R&D Partners
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.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2002
- HeadquartersRedwood City, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
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.
R&D Partners firmographics
Firmographics- 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
R&D Partners industry classification
Industry- 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
Where R&D Partners is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Redwood City
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices10 records
Markets served
R&D Partners business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Functional Service Provider (FSP): Rapid access to experienced teams across site selection, clinical monitoring and data management, improving efficiency and reducing time to market.
- 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
R&D Partners product offering
Product offeringCore 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
Companies that use R&D Partners
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
R&D Partners technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
AI capability7 records
Feature2 records
R&D Partners partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Hobson PriorcoreHobson 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 GroupcoreR&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
R&D Partners competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect 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
R&D Partners social profiles
Digital presenceR&D Partners compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
R&D Partners financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
R&D Partners leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
R&D Partners funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
R&D Partners M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about R&D Partners
What does R&D Partners do?
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.
Is R&D Partners a public or private company?
R&D Partners is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was R&D Partners founded?
R&D Partners was founded in 2002. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is R&D Partners based?
R&D Partners is headquartered in Redwood City, United States, in the North America region.
How does R&D Partners make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Permanent Recruitment Services are the primary driver. The others are contingent Staffing, managed Service Provider (MSP), recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO), functional Service Provider (FSP) and executive Search.
Who are R&D Partners's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are ProClinical, Real Staffing (SThree), Hays Life Sciences, Michael Page Life Sciences, CK Group (CK Science), Planet Pharma, Barrington James and Skills Alliance. Broad incumbents are SThree plc and Randstad Life Sciences.
Does R&D Partners have an API?
No public API is recorded for R&D Partners.
What industry is R&D Partners in?
R&D Partners's product category is Life Sciences Staffing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAGAAAM, Functional Service Providers (FSP) & Resourcing CROs, with a secondary code of BPACADAL, Life Sciences & Biotech (R&D/Clinical) Staffing. Its NAICS code is 541612 and its SIC code is 7361.