Research Data Management

Long-term Storage

Long-term storage and preservation seek to ensure that research data will be available to those who seek it in a persistent and accessible format for the specific period of time outlined by funders and institutional policies. These data retention periods also allow for a measured period of time to pass so that a better assessment of the long-term impact of a research project can be evaluated.

The University of California Research Data Policy stipulates that as stewards of the Research Data, Principal Investigators at UC Davis are responsible for making decisions regarding what Research Data should be preserved or dispositioned, provided that legal, funder, or contractual requirements are met. Principal Investigators are responsible for knowing retention requirements of their scholarly discipline, campus departments, funding agencies, and applicable law and regulation, and for following the most stringent of these multiple requirements. Principal Investigators must take the following key circumstances into account when determining the retention period:

• Inventions: Research Data must be kept as long as necessary to protect intellectual property and to complete University patenting and licensing procedures for inventions.
• Allegations, Investigations and Litigation: If Research Data are the subject of any allegations of research or other misconduct, investigations or litigation, the University and University Researchers must preserve potentially relevant information until the Vice Chancellor for Research (or their designee), in consultation with Campus Counsel, issues instructions regarding disposition.
• FDA-Regulated Research: If a research project involves articles regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), consistent with 21 C.F.R. §§ 312.6 and 812.140, Principal Investigators must keep records for two years or as long as required following the date a marketing application is approved for the product; or if a marketing application is not filed or FDA-approved, for two years after the investigation is terminated, completed, or otherwise discontinued and the FDA is notified.
• Student Participation in Research: If, in advancing to a degree, a student participates in the design, conduct or reporting of research, the Research Data connected to that research must be retained until the student has been awarded a degree, or until the student is no longer working on the project or is not enrolled in the University.

Assistance

For additional guidance on how long to retain different types of records or to obtain assistance with handling records that have met their mandated retention periods, contact the Information Practices Team in the Office of Campus Counsel.