utilize the latest technology and security protocols to meet emerging regulatory and compliance guidelines. Doing so will help the University remain competitive for federal and state research grants and position us to gain greater insights and value from our vast data.

Securing our IT infrastructure

Today, the University operates a very large on-premise computing and storage infrastructure for diverse research activities and instruments. We recognize that a ‘one size fits all’ model is not the right approach to meet the growing needs of our research community. Instead, we aim to develop a secure, standardized yet flexible portfolio of solutions (including cloud and on-premise) that all faculty can use for their research needs.

University Information Technology Services has launched the Accelerating Secure IT Services (ASITS) Program to strengthen the security of our IT operations as an outcome of the 2018 IT Security Performance Audit. The ASITS program is currently in the early stages of gathering requirements and planning for the University’s future research computing and storage needs. By June 2025, this new program will provide campus units and researchers with network, server and laptop services that are centrally-supported and institutionally-funded.

A collaborative approach

UITS and Research Innovation and Impact (RII) are committed to embarking on this critically important work in a collaborative manner without disrupting or adversely impacting research activities. UITS and RII will collaborate with faculty, staff, students and IT Liaisons that have been appointed by college and division leadership to develop the best, cost-optimized solutions that meet the University’s research and security requirements.

The College of Science has volunteered to be an early implementor of this approach with UITS and RII to smooth the process for the rest of the University research community. Additional email updates will be shared as we make progress on this initiative. You can also visit the ASITS webpage for the latest information.

Supporting faculty and your research computing needs – both now and in the future – is an important priority for us. We look forward to partnering with you to make the University’s research activities more secure and resilient from evolving cybersecurity threats.  

Beginning in January 2023, all National Institutes of Health research grant and contract applicants will be required to submit a data management and sharing plan (DMSP) as part of their application. If awarded, compliance with the approved plan is required. Learn about the new policy and helpful resources for researchers.  



Requirements 

NIH’s new data management and sharing policy requires that all grant applications and renewals that produce scientific data include a robust and detailed plan for managing, sharing, and preserving data during the funded period and beyond. 

To comply with the new policy, the DMSP must provide specific information on access policies and procedures to protect the privacy of human participants and for data preservation, metadata standards, and distribution methods. 

New policy applies to:

• New and competing renewal grant applications submitted to NIH for the Jan. 25, 2023, proposal deadline date and later.  
• Proposals for contracts submitted to NIH for the Jan. 25, 2023, proposal deadline date and later.  
• Any other NIH funding agreement executed on or after Jan. 25, 2023.

New policy does not apply to: 

• Research and other activities that do not generate scientific data, e.g., training, infrastructure development, and non-research activities.

Bookmark these resources and tools: 

• Video modules provide guidance for writing and operationalizing your plan. 
• Supplemental documents outline what researchers need to know: 
  • Elements of an NIH Data Management and Sharing Plan
  • Allowable Costs for Data Management and Sharing
  • Selecting a Repository for Data Resulting from NIH-Supported Research 
• Funder requirements for data management and sharing
• Use the DMPTool (log in with your NetID) to draft your plan using the NIH 2023 template. 
• Reference pages 3-4 of this example of a successful Data Management Plan created using the DMPTool. NIH will provide additional data management plan samples.

Important compliance notes:

• The submitted DMSP will become a term of condition of the Notice of Award.
• Compliance during the award period will be determined by the awarding NIH Institute or Center.
• Failure to comply may result in NIH enforcement action, risk award termination, or impact future funding decisions. 

Contact the University Libraries Data Management team, data-management@arizona.edu, for more information or to request a consultation.

Beginning January 2023, all National Institutes of Health research grant and contract applicants will be required to submit a data management and sharing plan (DMSP) as part of their application. If awarded, compliance with the approved plan is required. 

NIH’s new policy replaces its old policy entirely and requires that ALL grant applications/renewals that produce scientific data include a much more robust and detailed plan on the management, sharing, and preservation of data during the funded period and beyond. 

To comply with the new policy, investigators will be required to provide specific information on access policies/procedures to protect the privacy of human participants, data preservation, metadata standards and distribution approaches. This information will be required in a DMSP, which is analogous to what other funders refer to as a data management plan.

The new DMS policy applies to:

• New and competing renewal grant applications submitted to NIH for the Jan. 25, 2023, proposal deadline date and later;  
• Proposals for contracts submitted to NIH for the Jan. 25, 2023, proposal deadline date and later; and  
• Any other NIH funding agreement executed on or after Jan. 25, 2023.

The policy does NOT apply to research and other activities that do not generate scientific data, e.g., training, infrastructure development, and non-research activities.

Important compliance notes:

• The submitted DMSP will become a term of condition of the Notice of Award and compliance during the award period will be determined by the awarding NIH Institute or Center.
• Failure to comply may result in NIH enforcement action or risk award termination. It also could impact future funding decisions. 

What you can do to prepare for this change:

• Review the policy now. Also review supplemental documents Elements of an NIH Data Management and Sharing Plan, Allowable Costs for Data Management and Sharing, and  Selecting a Repository for Data Resulting from NIH-Supported Research.
• Learn more about the policy and find resources from the University Libraries NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy website.
• Learn about funder requirements for data management and sharing on the University Libraries data management website.
• Review sample DMSP from the National Institute of Mental Health that comply with the new policy.

To draft the plan itself, we recommend the DMPTool (log in with NetID) using the NIH 2023 template. Additional guidance for completing each section of the template will be added to the DMPTool on a rolling basis.  For guidance in writing and operationalizing your plan, view video modules prepared by University Libraries, Research Computing, the Human Subjects Protection Program, and RII.

For more information or to request a consult, email the Library Data Management team. We will provide ongoing updates to assist researchers and research assistants with this transition.