Dear colleagues,
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has released the final format of the 2026 Pilot Data Management Sharing Plan. This simplified format is required for all new competing and non-competing applications with due dates on or after May 25, 2026. NIH will accept both the 2023 and 2026 formats for applications with due dates prior to May 25, 2026.
The pilot DMS Plan format consists primarily of Yes/No questions addressing core data sharing expectations, along with brief justifications if data sharing may be limited due to legal, ethical, or technical considerations. A concise table identifying anticipated data types and repositories is also required.
In NOT‑OD‑26‑046, NIH indicates that the streamlined DMS Plan format in being implemented as a pilot initiative designed to reduce administrative burden and improve consistency across submissions. The format will be evaluated and refined as appropriate in the coming year.
Additional instructions and recommendations for preparing a compliant DMS Plan are available on NIH’s “Writing a Data Management and Sharing Plan” webpage, which encourages investigators to maximize appropriate sharing of scientific data in alignment with FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) principles.