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202510 Data Sharing for Demographic Research Infrastructure Program (DSDR)

​Program seeks Council approval for an initiative titled, “Data Sharing for Demographic Research Infrastructure Program (DSDR).” This initiative will continue to fund a repository for datasets produced through support from the Population Dynamics Branch (PDB)—and other components of the Division of Extramural Research—that can be used to advance the scientific mission of researchers within NICHD’s scientific scope.

DSDR is widely used by NICHD grantees; complies with NIH data sharing requirements; is listed in the NLM Open Domain-Specific Data Sharing Repositories; and holds more than 3,000 datasets containing over 1.5 million variables. It provides archiving, curation, and dissemination services that are not available through other repositories used by NICHD-funded researchers, such as the NICHD Data and Specimen Hub (DASH), and offers data archiving and dissemination services beyond the those required by NIH data sharing policy. This repository houses unique data from qualitative studies, unstructured data sources, and studies of sensitive topics that require careful that maximize data access and reuse while also maintaining protections for research participants.

The grantee will be expected to provide resources to researchers on best practices for archiving data, including information about sharing qualitative and other sensitive data. Annually, DSDR will be required to process 20-40 new and updated datasets; disseminate 135 datasets and their documentation; review and oversee 30 data use agreements; facilitate 700,000 or more downloads of data, documentation, and other resources; maintain a guide to NICHD PDB archived data including data archived elsewhere; and provide technical assistance to 1,500-2,000 users.

This recompeting initiative is an open competition that will fund one repository. University of Michigan has been the grantee since 2003, but if another institution wins the competition, the University of Michigan is required to transfer the archive.

This proposed concept aligns with the NICHD strategic plan’s goal of scientific stewardship via “facilitating data sharing.” This goal is more critical than ever with NIH’s data sharing mandate. The concept also supports training and career development by “broaden[ing] participation in NICHD research” and “cultivat[ing] investigators at critical stages of their research careers.” The concept also aligns with PDB’s overarching mission by providing infrastructure that supports research and data collection in demography, reproductive health, and population health.

Program Contact

Randy Capps 
Population Dynamics Branch (PDB)

 

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