The increasing digitalization in the life sciences has led to numerous opportunities for addressing challenges in health, agricultural, environmental, and other sectors. Life scientists are generating and analyzing large amounts of data from various sources and although data from scientific research are not necessarily sensitive, they may represent the outcomes of significant investment at an individual, institutional, governmental, and industry level. To protect these investments, the National Academies is conducting a project to better understand effective practices for the governance of life sciences data and knowledge within research institutions.