Desirable Characteristics of Data Repositories for Federally Funded Research

"A key element of the required data management plans is specification of the digital, online, public access data repository or repositories researchers will use for preserving, maintaining, and providing access to Federally supported research data. While some agencies designate specific repositories to be used for particular types of data (e.g., genomic data, topographical data) or a particular type of research (e.g., Arctic research, social sciences research), for much Federally funded research, the selection of a suitable repository is delegated to the researcher or their institutions. Some agencies provide information to assist researchers in the selection of data repositories. However, this information is inconsistent across agencies, including among those that support research in similar or related disciplines. Until now, agencies had not identified the desirable characteristics of data repositories on which to base their assistance to researchers and their institutions. To improve the management and sharing of data from Federally funded research, agencies agreed to leverage the SOS to identify a consistent set of desirable characteristics for data repositories that all agencies could incorporate into the instructions they provide to the research community for selecting data repositories. By establishing common expectations, agencies intend to reduce the complexity for the research community–including investigators, program officers, data managers, librarians, and others–in complying with Federal data sharing policies. Federal agencies can also use this set of characteristics to develop or identify suitable repositories for particular types of data. To carry out this work, agencies within the SOS drew upon existing expertise and experience with data management and sharing. They also reviewed existing criteria promulgated by non-governmental organizations involved in the certification of data repositories (e.g., International Standards Organization, International Science Council). Agencies also took into account input received on a draft set of characteristics issued for public comment in January 2020 (Box 1)....

This guidance document presents the set of desirable characteristics for repositories agreed to by Federal agencies, reflecting the input that OSTP and SOS received and evaluated. It addresses a nearterm need to provide greater consistency across agencies, recognizing that future steps will be needed to better coordinate data storage and management to make data from Federally funded research more findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR), 4 as well as more equitable, inclusive, secure, and trustworthy. The endeavor to improve public access to Federally-supported research makes for a more open government, facilitates evidence-based decision making, and yields greater returns on Americans’ investments in R&D. This guidance document constitutes one set of tools that agencies can use to advance those goals...."