Federally funded researchers are required to make their published results available and manage their data.
Background: On February 22, 2013, the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) released a memorandum entitled “Increasing Access to the Results of Federally Funded Research.” It directed Federal agencies with more than $100 million in research and development (R&D) expenditures to develop plans to make the published results of federally funded research freely available to the public within one year of publication, and it required researchers to better account for and manage the digital data resulting from federally funded scientific research.
UNT developed a framework and plan for PIs and staff to implement that will increase public access to publications and data per the OSTP directive.
This process is required for Researchers with Awards at all Federal Agencies as well as any other non-federal award listing “data management” or “public access” on an RFP, an award document, or on a sponsor’s website.
At the proposal stage, the Proposal Team will email the PI letting them know a Data Management Plan (DMP) is required, and that the PI is responsible for developing the plan.
Resources to assist PI with DMP:
Follow sponsor agency guidelines on data management storage (example: upload data to NIH PMC database)
Know what the PI’s field/societies utilize
Follow expectations of PI's field and discipline
If a form/format is not provided by the sponsor, it is expected the PI use the tool provided by the UNT Library.
By this process, UNT declares to all UNT university principal investigators that UNT will only recognize the distribution plan for data as detailed in the DMP. The DMP is the formal obligation. regarding public access to data and no other parts of the proposal document will obligate this institution to alternative requirements.
The Proposal Team will set up an email introduction between datamanagementplans@unt.edu and the PI, and suggest they discuss the Data Management Plan and the availability of the Data Management Plan (DMP) tool. Library staff receiving email to datamanagementplans@unt.edu and the GCA Specialist should be copied on the email introduction.
If the Proposal/award’s funding source is Federal Flow Through, then a separate DMP is not required by our office, unless required by the sponsor.
Other situations that do not require a DMP:
“Export Control” associated Proposals/Awards
Proposals/Awards that have research formally designated as “Controlled Unclassified” or otherwise deemed by the sponsor as “sensitive.”
Proposals/Awards carrying an IRB protocol with personally identifiable information.
Proposals/Awards with a PI declared “expected intellectual property” exception Requires approval from Research Commercial Agreements (RCA)
In these situations, a DMP would be submitted listing the appropriate exception.
If the grant is awarded, but before GCA sets up the award in their recordkeeping systems, Proposal Team will send the DMP to the GCA Specialist stating an award with a DMP requirement has been received.
Included with the DMP should be:
PI name
Federal Agency (or non-fed sponsor requiring a DMP)
Project Title
Agency grant number
GCA Specialist will send email to PI and to untrepository.grant-inventory@unt.edu with DMP and award information attached, congratulating PI on receiving award and telling the PI that we are working to post an online copy of the DMP and establish a Persistent Grant Identifier (PGI) in the UNT Digital Library.
The email will include a reminder that the establishment of the DMP and the PGI is required before an award can be set up.
Library staff receiving email to untrepository.grant-inventory@unt.edu creates a record in the UNT Digital Library that contains the PGI and associated copy of the DMP; once the PGI is established, library staff will email the PI, and copy the GCA Specialist, that the DMP and PGI have been set up.
The email will include the blank inventory template, with the award information inserted, which is to be used when submitting data and/or publications to the UNT Libraries, with a reminder to include the PGI, or agency grant number with all data and/or publications submitted to the UNT Libraries.
If the PI has not yet reported any data or publications to the UNT Digital Library, the attached template can be used. Otherwise, the PI will be asked to add to the last version of the inventory template that was submitted to untrepository.grant-inventory@unt.edu.
The GCA Specialist will also let PI know there will be 2 additional reminders sent, one 12 months after closeout and the final reminder 36 months after closeout, as final opportunities to submit data, publications, and/or permalinks.
PI will be required to submit a statement confirming all data and publications have been disclosed to the library and all conditions of the DMP policy have been fulfilled. This statement can be submitted at any time after closeout and would end future reminders about required data and publications from GCA Specialist.
Following the process described under section (6) above, the PI submits data, publications, and permalinks, to untrepository.grant-inventory@unt.edu.
GCA Specialist will email PI copying untrepository.grant-inventory@unt.edu as in the previous sections. Then, following the process described under section (6) above, the PI submits data, publications, and permalinks to untrepository.grant-inventory@unt.edu.
A confirmation email from the PI is required at this time stating all data, publications and permalinks have been submitted.
Note: If there is a change to the primary PI on an award with a federal agency, or other award requiring a DMP, the GCA Specialist will contact the new PI about the institutional obligations of the DMP.
Updated 12/23/20