January 5, 2023
NOT-AA-23-007 - Notice of NIAAA's participation in NOT-OD-23-044 "Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Support for existing data repositories to align with FAIR and TRUST principles and evaluate usage, utility, and impact".
NOT-HG-23-019 - Notice of NHGRI Participation in NOT-OD-23-044 "Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Support for existing data repositories to align with FAIR and TRUST principles and evaluate usage, utility, and impact
PA-20-272 - Administrative Supplements to Existing NIH Grants and Cooperative Agreements (Parent Administrative Supplement Clinical Trial Optional)
NOT-OD-22-069 - Notice of Special Interest: Support for existing data repositories to align with FAIR and TRUST principles and evaluate usage, utility, and impact
Office of Data Science Strategy (ODSS)
National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
National Library of Medicine (NLM)
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
National Eye Institute ( NEI)
Office of The Director, National Institutes of Health (OD)
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
The goal of this Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) is to strengthen NIH-funded biomedical data repositories to better enable data discoverability, interoperability, and reuse by aligning with the FAIR and TRUST principles and using metrics to measure their effectiveness. This NOSI provides an opportunity for existing repositories to increase FAIR -ness and TRUST -worthiness to improve their usage, utility, and impact throughout the data resource lifecycle.
Background
NIH funds a range of biomedical data repositories that differ in size, complexity, and the research domains they serve. Biomedical repositories accept submission of relevant data from the community to store, organize, validate, archive, preserve, and distribute data, in compliance with the FAIR Data Principles. There is also a spectrum of ability and readiness for data repositories to adopt the characteristics that are desirable for repositories that are aligned with FAIR and TRUST principles. In addition, developing metrics for evaluating the usage, utility, and impact of a given repository is evolving. This evolution is likely a function of several aspects, including, but not limited to the level of maturity, expanding resource reach and scale, and understanding whether user needs have changed. This initiative is part of a plan for implementing the NIH Strategic Plan for Data Science, which describes actions aimed at modernizing the biomedical research data ecosystem. This effort supports the NIH Policy for Data Management and Sharing: Selecting a Repository for Data Resulting from NIH-Supported Research NOT-OD-21-016 to better position NIH repositories for the updated data sharing expectations which will be implemented in 2023.
Research Objective
The goal of this NOSI is to provide support for existing NIH-supported repositories to improve their adoption of the FAIR and TRUST principles and to develop ways to measure their effectiveness to the research communities they serve. The intent is to provide an opportunity for existing repositories of all sizes, and at different stages of establishment, to increase FAIR -ness and TRUST -worthiness to improve their usage, utility, and impact throughout the data resource lifecycle.
Prospective applicants are required to conduct a self-assessment to identify gaps or deficiencies in FAIR -ness and TRUST -worthiness that are unique to their data resource and consider which metrics could be implemented for evaluation of usage, utility, and impact. Based on the self-assessment, applicants must identify how they would improve the impact of their unique data resource. Justification for one or more of the following activities, describing how the proposed work will increase usage, benefit their respective communities, and allow for broader use, should be provided:
- Implement the relevant portions of the Desirable Characteristics for Repositories (i.e., NOT-OD-21-016) with the aim to strengthen adoption of the FAIR principles
- Strengthen the adoption of the TRUST principles, which may include a structured plan to pursue certifications
- Adopting, enhancing, or contributing to community-based metrics standards or best practices of metrics to evaluate the usage, utility, and impact of the data resource throughout its lifecycle
These activities may overlap, and it would be possible for an application to include aspects of all three. Proposed activities should not exceed one year. Additionally, all applicants should outline an appropriate plan (including milestones), staff, and expertise to complete the proposed work within the timeframe.
Applicants that are funded are expected to share outcomes and best practices with NIH (RPPR section b2) and the wider community.
To be responsive to this NOSI, applications must:
- Propose work for an existing biomedical data repository
- Include a self-assessment that identifies, lists, and describes the gaps or deficiencies to be addressed in and maps to one or more of the following areas: FAIR -ness, TRUST -worthiness, and/or metrics
Description of circumstances for which administrative supplements are available.
Application and Submission Information
Budget
To be eligible, the parent award must be able to receive funds in FY2023 (Oct. 2022 - Sept. 30, 2023) and not be in the final year or in a no-cost extension period at the time of award; the supplements MAY NOT extend beyond the project period of the parent award.
One-time supplement budget requests cannot exceed $150,000 direct costs. The number of awards will be contingent on availability of funds and receipt of meritorious applications.
Eligible Activity Codes
Administrative supplement requests may be submitted for activity codes that support resource development only Resource Grants, select Program/Center grants and Co-operative Agreements.
Administrative Evaluation Process
Submitted applications must follow the guidelines of the IC that funds the parent grant. Administrative Supplements do not receive peer review. Each IC will conduct administrative reviews of applications submitted to their IC separately. Responsive applications will be evaluated by a panel of trans-NIH staff and the most meritorious applications will be supported based upon availability of funds. The criteria described below will be considered in the administrative evaluation process:
- Is the work proposed within the scope of the active award?
- Is the proposed work aligned with the needs of the biomedical data repository?
- Does the application include an appropriate plan (including milestones), staff, and expertise to conduct the proposed activities in the one-year project period?
- Does the proposed work address the gaps or deficiencies identified in the self-assessment, help to improve the impact of their unique data repository (i.e., value to the NIH research community it serves), and include one or more of the following?
- Plans to implement the relevant portions of the Desirable Characteristics of Repositories (i.e., NOT-OD-21-016) with the aim to strengthen adoption of the FAIR principles
- Plans to strengthen the adoption of the TRUST principles, which may include a structured plan to pursue certifications
- Efforts to help adopt, enhance, or contribute to community-based metrics standards or best practices of metrics that evaluate the usage, utility, and impact of the data repository throughout its lifecycle
Applications for this initiative must be submitted using the following opportunity or its subsequent reissued equivalent.
- PA-20-272 - Administrative Supplements to Existing NIH Grants and Cooperative Agreements (Parent Admin Supp Clinical Trial Optional)
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide and PA-20-272 must be followed, with the following additions:
- Application Due Date(s) February 15, 2023 by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization.
- For funding consideration, applicants must include NOT-OD-23-044" (without quotation marks) in the Agency Routing Identifier field (box 4B) of the SF424 R&R form. Applications without this information in box 4B will not be considered for this initiative.
- Requests may be for one year of support only.
- The Research Strategy section of the application is limited to 4 pages.
- Investigators planning to submit supplement applications are strongly encouraged to discuss the proposed project with the relevant scientific/programmatic contacts before applying to determine eligibility and alignment with the priorities listed above.
- Applicants are strongly encouraged to notify the program contact at the Institute supporting the parent award that a request has been submitted in response to this NOSI in order to facilitate efficient processing of the request.
- Projects that have already received awards under NOT-OD-21-089 or NOT-OD-22-069 are NOT eligible for this NOSI.
- Applications nonresponsive to terms of this NOSI will not be considered for the NOSI initiative.
Ishwar Chandramouliswaran
Office of Data Science Strategy
Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives
Office of the Director
Telephone: 301-761-7822
reposupport@nih.gov
Please refer to the NIH ODSS website https://datascience.nih.gov/data-ecosystem/support-fair-biomedical-repositories regularly for frequently asked questions and other announcements related to this NOSI.
and Human Services (HHS)
