Research Data

For the Texas A&M; research community. Federal agency changes on research data, public access, and data management and sharing plans since May 2026. Updated October 6, 2026. (PDF document)

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NIH — DMS Plans no longer required for Career Development (K) awards

EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY
On October 5, 2026, NIH released NOT-OD-26-120 and accelerated a change that had been planned for October 12, 2027. Data Management and Sharing Plans are no longer required for any NIH Career Development (K) award. NIH will not treat an absent DMS Plan as noncompliance. This does not change the DMS Plan requirement for research project awards.

• Active K recipients need not submit or update a DMS Plan, including in the RPPR.
• Pending applicants need not provide one during Just-in-Time or other pre-award steps.
• Future K applications need not include one.

NIH’s reason is that K awards focus on career development and do not provide primary support for a research project. The earlier announcement was NOT-OD-26-098 (August 12, 2026).

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NIH — Updated DMS Plan format is now required for research awards

The NIH Data Management and Sharing (DMS) Policy itself has not changed. The plan format and how revisions are reported have changed.

• Applications with due dates on or after May 25, 2026 must use the 2026 pilot DMS Plan format (NOT-OD-26-046, February 25, 2026). The new format is mostly yes/no items plus a data table, not a two-page narrative. Both formats were accepted before May 25.
• Beginning in FY 2027, all existing awards and applications subject to the DMS Policy must move to the updated format, including awards that started under the 2003 sharing policy (NOT-OD-26-100, July 29, 2026).
• Prior approval to revise an approved DMS Plan is being dropped. NIH plans to retire the DMS Prior Approval request type in eRA Commons.
• Effective October 1, 2026, recipients report data-sharing progress and notify NIH of plan changes (scientific direction, repository, or timeline) in the Research Performance Progress Report, Section C.5.c

Draft policy on sharing summary results with participants — not in effect

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
On August 27, 2026, NIH issued a Request for Information on a draft policy that would require plain-language summary results to be shared with participants in NIH-supported clinical research
(NOT-OD-26-113). Comments are due October 26, 2026. This is not a current requirement.

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NSF — Structured DMSP in Research.gov

PAPPG 24-1, Supplement 2 applies to financial assistance awarded on or after January 22, 2026. It removed the 12-month publication embargo in the NSF Public Access Repository and requires scientific datasets underlying peer-reviewed publications to be shared at the time of publication. Exceptions must be justified in the Data Management and Sharing Plan.

As of April 27, 2026, DMSPs are no longer uploaded as a two-page PDF. They are entered in a structured Research.gov webform, by data or research product category. Proposals submitted on or after that date must use the form unless the project will not produce data or research products and a justification is provided. Saving the form overwrites any earlier PDF on that proposal. NSF’s page, About the Data Management and Sharing Plan, walks through the process in Research.gov.

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USDA — Public access regulation effective April 7, 2026
Departmental Regulation 1020-006 took effect April 7, 2026, and remains the controlling requirement for USDA awards. Digital scientific research data should be public at manuscript publication or at the end of the performance period, whichever comes first. Computational models and related content (parameters, inputs, outputs) are treated as data and follow the same timing. Code developed for USDA systems has separate repository requirements. Data must be machine-readable, deposited in a repository that assigns a persistent identifier and supports long-term preservation, and described with a metadata record in Ag Data Commons. Exceptions belong in the data management plan.

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DOE — Data Management and Sharing Plans
DOE replaced Data Management Plans with Data Management and Sharing Plans. FAL 2026-01 describes DMSP requirements for financial assistance tied to the 2023 DOE Public Access Plan: public sharing that supports validation, repository selection aligned with federal guidance, and documented limits for privacy, intellectual property, and other protected information. Public datasets are reported to OSTI.

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What this means for investigators

• NIH Career Development (K) awards: do not submit or update a DMS Plan. This is effective immediately under NOT-OD-26-120. Research project awards are unchanged.
• NIH competing research applications: use the 2026 pilot DMS Plan format page.
• Active NIH awards: plan to submit the updated format at the next applicable RPPR, and use RPPR Section C.5.c. — not a prior-approval request — for plan changes as of October 1, 2026.
• NSF proposals: complete the Research.gov DMSP form, and schedule deposit of publication-supporting data for the publication date.
• USDA and DOE awards: confirm the plan names a repository with a persistent identifier and a sharing date no later than publication.

Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC) is a global advocacy organization focused on making research and education more open and accessible.

Core Elements of Federal Public Access Policies – SPARC – Find agency policy specifics here in an organized and easy to read table.

• Agency – Data management policy deep dive table by agencies
• Comparison – Data management policy comparison table

Various institutes/centers, services/agencies, etc. within the federal agency may have specific requirements. PIs should always refer to the notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) and sponsor guidelines or seek from you sponsored research services proposal administrator for policies and requirements.

DMPTool

What is the DMP Tool? The DMP Tool is a free, open-source, application that helps researchers create data management plans (DMPs). These plans are required by many funding agencies as part of the grant proposal submission process. The DMP Tool provides a click-through wizard for creating a DMP that complies with funder requirements. It also has direct links to funder websites, help text for answering questions, and data management best practices resources.

The DMPTool machine-actionable DMPs allow information within a DMP to be fed across stakeholders, linking metadata, repositories, and institutions, and allowing for notifications and verification, reporting in real-time. A key goal of this new system is to reduce the burden on researchers by generating automated updates to a plan and facilitating seamless integration with systems and groups that support research.

ResearchData@TAMU is Texas A&M University’s digital research data catalog, developed in partnership with the Division of Research, University Libraries, and Sponsored Research Services. The catalog highlights completed research from Texas A&M University, Texas A&M University at Galveston, and Texas A&M University Health Science Center, while supporting discoverability, collaboration, and compliance with federal data management, sharing, and retention requirements. Project metadata is publicly searchable and linked to each researcher’s Scholars@TAMU profile, increasing visibility and impact for potential internal and external collaborators.

TAMU Librarians are engaging PIs with completed federally sponsored projects to:

• Verify and enrich project details (pulled from Maestro)
• Review and revise (if desired) project summaries/abstracts
• Add strategic keywords to improve discoverability
• Link related publications and datasets (when available)
• Document final research data storage location

Completing the Maestro Research Data Management Project Deliverable
This resource is intended to help Principal Investigators complete the Maestro Research Data Management Project Deliverable by clarifying what information is needed and how to document where final research data will be stored long-term.
Why does this matter?
The location and the primary steward of research data in support of sponsored research activities are required to be referenced in the university’s electronic research administration system. This ensures that the location of TAMU (TAMU, TAMUG, TAMHSC) research data is known to the University so it can meet its obligations for retention, data accessibility, and sharing.

How do I complete the deliverable?

For each entry in the Data Storage Location table, complete the required fields:

• Location (required): Where final research data will be stored long-term. Examples: Texas Data Repository, secure lab or departmental server, or an external repository (name the repository).
• Data Sensitivity & Compliance (required): Indicate whether data are:
  • Open Access – publicly available, no restrictions
  • Restricted – limited access due to privacy, confidentiality, or other compliance requirements
• Sponsor Data Sharing Requirement (required):
  • Does the sponsor require you to make the final research data publicly accessible? Yes / No
  • If Yes -Please provide the name and/or location where the data has been or will be made publicly accessible (e.g., repository, journal supplementary materials, project website, etc.).
  • If Yes – If available, please provide the persistent identifier (PID) or stable URL where the data can be accessed (e.g., DOI, accession number, or permanent URL).

Reminders

• Final research data” refers to the data necessary to validate and replicate research findings. This may include data underlying publications, supporting documentation, or any datasets collected, generated, or analyzed over the course of the project.
• Federally sponsored research data must generally be retained for at least 7 years, or longer if required by the sponsor or applicable policy.
• If the responsible research data steward or the storage location changes during the retention period, please notify the Director of Research Data so that institutional records can be updated.
• If a Principal Investigator leaves Texas A&M and wishes to transfer original research data to another institution, the transfer must go through the appropriate TAMU approval and agreement process before data and responsibilities move to the new institution.

Questions – Contact Leslie Krueger, Director of Research Data, at lkrueger@tamu.edu.

Texas A&M University Libraries’ research librarians provide comprehensive support for researchers managing research data. They assist with creating Data Management Plans (DMPs) using the DMPTool, tailored to meet specific funder requirements. Librarians offer guidance on organizing, documenting, storing, and sharing data throughout the research lifecycle, ensuring compliance with funder and publisher mandates. Through consultations, they share best practices for setting up accounts and utilizing the Texas Data Repository (TDR) for publishing and archiving data, enhancing discoverability and citability, and can share information about other repositories as well. Workshops are also available to equip researchers with tools and strategies for effective data management, promoting long-term usability and research impact.

Overview – Research Data Management – Research Guides at Texas A&M University

• Data Lifecycle Stages
• Data Management Planning and Budgeting
• Research Data Defined
• Elements of Data Management and Sharing Plans with Examples
• Data Repositories
• Making Your Data FAIR
• Research Data Management Workshops

Book a Consultation with a Research Librarian

• Appointments are available on Zoom in 30 minute time blocks.

• Once you have made an appointment, you’ll receive a Zoom link in an email.

• Appointments must be scheduled 24 hours in advance.

If you have questions about purchasing research data storage, determining the best type of storage for your research data, or for other technical questions please contact your local college/department IT representative first.

The Texas A&M University Technology Services portal empowers researchers with cutting-edge computing infrastructure, security and compliance guidance, device standards, and data handling protocols—helping ensure data integrity and support throughout the research lifecycle.

Research: Compute and networking services for researchers—HPC, file sharing, Science DMZ, enterprise compute platform.

Data Classification: A framework for determining sensitivity levels of data and governing appropriate handling and protection.

Research Security & Compliance: Training, tools, and policy guidance to help conduct research securely and in adherence to standards.

End-User Device Guide: Best practices for securing both university-owned and personal devices, including compliance requirements.

Enterprise Compute Environment (ECE): Texas A&M University’s Technology Services supports researchers through its Enterprise Compute Environment, delivering advanced computational resources tailored to research needs. IT specialists assist with designing and deploying custom solutions using platforms like AggieCloud, AWS, Azure, and GCP. They provide guidance on setting up virtual machines, managing cloud access, and optimizing computational workflows for diverse research projects. Through consultations, evaluations, and implementation support, the team ensures researchers have the infrastructure needed to accelerate scientific discoveries and drive innovation.

Click here to find the resources referenced below and much more…

• Cloud: Explore cloud service providers, offering secure and powerful tools for research, collaboration, and data management.

• Storage: Discover comprehensive storage solutions designed to meet the diverse data management needs of research and academic communities. Storage platforms provide secure, scalable, and accessible options to support institutional data requirements.

• Backups: Enterprise Backups deliver comprehensive data protection and recovery solutions to keep the university running smoothly. Robust systems ensure critical data is securely preserved, rapidly recoverable, and compliant with university standards to prevent disruptions to research and workflows.

• Specialized Research & Management Tools: Complement your core infrastructure with these specialized research and management tools such as RedCap, Globus, TAMU AI services, etc.
• Schedule a Consultation: Connect with the ECE Team and develop custom solutions to deploy advanced computational resources.

Responsible data management is essential to maintaining the integrity, security, and compliance of research conducted at Texas A&M University. The following resources provide guidance on the policies, procedures, and agreements that govern how research data should be handled, protected, and shared. Researchers are encouraged to familiarize themselves with these standards to ensure alignment with university, federal, and regulatory requirements. 

University SAP 15.99.03.M1.03, The Responsible Stewardship of Research Data: This SAP outlines the assignment of responsibilities, procedures and processes that will assure that research data is properly recorded, retained for the required period of time and made available for review as obligated.

University SAP 29.01.03.M0.01, Security of Electronic Information Resources: The purpose of this Standard Administrative Procedure (SAP) is to establish the responsibilities and information security controls necessary to maintain the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of those information resources.

Federal Regulatory IT Compliance: Defining rules and guidelines for information technology use across the Texas A&M campus (e.g. CUI, HPPA, FERPA).

University Research Data Privacy: Guidance on understanding the nature of the data being used in research including data classified as critical or confidential.

Data Use/Transfer Agreements: Understanding Data Use/Transfer Agreements responsibilities and requirements.