Data Archiving and Sharing Fund

The Data Archiving and Sharing Fund assists University of Tennessee, Knoxville, researchers in openly archiving and preserving data sets by providing up to $250 toward depositing a data set in the data repository Dryad. Supported in full by the University of Tennessee Libraries this fund serves to support UTK researchers in archiving, preserving, and sharing their research data.

Who is eligible? And what are the limitations of the fund?

• The maximum amount of funds provided will cover archiving of up to 70 gigabytes of data in Dryad. 
• Priority will be given to data from unfunded research. We encourage funded researchers to plan for data archiving costs when developing their research budgets.
• Funded research will be considered and will be funded up to the same dollar amount. Any funds needed in excess of $250 (i.e., data sets larger than 70 gigabytes) must come from grant funds.
• Graduate students are also eligible for funding for thesis and dissertation data and should apply in conjunction with a professor. 
• This fund does not support archiving of data related to class assignments or projects.
• The maximum size dataset Dryad will archive is 300 GB.
• Do not apply unless you have your data ready to be archived. Contact dataservices@utk.edu for assistance in preparing data if needed.

Funding Amount & Availability

• $250 per request for up to 70 GB of data.
• Funds are disbursed on a first-come-first-served basis.
• When the fund is depleted, applications will not be accepted until the next fiscal year when funds are replenished.
• Multiple requests from the same researcher/research team will be considered on a case to case basis.

Additional Funding Options

• If your research is already funded please check if your current funding body can cover the cost of data archiving.
• If your data is connected to a published research paper, the publisher may have an agreement with data repositories to cover Data Publishing Charges (DPC’s). Email the journal editor to ask if they have this type of agreement. You can find the list of journals that the Dryad data repository has agreements with at this link.

Application Guidelines and Criteria

• Applicant must be the original creator of the data set to be archived or their designated representative.
• Applicant must have have an ORCID identifier. 
  • Applicants can register for an ORCID at https://orcid.org/register. See the UT Libraries’ ORCID Guide for more information.
• Applicant should review the Good Data Practices webpage at the Dryad website and ensure their data is ready to be archived. 
• Eligible data sets must:
  • be fully open and include a Creative Commons public domain dedication (CC0).
  • not have any restrictions on sharing the data.

What the process looks like:

1. Applicant fills out the short application form (linked below under “Ready to Apply”)
2. UT Libraries will review applications and send out approval notices to applicant and applicant’s business office representative.
3. Applicant deposits data in Dryad.
4. Invoice paid by the applicant’s department/college.
5. Approved applications will lead to reimbursement of the applicant’s affiliated department/college for up to $250 per request.

Questions? Email the UT Libraries’ Department of Data & Digital Scholarship at dataservices@utk.edu.