How NIH’s updated DMSP template affects you at JHU

In 2023, NIH, one of JHU’s largest research funders, instituted a new Data Management & Sharing Policy, in order to encourage the sharing of research data to the greatest extent possible. NIH has since required researchers to submit a Data Management and Sharing Plan (DMS Plan) as part of the proposal, which discusses how they will manage and share their data.

As of May 25, 2026, NIH is updating the required elements of a Data Management and Sharing Plan. Details can be found in NIH’s announcement and NIH’s Guidance for Writing a Data Management & Sharing Plan. The NIH Data Management & Sharing Policy remains in effect, and researchers will still need to plan for and incorporate practices in their research to facilitate data sharing in a repository.

Applications with due dates before May 25, 2026 can use either the 2023 DMS Plan format or the 2026 Pilot DMS Plan format, while applications with due dates after May 25, 2026 should use the 2026 Pilot DMS Plan format. Both Plan formats can be found in the NIH Forms Directory.

An updated template for the new plan format is available in DMPTool and guidance from JHU Data Services is available on our NIH Data Management & Sharing Policy Guide.

How NSF’s updated DMSP template affects you at JHU

As of April 27, 2026, NSF will require Data Management & Sharing Plans to be completed as a form on Research.gov rather than uploaded as a separate document. Details on the change can be found in the policy change announcement and the form can be previewed on NSF’s Data Management & Sharing Plan page.

The elements of the NSF Data Management & Sharing Plan are not changing. Updated DMPTool templates for NSF DMSPs will be available soon. You can continue to request feedback on your plan from Data Services by filling out the Research.gov form, then exporting your DMSP as a PDF and emailing it to dataservices@jhu.edu.

Where to Get Help

Contact Data Services via dataservices@jhu.edu if you need help:

  • Selecting a data repository to share data
  • Getting feedback for your DMSP
  • Deciding if you need a controlled-access or open-access repository

Contact NIH directly via GrantsCompliance@od.nih.gov.

NIH Data Management & Sharing Plans

NSF Data Management Plans

Data Sharing Repositories Selection

  • Data Services provides webinars to help you select a repository to share data and write it into your DMPs
  • If your research has human participants and you don’t want to share data on an open access data repository, such as Johns Hopkins Research Data Repository, check out this list of NIH domain-specific repositories.
  • If you have data that can be shared publicly via open access and no disciplinary repository exists for your data, consider sharing data in the Johns Hopkins Research Data Repository. Visit our Data Sharing and Deposit Policy pages to learn more.
  • Contact Data Services (dataservices@jhu.edu) if you need help identifying a data repository for your research data.