Check a draft NIH Data Management and Sharing Plan against the required 2026 format elements

Takes an investigator's draft DMS Plan text (no participant data) and drafts a gap list against NIH's Writing a Data Management and Sharing Plan page: the 2026 DMS Plan format is now required for all competing and non-competing awards; it asks yes or no questions on maximum appropriate sharing, timing (by publication or by the end of the period of performance), and availability for as long as repository or journal policies require; any "no" needs a stated ethical, legal or technical reason in 300 words or fewer; it asks about participant privacy protections and access controls, a table of key data types and repositories (100 words maximum), and Genomic Data Sharing questions where they apply. The gap list also flags reasons NIH says are generally not justifiable (data too small, not widely used, no suitable repository) and reminds staff that a summary and costs go in the budget justification.

Human in the loop: Investigator writes every answer; research administrator reviews the gap list before submission. The workflow never decides what data may be shared. Limits: Not a substitute for the funding Institute or Center's own expectations, which NIH says can add standards or repository rules. Consent and genomic certification questions stay with the IRB and investigator. NIH notes the format was adjusted on Oct 6, 2026, so the check names the page version used. No participant data as inputs. Methodology 1.0: Strong candidate for replay.