News & Events

May 12, 2010

NSF to Ask Every Grant Applicant for Data Management Plan

Scientists seeking funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) will soon need to spell out how they plan to manage the data they hope to collect. The requirement is part of a broader move by NSF and other federal agencies to emphasise the importance of community access to data.
Category: NewsFlash
Posted by: stephanie

Edward Seidel, acting head of NSF's mathematics and physical sciences directorate, described NSF's intention to require all applicants to submit a data management plan along with their grant application in a presentation on 5 May 2010 to the National Science Board, NSF's oversight body. "Not only is it a nice idea," he told the board's Committee on Strategy and Budget, "but it's a scientific necessity. We've been working on this for years."


Under the new policy, which is expected to be unveiled in Autumn 2010, a researcher would submit a data management plan as a two-page supplement to any regular grant proposal.NSF wants to avoid a one-size-fits-all approach to the issue, Seidel explained, because each discipline has its own culture about data-sharing though iit requires applicants to think more seriously about data management issues. NSF Director Arden Bement said he expects that some applicants will request additional funding to implement their data management plan, making it another factor that reviewers will need to take into account in weighing the value of a proposal.

 

Source: Science Insider - article by Jeffrey Mervis, published 5 May 2010