A key component of the new NIH policy is support for data sharing. De-identified data and other research outcomes should be submitted to FAIR compliant, public repositories. As part of the NIH DMSP, grant seekers will have to identify which specific repositories they will employ for their data.
NIH has suggestions for approaches to sharing as well as recommendations for repository selection on their Sharing Scientific Data site.
Some data types have discipline-specific repositories, such as genomic data stored in the Gene Expression Omnibus or dbGaP. For other types of data, eg. RedCap form outputs, there isn't necessarily an obvious repository to use. As part of a FAIR compliant repository, we strongly recommend selecting a repository which can provide your data submission with a persistent identifier, such as a DOI.
If you are unsure of which repository would be best for your research output, here are a few sites that can help you search for and understand your options.
NIH Repository Selection page
https://sharing.nih.gov/data-management-and-sharing-policy/sharing-scientific-data/repositories-for-sharing-scientific-data
Registry of Research Data Repositories
https://www.re3data.org/
Repository Finder
https://repositoryfinder.datacite.org/
DataPortals.org
http://dataportals.org/
Generalist Repositories
If you know that your data doesn't fit into a discipline-specific repository, then you'll likely want to submit your data to a generalist repository. Some of these repositories are free while others charge per submission. The table below shows costs (as of 01/08/2023) and size limitations of some of the NIH-recommended generalist repositories. (Source: Nature Data Repository Guidance)
| Repository Name | Information on fees/costs | Size limits |
|---|---|---|
| Dryad | $120 USD for first 20 GB, and $50 USD for each additional 10 GB | None stated |
| figshare | 100 GB free per Scientific Data manuscript. | 1 TB per dataset |
| Harvard Dataverse | Contact repository for datasets over 1 TB |
2.5 GB per file, 10 GB per dataset |
| Mendeley Data | Open and secure cloud-based communal repository | Personal accounts have a maximum limit of 10 GB per dataset. |
| OSF (Open Science Framework) | Free of charge | 5 GB per file, multiple files can be uploaded |
| Zenodo | Donations towards sustainability encouraged | 50 GB per dataset |
| Science Data Bank | Free of charge | 8 GB per file, no limit to dataset size |
The General Repository Comparison Chart and FAIRsharing Collection is another resource and an outcome of an NIH Workshop on the Role of Generalist Repositories to Enhance Data Discoverability and Reuse, held in early February 2020. Following the workshop, representatives of the participating generalist repositories collaborated to develop a tool researchers could use to make decisions about selecting a general repository. They intend that the content will be dynamically updated through their partnership with FAIRsharing. The American Geophysical Union should be acknowledged for designing the document. Version 3.0 (May 17, 2023) has been updated to the current services provided by the repositories and supporting policies.
