NSF has changed the submission process for data management and sharing plans (DMSPs).
What we know now (last updated May 1, 2026)
- Per NSF-26-202, data management and sharing plans (DMSPs) must be created using a form on Research.gov.
- The Research.gov tool was released on April 27, 2026.
- A preview of the form is available.
- The form is directorate specific. Form elements populate based on the primary directorate of the proposal selected at the time of proposal creation.
- At the time of form launch, most questions are open-ended text boxes. These will likely transition to tables and checkboxes in the future.
- DMSPs can be prepared elsewhere (e.g. in DMPTool) and pasted into the relevant sections of the form on Research.gov.
- DMPTool was recently updated to reflect NSF's changes. To access the new template in DMPTool, choose NSF as the funder, and "NSF Generic DMSP Webform (2026 Update - Research.gov mirror)" as the DMP template you'd like to use.
More information will be released in the coming months. If you have questions in the meantime, please reach out.
