Overview
NCI-funded researchers – intramural and extramural – are encouraged to share their data through the CRDC, in line with NIH’s Data Management and Sharing Policy. This involves two distinct processes:
- Submission Request: This involves completing an application in the CRDC Submission Portal that is reviewed by the CRDC Submission Review Committee.
- Data Submission: This involves uploading data through the CRDC Submission Portal. This process is open once the Submission Request has been accepted by the CRDC Submission Review Committee.
Submission Request Instructions
Researchers are advised to allow sufficient time for the full process to be sure they comply with the data sharing timelines specified by the NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy.
The process includes completing the Submission Request form and receiving approval from the CRDC Submission Review Committee (which can take four to six weeks). If accepted, that is followed by the submitter completing the data submission and the respective Data Commons making the data publicly available.
Data Submission Requirements
The CRDC Submission Review Committee reviews Submission Request forms and considers how the data and the study methodology contribute to the greater research community. The team also considers if:
- Studies are NCI-funded or NIH-funded
- Data are ready to be submitted
- The study has been registered in dbGaP, if it contains controlled access data
- The data are from human, canine, mouse, zebrafish, or other studies
The submitter will be requested to confirm that the data they plan to submit are de-identified.
Submission Request
Process and Timing
The Principal Investigator (PI) or the primary contact will fill out the Submission Request form through the CRDC Submission Portal. Once completed, the CRDC Submission Review Committee will evaluate the application and share their decision in four to six weeks. The status of the request can be tracked through the Submission Portal.
Note: Studies that contain controlled access data must be registered in dbGaP prior to completing the Submission Request form. Learn more about registering your study in dbGaP.
Instructions and Portal
Submission Request Instructions Detailed instructions are provided as a PDF.
Submission Request Link to the portal for making a Submission Request.
Data Submission
Process and Timing
Once the Submission Request has been approved by the CRDC Submission Review Committee, the submitter may proceed to data submission. The PI or primary contact will be assigned a data concierge who will work with them and provide assistance throughout the data submission process.
The submission process involves uploading and validating a metadata manifest and the data files through the CRDC Submission Portal. When a dataset has passed all validations, the final submission is pushed to the Data Submission team for review before it is released to the appropriate CRDC Data Commons, which make the data available through their portals.
For users looking to align their data with CRDC standards before starting the submission process, the data model viewer is available to outline the types of data required. Users can also download the data dictionary and sample metadata templates to guide their submission process. These resources are available through the CRDC Data Submission Portal through the Model Navigator in the menu.
In addition, a comprehensive list of CRDC standard CDEs can be found at caDSR. Click the “CRDC Standard Data Elements” link in the Links to Favorites section or download them from the getCRDCList endpoint of the caDSR API.
Instructions and Portal
Data Submission Instructions Detailed instructions are provided as a PDF.
Data Submission Link to the portal for making a Data Submission.
Helpful Links
In submitting data to the CRDC, users are expected to understand NIH’s Data Management and Sharing Policy, general procedures for working within the NIH/NCI data ecosystem, and CRDC’s data standards.
- FAQs - Find answers to common questions
- Learn more about establishing a Login.gov account
- Learn more about NIH’s Data Management and Sharing Policy
- Learn more about NIH's Common Data Elements (CDE) guidelines
- Learn more about CRDC’s Data Commons
- Learn more about the Select Datasets housed within the CRDC
Contact the CRDC Help Desk with any general inquiries, including questions about the Submission Request form or the Data Submission process.