Health Research Alliance

What Health Research Alliance does

Health Research Alliance (HRA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization founded in November 2005 (with roots traced to 1998) that operates as a coalition of 115+ nonprofit biomedical research funders. Its member organizations—including the American Cancer Society, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Burroughs Wellcome Fund, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Doris Duke Foundation, and The V Foundation for Cancer Research—have collectively directed more than $25 billion in research funding to over 85,000 grantees.

HRA's core technology assets are two proprietary software platforms. HRA Analyzer is a searchable grant portfolio database containing 90,000+ awards worth $25+ billion, built on Digital Science's Dimensions platform and enhanced with automated research-area coding, publication linkage, and visualization capabilities. HRA Open is a web-based service that allows awardees to deposit peer-reviewed publications into PubMed Central via the NIH Manuscript Submission System and link supplementary research outputs (datasets, preprints, figures, presentations) through Figshare, supporting open science compliance. HRA also administers the ORCID Consortium for persistent researcher identification. Beyond these platforms, HRA runs eleven Learning Communities (covering AI/LLMs, DEI, Open Science, Grants Administration, Therapeutic Development, Misconduct & Ethics, Program Evaluation, Patient Registries, Research Workforce, etc.), the Inclusive Grantmaking Initiative, the EVO Program, bias mitigation training modules, Peer Circles professional development, and a Grants Administration Handbook.

HRA operates exclusively on a tiered annual membership dues model ranging from $1,320 to $23,630 (2026 rates), scaled by each member organization's annual health-related grant-making volume. New members are invoiced prorated dues at joining and full dues each January, with dues escalating 5% annually. Distribution is through direct institutional application, with eligibility restricted to non-governmental, not-for-profit organizations funding biomedically relevant research using rigorous scientific review. Go-to-market relies on community-led outreach, twice-annual Members Meetings, webinars, newsletters, and word-of-mouth within the biomedical funding community.

Name

Health Research Alliance

Legal name

Health Research Alliance

Website

https://healthra.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Health Research Alliance is a 501(c)(3) membership organization serving 115+ nonprofit biomedical research funders. It operates HRA Analyzer and HRA Open software platforms alongside learning communities, funded by tiered annual membership dues based on member grant-making volume.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Biomedical Funder Coalition Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Global Health Research, Evidence & Technical Assistance Organizations (HLAJAKAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL), Public Health & Health Equity Organizations (BPAGACAL)

Keywords

• Biomedical research funding
• Nonprofit membership coalition
• Grant portfolio analytics
• Open science compliance
• Research funder community

Headquarters

HQ city

Durham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues determined by the total health-related grants paid in the most recently-completed fiscal year. Dues range from $1,320 to $23,630 annually based on funding volume tier. New members are invoiced for prorated dues at joining and annually in January thereafter. Dues increase by 5% annually (2026 rates shown).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Health Research Alliance (HRA) is a membership-based coalition of nonprofit biomedical research funders. It provides member organizations with shared software platforms (HRA Analyzer for grant portfolio analysis and HRA Open for open science compliance), learning communities on cross-cutting topics such as DEI, Open Science, Grants Administration, and Therapeutic Development, plus professional development programs including Peer Circles coaching and Bias Mitigation training. Membership unlocks access to a database of 90,000+ awards representing $25+ billion in research funding.

Product overview

Health Research Alliance operates as a collaborative member organization providing two flagship software platforms for nonprofit biomedical research funders: HRA Analyzer is a comprehensive database of research awards built on Digital Science's Dimensions platform, enabling portfolio analysis and strategic grantmaking across over 90,000 awards worth $25+ billion; and HRA Open is a web-based service linking awardee publications to PubMed Central and Figshare for open science compliance. HRA also administers the ORCID Consortium for researcher identification. Beyond these technology platforms, HRA offers educational resources including the Inclusive Grantmaking Initiative (IGI), Bias Mitigation Training modules, the EVO Program for open science implementation, a Grants Administration Handbook, and Peer Circles professional development groups.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HRA Analyzer: Searchable database of awards made by HRA member organizations, enabling data-driven analysis and strategic grantmaking. Formerly called HRA Reporter.
• HRA Open
• ORCID Consortium
• Inclusive Grantmaking Initiative (IGI)
• Exploring the Value of Open (EVO) Program

Products and services

• HRA Analyzer A searchable database of awards made by HRA member organizations, providing a comprehensive view of the biomedical research funding landscape. Enables data-driven analysis and strategic grantmaking with over 90,000 awards representing $25+ billion in support. Built on Digital Science's Dimensions platform and available to member organization staff.
• HRA Open A web-based service promoting open science that enables HRA member-funded awardees to deposit publications in PubMed Central via the NIH Manuscript Submission System and share other research outputs (datasets, figures, preprints, presentations) via Figshare, linking grant support to research outputs.
• ORCID Consortium

Quantifiable outcome

• $25 billion in cumulative research funding facilitated through member organizations
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability2 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and founding.

• Digital Science (formerly ÜberResearch)coreTechnology or IntegrationDigital Science provides the Dimensions platform that powers HRA Analyzer, a comprehensive database of biomedical research awards. HRA partnered with Digital Science to create a customized version of Dimensions specifically for tracking nonprofit biomedical funding. The partnership enables automated coding of research areas, publication linkage, and data visualization capabilities.
• National Library of Medicine (NLM)coreTechnology or IntegrationNLM partnership enables HRA Open to serve as a verification gateway to the NIH Manuscript Submission System, allowing awardees to deposit publications into PubMed Central. This partnership is fundamental to HRA Open's open science compliance functionality.
• FigsharecoreTechnology or IntegrationFigshare partnership enables HRA Open users to upload and share research outputs beyond publications, including figures, datasets, preprints, presentations, and other materials. The integration links HRA member grant support to research outputs deposited in Figshare.
• Burroughs Wellcome FundfoundingStrategic or Co-development PartnerBurroughs Wellcome Fund provided critical early infrastructure support including office space and administrative assistance during HRA's formative years (2005+). Although now completely independent, BWF was instrumental in HRA's establishment and initial growth as a member organization.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Independent Sector: National membership organization for nonprofits, foundations, and corporate giving programs. Comparable as a coalition advancing research, policy, and shared services for the charitable sector, though broader in scope than HRA's biomedical focus.
• Council on Foundations: Larger and longer-established membership association for the broader philanthropic sector, including health funders. Comparable in operating a dues-funded, member-driven coalition model, but serves all foundation types rather than specializing in biomedical research.
• Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI): Major nonprofit research funder supporting comparative clinical effectiveness research. Overlaps with HRA's nonprofit biomedical funder landscape and shared open science/data sharing priorities, though PCORI is itself a funder rather than a coalition of funders.

Direct peers

• National Health Council: Membership organization of patient advocacy organizations and voluntary health agencies, including research funders like those in HRA. Comparable as a coalition convening chronic disease and research funders around shared standards, advocacy, and best practices.
• Grantmakers In Health: Membership organization specifically for health funders, providing learning networks, publications, and convenings. Directly comparable to HRA as a coalition of philanthropic health funders pursuing shared infrastructure, advocacy, and peer learning.
• Research!America: Alliance advocating for health research with member organizations across academia, industry, and philanthropy. Comparable to HRA in convening funders and stakeholders around biomedical research priorities, policy advocacy, and shared data/awareness initiatives.

Others

• ORCID: Nonprofit providing persistent researcher identifiers, administered at HRA through a consortium model. Comparable as research infrastructure used by HRA members and a peer identifier in the open science/research administration ecosystem.
• Digital Science: Provider of the Dimensions platform that powers HRA Analyzer. Comparable as the underlying research intelligence platform serving funders and institutions, with shared customer base and overlapping grant analytics capabilities.

Emerging players

• FasterCures (Milken Institute): Center within the Milken Institute focused on accelerating biomedical R&D through funder and patient collaboration. Comparable to HRA's mission of speeding translation of biomedical science, with overlapping funder communities and shared open science/DEI priorities.

Regional players

• Association of Independent Research Institutes (AIRI): Membership association of independent biomedical and behavioral research institutes in the US. Comparable to HRA in serving a coalition of nonprofit research entities with shared services, advocacy, and best-practice learning, though oriented toward research-performing institutes rather than funders.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hra98
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/health-research-alliance

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Health Research Alliance