Data Ownership

UTSA’s data ownership and retention policy includes the following tenets:

1. Principal Investigators and others involved in research are stewards of the data they collect. As with other issues related to scientific integrity, UTSA is committed to upholding the highest standards of responsible research practices. This commitment includes helping researchers record, collect, manage, and retain data that includes sufficient detail and for an adequate period of time to enable appropriate responses to questions about accuracy, authenticity, and primacy.
2. Research or sponsored project data belongs to UTSA. UTSA can be held accountable for the integrity of data even after the PI(s) have left the university and records are normally retained in the unit where they are produced (e.g., department or research center).
3. PIs may be allowed to retain copies of the original data and research records, consistent with the precepts of academic freedom and intellectual integrity. In the event that PIs or other key researchers leave UTSA, they may negotiate an agreement to allow transfer of research data and/or records. If a funded project is transferred to another institution, ownership of the data may be transferred with appropriate approvals and with a written agreement between UTSA and the new institution.
4. Research Data and Records must be kept at least three to seven years, depending on the governmental requirements applicable to the project. Original data may be kept for as long as may be necessary to:
   1. Investigate any allegations of scientific, scholarly, or financial misconduct or conflict of interest,
   2. Protect any intellectual property resulting from the work, and
   3. If a student is involved, at least until the degree is awarded or it is clear that the student has abandoned the work.

Additional information is available in the UTSA HOP 10.09, Research and Other Sponsored Projects Data or Record Ownership and Retention.

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