Funding agencies worldwide are moving rapidly to ensure that data from publicly funded research are shared widely and freely (see, for instance, go.nature.com/3rsujk3). For example, from 25 January 2023, researchers supported by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) must submit plans on how their raw data will be managed and shared (see go.nature.com/34hvtfh). However, it is not always clear how such efforts will be paid for in practice.
It takes time and effort for researchers to comply with new data mandates — in reformatting, depositing and so on. Other funding agencies should follow the NIH’s lead and require grant applications to set out how this work is to be done, and explicitly underwrite it with earmarked monies. Universities will need to invest in data-science centres and academic data managers.
Data mandates benefit research collaborations by ensuring that findings are reproducible and that data are safely stored in standard formats. They also enable secondary or meta-analyses that can lead to more discoveries. The potential for unrestricted data sharing has been evident during the COVID-19 pandemic (see, for instance, E. Dong et al. Lancet Infect. Dis. 20, 533–534; 2020).