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  • Washington Highlights

    AAMC Comments on Data Repositories for Managing Federally Funded Research Data

    Anurupa Dev, Director, Science Policy & Strategy
    Heather Pierce, Senior Director, Science Policy & Regulatory Counsel

    The AAMC submitted a letter on March 10 to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) in response to a request for comment on a draft set of desirable characteristics of data repositories used to locate, manage, share, and use data from federally funded research.

    The comments emphasized the AAMC’s support for improved access to research data and the importance of consistent guidelines on repositories from federal agencies in meeting this goal. The letter noted the importance of data being assigned a citable persistent unique identifier (PUID), which would support data discovery, allow tracking of data reuse, and enable researchers to be credited for the data they deposit.

    The AAMC also agreed that repositories which store data from individuals require additional considerations to ensure adequate privacy and security, as well as controls on use and access, even when those data are considered to be deidentified.

    The comments noted that, in order for data to be successfully reused, they must be not only deposited in an appropriate repository but also adequately curated and able to meet common standards. Providing additional guidance on these topics is essential to meeting the end goal of effectively sharing the results of federally funded research.