BBSRC Data Sharing Policy

1. BBSRC Data Sharing Policy Best Practices in Sharing Data March 2006 Dr Charlotte Capener Senior Programme Manager Science and Technology Group BBSRC

2. BBSRC Data Sharing Policy • Background and context • Policy development project • Consultation process • Current status • Policy Statement • Implementation • Next steps

3. Principles of data sharing • General: • Widely accepted: data arising from public research investment should be publicly available • As a publicly funded body, BBSRC is committed to obtaining best value for the funds we invest • Scientific: • Data sharing reinforces open scientific inquiry and stimulates new investigations and analyses • New bioscience research methods mean increasingly large amounts of research data

4. Role of BBSRC • Ownership of data generated through BBSRC sponsored research lies with researchers and institutions, not BBSRC • BBSRC to provide guidance and mechanisms to facilitate and support data sharing • Data sharing must be • Driven by scientific need • Cost effective BBSRC role • To encourage, facilitate, stimulate – not to force or enforce Community–led approach

5. Background and context • Policy development project • Consultation process • Current status • Policy Statement • Implementation • Future plans

6. Early developments • Outline of requirement for data management in Safeguarding Good Scientific Practice document • Discussion at joint Council, Strategy Board and Committee meeting autumn 2003 • Responsibility given to Tools & Resources Strategy Panel, established autumn 2004 • Data Sharing Policy Working Group set up

7. Data sharing policy: Project outline • Consultation 1: Key issues Report to Working Group October 2005 • Consultation 2: Draft Policy Statement Report to Working Group March 2006 • Working Group final report to Tools & Resources March 2006 • BBSRC Strategy Board approval of policy and implementation plans June 2006 • Implementationsummer / autumn 2006 Tools & Resources Strategy Panel Data Policy Working Group Peter Ghazal Edinburgh BBSRC Research Community and stakeholders

8. Guiding principles of policy development • Consistent messages regarding policy with other life science funders (MRC, NERC, NIH) • Build on existing resources and standards • Driven by scientific benefit and led by research community – need consultation • Recognise different (and changing) requirements and practices • Recognise resource requirements

9. Consultation 1: Some Comments… • Good Principle, Strong Support (University of York; Hinchliffee, University of Manchester; Pickett, Rothamsted Research; IGER; Swedlow, University of Dundee; University of Nottingham) In principle we all strongly support data sharing, and agree on the need for a policy (IGER) • Highly desirable (Micklem, University of Cambridge) • Welcome the initiative (Veterinary Laboratories Agency) • UK already signed up to the principle of data sharing: Non negotiable The BBSRC is far behind in implementing best practice in this area. The comparison with NERC is embarrassing. (King, University of Wales, Aberystwyth) • Develop Policy in line with best international practice and consult with other UK funders (Research Committees; JIC; IGER) • The current attempts being driven by bioinformaticians to get access to datasets that they could not get access to in any other way through the regular channels(Koentges, Wolfson Institute of Biomedical Research) • Implementation details must reflect the reality of the different disciplines of modern biological research (University of Dundee)

10. Consultation 1: Key issues • Data areas – need to reflect the drivers – where is there most scientific need? • High throughput (e.g. ‘omics) and • Long time series – unique and cumulative • Data types – importance of quality, provenance, and metadata • Timeliness – need for flexible approach depending on data area • IP – need to avoid conflicting requirements Overall positive response to consultation

11. Consultation 2: Some Comments… • Broadly welcomes the incorporation of many of our initial concerns into the draft policy (JIC) Pleased to note that many of our points… have been taken up in the draft policy (IFR) • General approval of the draft policy (IGER) • The Biology Departmenrt at York welcomes the draft policy statement (University of York; Hinchliffee, University of Manchester; Pickett, Rothamsted Research; IGER; Sedlow, University of Dundee) • The BBSRC will need to acknowledge that data sharing will require additional effort(Roslin) • Welcome the recognition that different scientific traditions and disciplines have different data sharing requirements (Rothamsted) • Future problems with dealing with large datasets should not be underestimated (University of Oxford) • Develop Policy in line with best international practice and consult with other UK funders (Research Committees; JIC; IGER) • This policy shows the same lack of awareness of the international policy context of BBSRC research… (Global taxonomy initiative)

12. Consultation 2: Draft statement • Timeliness: need for flexibility in line with varying current practices • Longer term maintenance and curation of data –policy focuses on sharing, not archiving – different policies and processed required • Monitoring of data sharing activities and enforcement of the policy – effect on future funding applications • Definition of datatypes and data areas–need for clear scientific benefit and cost effectiveness. Policy focuses on data, not models or software General agreement that policy is suitably flexible and implementation mechanisms are appropriate

13. Background and context • Policy development project • Consultation process • Current status • Policy Statement • Implementation • Future plans

14. Current Status • 2 documents • High level policy statement • Implementation guidance • Pilot proposed in Systems Biology • Final versions to be discussed by Tools & Resources Panel 22 March • Approval to be sought from Strategy Board in June

15. Policy statement • The Data Sharing Policy statement is a high-level document, establishing • Context and Role of BBSRC • Principles of data sharing • Data should be made publicly available in a timely fashion • Data sharing should be driven by scientific need and be cost effective • Existing standards and resources should be used where possible • Policy statement should be read alongside implementation guidance to provide context

16. Implementation • Could apply to all BBSRC supported researchers • Two themes of implementation • Integrating data sharing into the processes of supporting and monitoring research • Facilitating and encouraging data sharing in the bioscience community • Support for both themes through a combination of different mechanisms

17. Integration into support for research • Applicants to include data sharing plans in research grant proposals • These will be considered by reviewers and Assessment Committee members • Separate from scientific merit • Plans considered inappropriate may be dealt with by feedback or conditional awards • Data Sharing will be monitored through research grant final reports • Costs for sharing data to be included as part of full economic cost of proposal

18. Research grant guidance Guidance on key issues: • Research grant proposals • Data sharing plans • Assessment of data sharing plans • Areas for data sharing and types of data • Standards and metadata • Methods of data sharing • Timeframe for data sharing • Secondary use of data • Proprietary data • Data maintenance and curation • Funding for sharing of research data • Monitoring of data sharing through final reports • BBSRC sponsored institutes

19. Areas for data sharing • Effective data sharing already practiced in certain areas – this should continue • Data sharing in other areas is expected where there is a scientific and cost benefit in doing so • 2 areas highlighted where the case for data sharing is strong: • High volume experimentation • Long time series studies • Policy does not cover models, software, publications

20. Research grant guidance Guidance on key issues: • Research grant proposals • Data sharing plans • Assessment of data sharing plans • Areas for data sharing and types of data • Standards and metadata • Methods of data sharing • Timeframe for data sharing • Secondary use of data • Proprietary data • Data maintenance and curation • Funding for sharing of research data • Monitoring of data sharing through final reports • BBSRC sponsored institutes

21. Methods of data sharing • Different approaches valid in different situations • Encourage sharing through established databases / resources • Share directly on request where this is not possible / appropriate • Restricted access mechanisms permitted

22. Mechanisms to facilitate and encourage data sharing • Funds to support • development of standards and software tools which enable data sharing; • community resources and facilitate development of data sharing approaches in specific communities; • data sharing activities as part of the full economic cost of research projects. • Provision of information and guidance to applicants - existing standards, guidelines, databases and resources. • Support for relevant training activities.

23. Funding Mechanisms • Responsive mode research grants: data sharing aspart of the full economic cost of a research project. • Tools & Resources Development Fund - to support networking, collaborative activities, small pump-priming projects including those which enable data sharing (e.g. standards & tools development); • Cross-Committee Priority area in Bioinformatics and e-Science –support through responsive mode for development of computational tools including those to enable data sharing. • Engineering and Biological Systems Committee: Bioinformatics theme • To encourage innovative approaches to the design of algorithms, software and analytical methods that allow integration of biological data collections from diverse sources for a defined and useful biological purpose; • To facilitate the wide dissemination and use of software and data collections generated by the programme, e.g. via GRID technology; • To support communities of scientists to establish common electronic data standards and to curate the data in a way that is compatible with the widest possible sharing of this data. • Support for Bioinformatic and Biological Resources Tools and Resources Strategy Panel to develop a funding mechanism for “more sustainable” support for strategic resources such as databases which require long term maintenance and curation.

24. Pilot: Systems Biology • Strong case for community data sharing and potential value to be gained from secondary use • high volume experimentation • large scale collaborative approaches • Centres for Integrative Systems Biology (CISBs) already committed to operating in line with Data Sharing Policy • Leadership role, best practice in emerging area • Third call for proposals in systems biology • Test of processes and guidance • Insight into wider financial implications of policy implementation in research grants. • Support for emerging standards and resources

25. Background and context • Policy development project • Consultation process • Current status • Policy Statement • Implementation • Future plans

26. Future plans • Policy statement and implementation to be ratified by BBSRC Strategy Board • Pilot study – data sharing in Integrative and Systems Biology initiative • Research grants implementation – summer / autumn • Support for sustainability of data resources • RCUK common framework • Life sciences data sharing alliance

27. http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/society/consult/data_sharing_policy/welcome.htmlhttp://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/society/consult/data_sharing_policy/welcome.html