RDDI: Q&A

The following Q&A provides further information about the RDDI project, including the proposed system, key milestones, and how we are engaging with stakeholders. This page will continue to be updated as the project progresses.

Q&A

What will the system provide?

The core business objective is to establish a single, integrated national research delivery system; rolled out across England initially, then Wales and Northern Ireland and Scotland subsequently, working towards a UK-wide approach.

RDDI System will provide a unified, modular platform that can support both national and local research delivery functions. This system will provide shared access to research data and study lifecycle management, while also ensuring seamless integration with other critical national research data sets and research systems e.g. NIHR Funding & Awards System and the Integrated Research Application System (IRAS) and its replacement.

In addition, the system will provide a public dashboard of the status of research delivery nationally. Patients, the public, researchers, research charities, industry and other stakeholders will be able to access health and care research delivery data within the system through a free to use public portal.

What are the Key Milestones for delivery?

November 2025: Request for Information (RFI) Published
December 2025: Request for Information (RFI) Deadline for responses
November 2025 – July 2026: Preparation for Implementation
February 2026 – Further Request for Information (RFI) Published
March 2026 – Further Request for Information (RFI) responses received
April 2026: Invitation to Tender published
September 2026: Contract Award
September 2026 – March 2027: Implementation of winning system and data migration

Correct as of February 2026

How are stakeholders being engaged?

We have undertaken extensive stakeholder engagement as part of the initial Request for Information (RFI) process. This included detailed desk-based research and over 20 meetings involving more than 150 individuals across key stakeholder groups. This collaborative approach ensured a broad range of perspectives were captured early in the process. Further stakeholder engagement activities will be defined and implemented during the detailed requirements gathering phase for the procurement stage, ensuring continued alignment and transparency.

In addition to stakeholder engagement to support the procurement process, there will also be significant engagement and joint working in preparation for and during the implementation phase.

Were other options considered?

Yes, a number of procurement options were explored to ensure the most efficient and impactful approach. These included building the solution in-house versus purchasing an existing product.

Different parts of the research system collect, store and use research delivery data in different ways – how will this be harmonised?

To enable a truly UK-wide overview of health and care research delivery, relevant parts of the research system need to be measuring and reporting the same thing in the same way. Therefore, alongside and very much linked with the procurement process, DHSC, working with its equivalents in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland will be initiating work to harmonise the collection and definition of research delivery data. This will, over time, ensure that data and information collated and analysed nationally through RDDI will be accurate and consistent. An example of this harmonisation work in England is the work underway to report against the Prime Minister’s target to reduce clinical trial set-up time to 150 days or less.