The grantee institution transmits the data to the FOIA coordinator of the funding IC along with an accounting of all associated costs. NIH will develop guidance on how to estimate associated costs. The FOIA coordinator and a knowledgeable program official from the funding IC review the submitted data. The FOIA coordinator responds to the requestor, issues a final invoice for the fees, and transmits the data. Only data collected under grants awarded after the effective date of the amendment are affected.
All investigators are free to share their data if they so choose.
However, when a request will be addressed through amended A-110, the caller should be referred to the FOIA office at the funding NIH Institute or Center. A Certificate of Confidentiality protects identifying information of subjects. It does not exempt the entire data set. However, it should be noted that identifying information is also protected under FOIA as well as under the A-110 amendment. No, commercial organizations are exempted.