January 23, 2026
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has released a second supplement to the 24-1 Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide.
Effective January, 22, 2026:
NSF data sharing policy details vary by directorate, but they all require public access to scientific data in a timely manner. In addition, researchers should also be aware that:
- Data should be public at time of publication. Exceptions (delays and limiting access) must be justified in the DMSP.
- Data should be shared using existing standards whenever possible.
- Samples, physical collections, software, and curriculum materials should be shared as covered by the DMSP.
- After April 27, 2026, DMSPs must be created using the tool implemented in Research.gov. Proposals submitted before that time should continue to use the 2-page narrative format.
- Datasets should be deposited in repositories that assign a PID (like a DOI).
- If no PID has been assigned, an NSF-PAR ID is acceptable .
- Shared data should be reported in annual and final project reports in the Products section and the dataset’s DOI must be reported to NSF-PAR.
