Newswise — Rockville, MD (August 14, 2024) — The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are proud to announce the launch of the 2024 DataWorks! Prize. This prestigious challenge aims to celebrate and reward research teams that propose and execute groundbreaking secondary analysis and data reuse projects, contributing to the advancement of human health. The initiative highlights the significant role that data reuse plays in generating novel scientific findings and providing valuable case studies for the broader research community.

Susan Gregurick, PhD, Director of the NIH Office of Data Science Strategy (ODSS), emphasized the importance of this effort: “The future of biological and biomedical research hinges on the ability of researchers to share and reuse data. Our goal is to incentivize creativity in developing best practices and strategies and to further the NIH’s Data Management and Sharing Policy.”

Prize Details
The 2024 DataWorks! Prize, in collaboration with the seven generalist repositories participating in the NIH-funded Generalist Repositories Ecosystem Initiative (GREI), will focus on best practices in data reuse and secondary analysis that advance human health. The challenge is structured in two phases:

  • Phase One: Research teams will submit a proposal for a secondary analysis research project that can be completed within a six-month period, incorporating data from one or more GREI-participating repositories. Teams may also combine data from other repositories.
  • Phase Two: Selected teams will execute their reuse/secondary analysis projects and publicly share their findings.

To qualify, submissions must:

  • Address a pivotal health research question through data reuse and secondary data analysis.
  • Include data from at least one of the GREI organizations: Dataverse, Dryad, Figshare, Mendeley Data, Open Science Framework, Vivli, or Zenodo.
  • Share results with the broader scientific community.

Submissions for Phase One will be accepted August 14–October 23, 2024.

NIH ODSS will award up to $500,000 total in cash prizes to the challenge winners. The prize purse will be awarded in the following amounts:

  • Phase One: $25,000 per winner, up to 10 winners
  • Phase Two:
    • Grand Prize: $100,000 for one winner
    • Distinguished Achievement Awards: $75,000 per winner, up to 2 winners

To participate in the 2024 DataWorks! Prize, and for more information, visit www.herox.com/dataworks.

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About FASEB
FASEB is comprised of 22 scientific member societies with 110,000 members, making it the largest coalition of biomedical research associations in the United States. FASEB’s mission is to advance health and well-being by promoting research and education in biological and biomedical sciences through collaborative advocacy and service to member societies and their members. Learn more at FASEB.org.

About Office of Data Science Strategy, NIH
The Office of Data Science Strategy (ODSS) leads implementation of the NIH Strategic Plan for Data Science through scientific, technical, and operational collaboration with the institutes, centers, and offices that comprise NIH. The office was formed in 2018 within the Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives, which plans and coordinates trans-NIH initiatives and research supported by the NIH Common Fund. Learn more at datascience.nih.gov.