February 2, 2023
NOT-OD-21-013 - Final NIH Policy for Data Management and Sharing
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is interested in understanding the processes for storage, preservation, and sharing of scientific data generated by NIH-funded cancer research at academic, research, and medical institutions in order to develop guidance on scientific data management.
Background
Data sharing accelerates biomedical research discovery, facilitates the advancement of rigorous and reproducible research, and promotes public trust. NIH-funded investigators are required to comply with the Data Management and Sharing Policy beginning January 25, 2023. To facilitate data sharing, a coordinated, sustainable, and streamlined infrastructure is required to store, preserve, retrieve, and make data findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable. The infrastructure required to facilitate sharing includes, but is not limited to, repositories to store the data, and tools to manage, access, and analyze the data. As institutions are preparing to meet this requirement, NCI is interested in learning the current processes of data storage, preservation, and sharing and the role of libraries, core services, individual researchers, and data scientists in the facilitation of data sharing. NCI is also interested in learning the types of services (e.g., guidance on data standards, file formats, etc.), technologies (storage, compression, retrieval, archival, analysis tools, workbenches, etc.) and processes (e.g., governance, communication, education, outreach, etc.) provided by scientific core facilities within an institution.
Information Requested
This Request for information (RFI) is intended to assist the NCI in understanding the existing processes and workflows of data storage, preservation, and sharing. Through this RFI, the NCI seeks to understand scientific data management in the cancer research community, including:
- Data storage, preservation, and sharing processes;
- Data types being collected at research core facilities and independent laboratories;
- Data standards that are being used for scientific data and metadata that enable reuse and reanalysis of shared data to enhance cancer research and clinical care.
How to Submit a Response
This RFI invites participation from stakeholders/staff across the cancer research enterprise: individual research laboratories, staff from scientific instrumentation core facilities, office of research or sponsored projects, office of provost, libraries, information technology and security, institutional review board, bioinformaticians and data scientists that assist in data curation, formatting, and analysis. All survey participants are encouraged to respond to as many questions as they are able, no matter their role in the research enterprise.
This RFI is for planning purposes only and should not be construed as a solicitation or an obligation on the part of the Federal Government, the National Institutes of Health, or individual NIH Institutes or Centers. The NIH does not intend to make any type of award based on responses to this RFI or to pay for either the preparation of information submitted or the Government’s use of such information. Responses to this RFI are voluntary. Proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should not be included in your response. NCI will use the information submitted in response to this RFI at its discretion and will not provide comments to any individual responder's submission. Any identifiers (e.g., names, institutions, e-mail addresses, etc.) will be removed when responses are compiled. The information provided will be analyzed and may be shared publicly or appear in reports, public NIH websites, or in the development of future funding opportunities. Respondents are advised that the government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s).
To respond to this RFI, please submit your response via this survey on Existing Data Sharing Processes for NIH-Funded Research” webform by April 3, 2023. The webform is the preferred mode of input, but a file with associated answers may also be uploaded on the collection website. Names need not be associated with responses; responses are voluntary and may be submitted anonymously. Responders are free to address any or all the questions. Please consider forwarding the link to others within or outside your institution whose perspectives you feel we should hear.
Office of Data Sharing
Center for Biomedical Informatics and Information
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
NCIOfficeofDataSharing@mail.nih.gov
and Human Services (HHS)
