R&D Partners

What R&D Partners does

R&D Partners is a specialist staffing and workforce solutions provider focused exclusively on the life sciences sector, founded in 2002 and headquartered in London with additional offices in Basel, Dublin, Leeds, Tunbridge Wells, Munich, Frankfurt, San Diego, Philadelphia, and Menlo Park. The company reports a delivery network spanning 45 countries, 60+ dedicated recruiters, and 7,500+ cumulative contract and permanent placements, supported by a community of 38,000 senior-level executives. Its core offering spans six staffing products: Functional Service Provider (FSP), Managed Service Provider (MSP), Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO), Executive Search, Permanent Recruitment, and Contingent Staffing, organised around 15 functional and therapeutic specialisms including Biometrics, Clinical Development, Regulatory Affairs, Medical Affairs, Quality Assurance, and Medical Technology.

The underlying technology stack combines the HireVue digital interview platform with AI-powered tooling for job description review, CV reformatting, CV-to-role matching, chatbot triage, and qualifying screening, alongside a public job portal, a contractor timesheet portal, and a CV registration system. R&D Partners generates revenue through a mix of transaction fees on permanent and executive placements, professional services fees on contingent staffing, and managed services contracts under MSP, RPO, and FSP engagements, with all pricing quote-based and not publicly disclosed.

Since 2022 R&D Partners has operated as a subsidiary of Acacium Group, and in October 2025 it unified with sister brand Hobson Prior under the single R&D Partners identity. The combined business is led by Managing Director Dan Jones and sits within Acacium's Life Sciences Division under CEO Paul Strouts. Customer evidence indicates an enterprise-led mix of global pharmaceutical companies, clinical-stage biotechs in cell and gene therapy, medtech firms, and CROs, delivered through consultative direct sales, embedded consultant models, and event-led demand generation including the Medtech Founders Summit and Medtech Startup Showcase.

Name

R&D Partners

Legal name

ICSG Ltd

Website

https://r-dpartners.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

R&D Partners is a specialist life sciences staffing and workforce solutions firm serving pharma, biotech, medtech, and CRO clients globally through FSP, MSP, RPO, permanent, contingent, and executive search offerings, operating as a subsidiary of Acacium Group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Life Sciences Staffing Services

NAICS

Human Resources Consulting Services (541612), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (541), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Functional Service Providers (FSP) & Resourcing CROs (HLAGAAAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Life Sciences & Biotech (R&D/Clinical) Staffing (BPACADAL), Clinical Operations & Monitoring FSP (CRA/CTM/Start-up) (HLAGAOAA), Regulatory Affairs & Submissions FSP (HLAGAOAD), Quality Assurance, GxP Compliance & Auditing FSP (HLAGAOAE)

Keywords

• Life sciences staffing
• Pharmaceutical recruitment
• Biotech talent acquisition
• Workforce solutions
• Executive search life sciences

Headquarters

HQ city

Redwood City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Permanent Recruitment Services: Retained and contingent fee-based permanent placement services for life sciences organisations. Manages the entire hiring process from role scoping and talent mapping to offer negotiation and onboarding.
2. Contingent Staffing: Provides fast, flexible access to skilled professionals for interim or project-based roles, sustaining momentum and keeping critical projects on track for life sciences organisations.
3. Managed Service Provider (MSP): Centralised end-to-end staffing solution that streamlines the recruitment process for contingent talent, providing vendor oversight, cost transparency, and scalable hiring.
4. Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO): Integrated recruitment expertise embedded within client teams to manage full hiring lifecycle from global sourcing and screening to compliance and onboarding.
5. Functional Service Provider (FSP): Rapid access to experienced teams across site selection, clinical monitoring and data management, improving efficiency and reducing time to market.
6. Executive Search: Targeted, consultative approach to identify and engage C-suite talent with niche expertise and strategic alignment, managing searches with precision and discretion.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

R&D Partners is a life sciences-focused staffing agency that delivers recruitment and workforce solutions, including permanent placement, contingent staffing, executive search, and managed-service offerings (FSP, MSP, RPO), supported by 60+ specialist recruiters across 15 functional specialisms and a global talent network spanning 45 countries. The firm places clinical, scientific, regulatory, quality, biometrical, medical affairs, engineering, and commercial professionals into pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical technology, and CRO organisations.

Product overview

R&D Partners operates as a unified platform of staffing and workforce solutions for the life sciences sector. The core offering consists of six staffing solutions: Functional Service Provider (FSP), Managed Service Provider (MSP), Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO), Executive Search, Permanent Recruitment, and Contingent Staffing. These services are complemented by specialized expertise across 15 therapeutic and functional specialisms including Biometrics, Clinical Development, Clinical Operations, Regulatory Affairs, Quality Assurance, and others. Supporting tools include a Timesheet Portal for contractors, a Refer a Friend Programme for talent sourcing, and a Medtech Startup Showcase platform for industry visibility. The company was formed through the rebranding of Hobson Prior and R&D Partners under Acacium Group in October 2025.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Functional Service Provider (FSP) Provides rapid access to experienced teams across site selection, clinical monitoring, and data management for life sciences clients, delivering tailored services that improve efficiency, reduce time to market, and ensure compliance across the drug and device development lifecycle.
• Managed Service Provider (MSP) Centralised end-to-end staffing solution that streamlines the recruitment process for contingent talent, providing vendor oversight, cost transparency, compliance, and scalable hiring for life sciences organisations.
• Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) Integrated recruitment expertise embedded within client teams to manage the full hiring lifecycle, from global sourcing and screening to compliance and onboarding, for life sciences organisations.
• Executive Search Targeted, consultative approach to identify and engage C-suite and senior-level talent with niche expertise and strategic alignment for life sciences organisations.
• Permanent Recruitment Global permanent placement service combining local market expertise with international reach to manage the entire hiring process via headhunting-led talent acquisition for life sciences organisations.
• Contingent Staffing Provides fast, flexible access to skilled life sciences professionals for interim or project-based roles, sustaining momentum and keeping critical projects on track.

Quantifiable outcome

• 10 of 15 required QA consultants placed achieving 2.4:1 CV-to-placement ratio
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability7 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Hobson PriorcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 October 2025Hobson Prior and R&D Partners united under a single global brand in October 2025, bringing together combined expertise and strengthening ability to deliver workforce solutions across the life sciences sector. Both entities operated under Acacium Group.
• Acacium GroupcoreOthers · 1 January 2022R&D Partners was acquired by Acacium Group in 2022 to strengthen its global life sciences capabilities. Both Hobson Prior and R&D Partners are part of Acacium Group, a global healthcare and life sciences delivery partner with over 40 years of experience. The rebrand unified both businesses under the R&D Partners brand in October 2025.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• ProClinical: Sister company of R&D Partners under Acacium Group, providing life sciences staffing across clinical, regulatory, and scientific roles. Direct peer in the same parent portfolio with overlapping specialisms and customer base.
• Real Staffing (SThree): Specialist life sciences, clinical, and medical communications staffing arm of SThree plc. Directly comparable in target market, service mix (permanent, contract, FSP), and global reach across pharma and biotech.
• Hays Life Sciences: Life sciences division of Hays plc covering biotech, pharma, and medical device hiring. Comparable in enterprise staffing, multi-geography presence, and dedicated life sciences specialisms (clinical, regulatory, QA).
• Michael Page Life Sciences: Specialist life sciences recruitment arm of PageGroup serving pharma, biotech, and medtech clients. Comparable in mid-to-senior permanent placement focus and global office network.
• CK Group (CK Science): UK-based scientific, clinical, and engineering recruitment firm. Direct peer in life sciences and biotech staffing, with comparable specialisms and a similar focus on UK and European clients.
• Planet Pharma: US-headquartered life sciences staffing provider covering clinical, scientific, regulatory, and engineering roles. Comparable in FSP-style service delivery and US-centric enterprise client base.
• Barrington James: Global specialist recruitment firm focused on pharma, biotech, medical device, and CRO sectors. Comparable in dedicated life sciences specialisms, global footprint, and executive search offerings.
• Skills Alliance: Life sciences and pharmaceuticals recruitment specialist with offices in London, New York, and Germany. Comparable in pharma/biotech focus and regulatory/clinical specialism coverage.

Broad incumbents

• SThree plc: Global specialist staffing parent of Real Staffing, Computer Futures, and Progressive Recruitment. Broader incumbent offering life sciences as one vertical among many STEM and tech disciplines.
• Randstad Life Sciences: Life sciences arm of Randstad, one of the world's largest staffing firms. Broad incumbent with deeper resources but less specialist focus than R&D Partners, competing for the same enterprise RPO/MSP contracts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@hobsonprior9154
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/r&d-partners_2
• Instagraminstagram.com/rdpartnerslifesciences
• Xx.com/RDPartners
• Facebookfacebook.com/rdpartners

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about R&D Partners