Frequently Asked Questions

What is the NSF data management plan policy?

In January 2011, NSF began requiring that proposals include a supplementary document, two pages maximum, labeled “Data Management Plan” (DMP).

NSF’s agency-wide guidance for preparing a data management plan is very general. Applicants are asked to describe the types of data to be collected, standards to be used for data and metadata, policies for access and sharing (including protection of privacy), policies and provisions for reuse, and plans for archiving and preserving access to data.

Is the policy the same for all directorates?

Some individual directorates and programs within NSF have more specific guidelines. What is considered appropriate data management is left largely to individual disciplines via the peer review process and program management.

Go to the NSF policy and requirements page to see the relevant documents, including those specific to Directorates, Divisions, Programs, or other NSF units.

Do all US federal funding agencies have the same data management plan policy?

No. A summary of the data management and sharing policies of federal funding agencies can be found here.

Where can I get help with writing my data management plan?

I have questions about intellectual property. Who can help me?

OCGA provides guidance and standard language relevant to intellectual property here. PIs are encouraged to consult with the OCGA analyst who will be handling the submission of a particular proposal. OCGA is the department responsible for reviewing proposals, including DMPs, to ensure compliance with University policy and agency requirements.

The UC San Diego Technology Transfer Office evaluates, protects, markets, and licenses UC San Diego-developed technologies for commercial applications in the global market for public good. Read more here.

NSF normally allows grantees to retain principal legal rights to intellectual property developed under NSF grants in order to provide incentives for development and dissemination of inventions, software and publications that can enhance their usefulness, accessibility and upkeep. Such incentives do not, however, reduce the responsibility that investigators and organizations have as members of the scientific and engineering community to make results, data and collections available to other researchers.

UC San Diego retains all legal rights to its intellectual property developed under all sponsored research.



What is research cyberinfrastructure (RCI)?

Simply put, RCI is the hardware, software and people that support scientific research.

Do we have a research cyberinfrastructure at UCSD?

The April 2009 “Blueprint for the Digital University” provides the rationale and design for a campus-wide research cyberinfrastructure that will meet federal mandates for research data preservation, improve UC San Diego’s academic competitiveness, and achieve economies-of-scale savings through centralization of core infrastructure elements, while at the same time recognizing the diverse and distributed nature of the University’s research enterprise.

Who’s in charge of research cyberinfrastructure at UCSD?

The Research Cyberinfrastructure Oversight Committee established by the Chancellor in December 2010 has been asked to:

  1. Guide the development of an enhanced RCI.
  2. Set policies and coordinate RCI elements.
  3. Modify the CIPOC-proposed business plan as needed.
  4. Continually seek opportunities for cost savings and recommendations for their implementation.
  5. Provide accountability and document accomplishments on a regular basis.