Overview

A rapid rise in malicious cyber activity and several well-publicized incidents at academic centers led UCSF leadership to determine that a thorough review of our data management and data sharing practices was necessary to ensure the appropriate protection of our data assets.

At the Chancellor’s request, a task force of research, technology, and operational leaders across the University reviewed how we share data with external partners and created a set of recommendations.

What to expect

New contracts that propose data sharing with external entities are being closely reviewed by UCSF's five authorized contracting units. Data sharing agreements that meet any of the criteria below will be escalated by the contracting unit to the IT Governance Committee on Enterprise Information and Analytics (EIA) for evaluation.

Escalation criteria

Data sharing engagements are escalated for review by the IT Governance Committee on Enterprise Information & Analytics. View the escalation criteria.

Task Force recommendations

Based on its findings, the task force has created a set of interim and longer-term recommendations across contracting, technology, security, and data access areas that will help inform process change going forward.

Questions & feedback

We want to hear from you and welcome your questions.

• General project questions: [email protected].
• In-process contract questions: email your specific contract specialist.
• If you might enter into a data sharing agreement but do not have a formal contract in place, contact one of these five UCSF authorized contracting units. (Identify the most appropriate Data Sharing Contracting Unit.)
  • Campus Procurement
  • Health Procurement
  • Health Strategy
  • Innovation Ventures
  • Office of Sponsored Research (OSR) Contracts

Resources & FAQs

If you have questions about sharing de-identified data to meet funder and publisher requirements, please review the guidance on the new page Sharing De-identified Data for Publication.

• Visit view Data Sharing Contracting Units to find the right unit for your external engagement.
• Review our frequently asked questions
• Check out "De-mystifying Data Sharing ... your questions answered by UCSF experts" from the 2020 Research Data Series provides an overview and practical dos and don'ts for data sharing at UCSF. You can watch the session or review slides.
• Check out New NIH Policy for Data Management and Sharing: Get the Scoop! Starting in January of 2023, NIH will be implementing a new Data Management and Sharing Policy. This policy will require all NIH researchers to prospectively plan for how their scientific data will be preserved and shared through submission of a Data Management and Sharing Plan. Learn more about this new policy or attend an upcoming class led by UCSF Data Services Librarian, Ariel Deardorff.

Questions? 

Contact us: [email protected]