HRA
The Health Research Authority (HRA) is a UK statutory non-departmental public body, established under the Care Act 2014, that regulates health and social care research across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales — providing ethics review, HRA Approval, CAG Section 251 advice, and the IRAS/HARP digital platforms, funded through government appropriations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What HRA does
The Health Research Authority (HRA) is a UK executive non-departmental public body established under the Care Act 2014 that protects and promotes the interests of patients and the public in health and social care research while streamlining the regulation of that research. It operates across all four UK nations (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales) in coordination with the Devolved Administrations, and is sponsored by the UK Department of Health and Social Care. Headquartered at 2 Redman Place, Stratford, London, with additional offices in Manchester, Nottingham, Newcastle, and Bristol, the organisation employs 101–250 staff and is governed under the UK Policy Framework for Health and Social Care Research (currently version 3.4, April 2026), which set out 19 principles of good practice.
HRA's core offerings are the centralised HRA Approval service, Research Ethics Committees (65+ across the UK) that deliver ethical opinions, and the Confidentiality Advisory Group (CAG) that provides Section 251 advice under the NHS Act 2006 for access to confidential patient information without consent. The supporting technology stack includes the Integrated Research Application System (IRAS) — a single UK-wide online submission gateway — the HRA Assessment Review Portal (HARP) for processing applications, the Over-Volunteering Prevention System (TOPS) for managing volunteer records across trials, and the NIHR-hosted Learning Management System (NIHR Learn) used by staff, committee members, and researchers. Together these platforms collapse what were previously multiple national approval pathways into a single proportionate, risk-based review.
HRA is funded through government appropriations under the Care Act 2014 and provides regulatory services at no direct cost to researchers. It has no commercial revenue, no shareholders, and no disclosed funding rounds. Its primary customer segments are health and social care researchers (academic and clinical), NHS and Health and Social Care providers in Northern Ireland acting as research sites, the four UK Health Departments and Devolved Administrations, and patients/service users and the public. Key strategic partners include MHRA, NIHR, HTA, HFEA, ARSAC, and the ISRCTN Registry (for automatic CTIMP registration from January 2022).
HRA firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- HRA
- Legal name
- Health Research Authority
- Website
- https://hra.nhs.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- The Health Research Authority (HRA) is a UK statutory non-departmental public body, established under the Care Act 2014, that regulates health and social care research across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales — providing ethics review, HRA Approval, CAG Section 251 advice, and the IRAS/HARP digital platforms, funded through government appropriations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
HRA industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Healthcare Research Regulation
- NAICS
- Administration of Public Health Programs (923120)
- SIC
- Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Clinical Research Ethics & Human Subjects Protection Authorities (IRB/REC Oversight) (HLAJACAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Consent, Authorization & Data Sharing Governance (opt-in/opt-out, DS4P) (HLACABAG), Health Technology Assessment (HTA) & Reimbursement Policy Bodies (HLAJACAF)
Keywords
Where HRA is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices5 records
Markets served
HRA business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
HRA product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Health Research Authority (HRA) provides a unified regulatory framework for health and social care research across the UK. Its core services include HRA Approval (a centralised research approval combining multiple reviews into a single assessment), Research Ethics Committees (independent ethics review for research involving humans), the Confidentiality Advisory Group (advice on accessing confidential patient information without consent under Section 251 of the NHS Act 2006), and the Integrated Research Application System (IRAS) — a single UK-wide online platform for submitting applications for permissions and approvals across multiple regulatory bodies.
Product overview
The Health Research Authority (HRA) is a UK regulatory body, not a commercial product company. HRA offers a unified portfolio of regulatory services and platforms for health and social care research approval and governance. The core offerings include HRA Approval (centralised approval service), Research Ethics Committees (REC) for ethical review, and the Confidentiality Advisory Group (CAG) for advice on accessing confidential patient data. Supporting digital platforms include the Integrated Research Application System (IRAS) for submitting applications, HARP for application processing, and NIHR Learn for training. The UK Policy Framework for Health and Social Care Research provides the overarching principles and responsibilities governing all UK health research. These services work together to enable researchers to navigate the regulatory pathway from application through to approval and ongoing compliance.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- HRA Approval Central approval service combining approvals from various review bodies for NHS project-based health and social care research, enabling researchers to submit a single application rather than multiple separate approvals for their studies.
- Research Ethics Committees (REC) Independent committees across the UK that review research proposals involving humans to ensure ethical standards are met, participant safety is protected, and research is conducted with integrity. More than 65 RECs operate as part of the HRA system.
- Confidentiality Advisory Group (CAG) Advisory body that provides advice on accessing confidential patient information without consent under Section 251 of the NHS Act 2006, for research and non-research purposes requiring lawful basis for patient data use.
- Integrated Research Application System (IRAS) Single UK-wide online system for applying for the permissions and approvals required for health and social care research, streamlining the application process across multiple regulatory bodies.
- HRA Assessment Review Portal (HARP) Portal system used by HRA to process and approve research applications, supporting the assessment and review workflow for HRA Approval and ethics processes.
- Research Registration and Reporting Services Services supporting transparency in health research including registration of clinical trials (such as via the ISRCTN Registry partnership for CTIMPs) and reporting of research outcomes through published application summaries.
- NIHR Learn (Learning Management System) Learning Management System hosted by NIHR Learn providing e-learning modules, learning events, and additional learning materials for HRA staff, Research Ethics Committee members, and researchers across the UK research community.
- UK Policy Framework for Health and Social Care Research Statutory guidance (version 3.4, April 2026) setting out 19 principles of good practice in the management and conduct of health and social care research across the UK, replacing the separate Research Governance Frameworks in each UK country with a single set of principles.
Quantifiable outcome
- UK clinical trials reaching 150-day set-up milestone
Companies that use HRA
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
HRA technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
HRA partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- UK Health Departments (Devolved Administrations)coreHRA works in partnership with Department of Health (England), Department of Health (Northern Ireland), Scottish Government Health and Social Care Directorates, and Welsh Government to develop and maintain the UK Policy Framework for Health and Social Care Research, ensuring compatible standards across the UK.
- NHS OrganizationscoreNHS trusts, NHS foundation trusts, and Health and Social Care (HSC) organizations in Northern Ireland are key research sites and partners in the HRA approval process.
- Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)coreCooperation agreement to improve and simplify the regulatory environment for clinical trials. MHRA handles clinical trial authorizations while HRA handles ethics review.
- National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)coreNIHR funds health and social care research and works with HRA on research approvals and the Learning Management System (NIHR Learn).
- Human Tissue Authority (HTA)coreHTA licenses storage of tissue for research. HRA and HTA cooperate on regulatory processes for research involving human tissue.
- Administration of Radioactive Substances Advisory Committee (ARSAC)coreARSAC advises on administration of radioactive substances. Listed as a partner in research approvals alongside HRA.
- Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA)coreHFEA regulates fertility treatment and research involving embryos. Cooperates with HRA on research approvals.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
HRA competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Canadian Tri-Council Policy Statement (TCPS) / Panel on Research Ethics: Canada's national policy framework (TCPS) and oversight body for research with humans. Comparable to HRA's UK Policy Framework and REC system, serving an analogous function in a different national jurisdiction.
- U.S. Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP): U.S. federal body that oversees human research subject protections under the Common Rule. OHRP is the closest international analog to HRA's REC oversight function, operating in a different jurisdiction with a comparable mission to protect research participants.
Direct peers
- Administration of Radioactive Substances Advisory Committee (ARSAC): UK advisory committee on administration of radioactive substances, with HRA cooperation on research approvals. ARSAC is a small, structurally related UK health research advisory body with a comparable NDPB-style governance model.
- Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA): UK's regulator for clinical trial authorizations and medicines/medical devices. MHRA and HRA jointly handle clinical trial approvals (MHRA = authorization, HRA = ethics review) under a formal cooperation agreement, making them the most directly comparable sister regulatory body.
- Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA): UK regulator for fertility treatment and embryo research. HFEA cooperates with HRA on research approvals and shares a similar statutory NDPB structure, making it a directly comparable UK health research regulator with overlapping research ethics remit.
- Human Tissue Authority (HTA): UK statutory regulator licensing storage of human tissue for research. HTA and HRA cooperate on regulatory processes for tissue-related research, making HTA a structurally parallel UK health research regulator with comparable statutory footing.
Broad incumbents
- National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR): UK's primary funder of health and social care research. NIHR funds research while HRA regulates it; they cooperate on the LMS (NIHR Learn) and approvals, making NIHR a deeply interrelated UK health research body rather than a direct competitor.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA): U.S. regulator with overlapping jurisdiction over clinical trial authorization and broader medical product oversight. FDA is a much larger, broader incumbent whose clinical trial review functions partially overlap with HRA + MHRA's combined role.
- European Medicines Agency (EMA): EU-level regulator for clinical trial authorization and medicinal products. EMA shares clinical trial regulatory scope with HRA/MHRA and represents a relevant international peer for cross-border research framework design.
- Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC): Australia's primary public health and medical research funder and ethics standard-setter. NHMRC's national research ethics framework (National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research) is the closest Australian analog to HRA's UK Policy Framework.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
HRA social profiles
Digital presenceHRA compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
HRA financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
HRA leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
HRA funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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HRA 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 HRA
What does HRA do?
The Health Research Authority (HRA) provides a unified regulatory framework for health and social care research across the UK. Its core services include HRA Approval (a centralised research approval combining multiple reviews into a single assessment), Research Ethics Committees (independent ethics review for research involving humans), the Confidentiality Advisory Group (advice on accessing confidential patient information without consent under Section 251 of the NHS Act 2006), and the Integrated Research Application System (IRAS) — a single UK-wide online platform for submitting applications for permissions and approvals across multiple regulatory bodies.
Is HRA a public or private company?
HRA is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was HRA founded?
HRA was founded in 2015. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is HRA based?
HRA is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
Who are HRA's main competitors?
Regional players on record are Canadian Tri-Council Policy Statement (TCPS) / Panel on Research Ethics and U.S. Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP). Direct peers are Administration of Radioactive Substances Advisory Committee (ARSAC), Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) and Human Tissue Authority (HTA). Broad incumbents are National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), European Medicines Agency (EMA) and Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).
Does HRA have an API?
No public API is recorded for HRA.
What industry is HRA in?
HRA's product category is Healthcare Research Regulation. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAJACAG, Clinical Research Ethics & Human Subjects Protection Authorities (IRB/REC Oversight), with a secondary code of HLACABAG, Consent, Authorization & Data Sharing Governance (opt-in/opt-out, DS4P). Its NAICS code is 923120 and its SIC code is 8000.