The Directorate of Neural Continuity has released Version 0.9 of the Neural Data Preservation Framework (DSC-TR-2026-011) as a draft for comment. Comments will be accepted until 15 December 2026.
WASHINGTON — The Directorate of Neural Continuity today released Neural Data Preservation Framework (NDPF), Version 0.9 — Preliminary (DSC-TR-2026-011) as a draft for comment. The framework was prepared with the Continuity Infrastructure Administration (CIA-DSC) and is a Phase I deliverable of the Neural Continuity Research Program.
The NDPF proposes standards for how neural research data, including synaptic-resolution imaging volumes, the reconstructions derived from them, and associated physiological and behavioral recordings, should be described, verified, protected and retained over long periods. Such datasets are among the largest produced in any field of science, and their value for future research depends on their remaining complete, interpretable and traceable to their origin for decades.
“The framework concerns data, and the obligations that come with holding it,” said the Director, Directorate of Neural Continuity. “Whatever the long-term questions in this field turn out to have as answers, the data collected now must be kept in a way that respects the people and organisms it came from and that future researchers can trust. We are publishing a preliminary version because we want it tested by people outside the Department before it is final.”
Scope of the draft
The draft framework addresses:
- metadata and provenance requirements linking each dataset to its acquisition protocol, instruments and processing history;
- integrity verification and replication, drawing on the archival media assessment in DSC-TR-2026-005;
- consent, access control and privacy protections for data derived from human tissue;
- formats and documentation intended to keep data interpretable as software and hardware change; and
- long-term custody arrangements at Continuity Research Facilities Bravo and Charlie.
The framework is consistent with the acquisition requirements described in DSC-TR-2026-009. It does not address whether preserved data could support the reconstruction of an individual’s cognition, which remains an open research question; related questions of identity are treated in DSC-WP-2026-006.
Comment period
The Department invites comments from researchers, data stewards, ethicists, archivists and members of the public. The comment period closes on 15 December 2026. Comments may be submitted through the process described on the Contact page. The Directorate will publish a summary of comments received, and its responses, with the next version of the framework.
Media inquiries may also be submitted through the Contact page.