NCI Data Repository Requirements

Applicants seeking NCI funding are expected to manage, preserve and share data following FAIR Principles (findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable). Best practices in sharing data include but not limited to applying data and metadata standards, e.g., cancer Data Standards Registry and Repository II (caDSR II), and depositing data in established repositories with desirable characteristics. A few key considerations include the use of unique persistent identifiers; protecting privacy and confidentiality; capacity for long-term management; documentations of data retention policies and security measures; and making datasets and their metadata available under the broadest possible terms of reuse.  

Repository selection is a critical part of the DMS Plan. Investigators should consider NCI repository designations specified in the funding opportunity.

A list of repositories (NIH-supported and external) that can host data from NCI-funded projects that can help investigators with selection is available through the Index of NCI Studies. Example repositories include: 

• Domain or data type-specific repositories: Sequence Read Archive (SRA), Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), Imaging Data Commons (IDC), Proteome Data Commons (PDC), Genomic Data Commons (GDC); ProteomeXChange, Clinical and Translational Data Commons (CTDC), Flow Cytometry, Electron Microscopy Data Bank, ICPSR. 
• Non-domain-specific repositories: Cancer Research Data Commons (CRDC),  Dataverse, Figshare, Vivli, Dyrad.