Midirs

What Midirs does

MIDIRS (Midwives Information & Resource Service) is a UK-based subscription information service for the midwifery profession, operated by RCM Information Services Limited (Company Number 11914882), a private subsidiary of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM). Established approximately 1985 and headquartered at 10-18 Union St, London, MIDIRS has operated for over 40 years serving midwives, student midwives, midwifery educators, and allied health professionals in over 20 countries.

The company's core product is the Maternity and Infant Care (MIC) database, described as the world's largest maternity-specific research database with over 300,000 abstracts, delivered via a cloud-based digital content platform. MIDIRS complements this with a quarterly peer-reviewed journal (MIDIRS Midwifery Digest), weekly email bulletins (Latest Research Update), librarian-curated Search Packs for student research, monthly CPD-eligible Journal Clubs, the Midwives-in-Training Research and Journal Review Club for student midwives, and a user-contributed blog platform. The technology stack combines a content library, editorial workflows, webinars, and email distribution.

MIDIRS generates revenue primarily through annual subscriptions sold direct-to-consumer via its website and through institutional access to universities with midwifery programs (e.g., Huddersfield, York, Cardiff). A key distribution and pricing channel is integration with the RCM Connect membership platform, where RCM members receive a 20% discount. GTM is content-led and subscription-recurring, with primary customer segments being individual student midwives and practicing midwives, supported by mid-funnel community engagement through journal clubs and bottom-funnel conversion via RCM membership. No AI capabilities, APIs, or venture/PE funding have been disclosed.

Name

Midirs

Legal name

RCM Information Services Limited

Website

https://midirs.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

MIDIRS, operated by RCM Information Services Limited, is a UK subscription-based midwifery information service offering the world's largest maternity-specific research database (300,000+ abstracts), a quarterly journal, weekly research updates, and CPD-eligible journal clubs to midwives, student midwives, and allied health professionals in 20+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Subscription Services: MIDIRS generates revenue through recurring subscription fees for access to its research database, journals, and digital content. RCM members receive a 20% discount on subscriptions through RCM Connect.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

MIDIRS is a subscription-based maternity research and information service that provides midwives, student midwives, and allied health professionals with access to the world's largest maternity-specific research database containing over 300,000 abstracts, alongside a quarterly peer-reviewed journal, weekly research bulletins, librarian-curated search packs, and CPD-eligible journal clubs. The service is operated by RCM Information Services Limited as a subsidiary of the Royal College of Midwives and distributed primarily through annual subscriptions with a 20% discount for RCM members.

Product overview

MIDIRS is a comprehensive midwifery information and resource service offering a portfolio of interconnected research and educational products. The core offering centers on the Maternity and Infant Care (MIC) database, containing over 300,000 research abstracts—the world's largest maternity-specific research database. This database is complemented by the quarterly MIDIRS Midwifery Digest publication, weekly Latest Research Update bulletins, and librarian-curated Search Packs for topic-based research discovery. Additional services include Journal Clubs providing CPD-eligible certificates, the Midwives-in-Training Research and Journal Review Club for student midwives, and a blog platform for community knowledge sharing. The service serves midwives, student midwives, and allied health professionals across over 20 countries with a 40-year legacy of trusted evidence-based resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MIDIRS Midwifery Digest: A quarterly journal featuring original maternity research, available in print or online.
• Maternity and Infant Care (MIC) Database
• Search Packs
• Latest Research Update
• Midwives-in-Training Research and Journal Review Club

Products and services

• Maternity and Infant Care (MIC) Database The world's largest maternity-specific research database containing over 300,000 maternity research abstracts, providing comprehensive evidence-based resources for midwives, student midwives, and health professionals supporting maternity care practice, education, and research.
• MIDIRS Midwifery Digest A quarterly peer-reviewed publication available in print or online format that features original maternity research and enables midwives and researchers to read peer-reviewed content and submit their own research for publication.
• Latest Research Update A weekly email bulletin delivering new studies, grey literature, and maternity news directly to subscribers' inboxes, also used to promote surveys and events to maternity professionals.
• Search Packs Librarian-curated research collections designed to support essay-writing and help students and professionals discover new research on key midwifery topics, providing a focused foundation for assignments and study.
• Journal Clubs Monthly online webinars led by midwifery experts where participants earn CPD-eligible certificates through peer discussion and structured learning sessions on current maternity research.
• Midwives-in-Training Research and Journal Review Club A monthly online webinar series connecting student midwives across the UK, led by midwifery experts, facilitating research sharing and journal review for trainee midwives.
• MIDIRS Blog A content platform enabling midwives, students, and health professionals to share experiences, insights, and reflections within the wider midwifery community through blog contributions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Access to 300,000+ maternity research abstracts
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Royal College of Midwives (RCM)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerRCM is the parent organization and primary distribution partner for MIDIRS. RCM members receive a 20% discount on MIDIRS subscriptions. The service is integrated with RCM membership accounts through RCM Connect platform. RCM Information Services Limited operates MIDIRS.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• ProQuest (Ex Libris): ProQuest provides aggregated research databases and discovery tools for academic libraries, including health sciences collections. Directly comparable as a subscription research database provider selling to universities with librarian-curated content.
• Cochrane Library: Cochrane Library provides systematic reviews and evidence-based research widely used by midwives and allied health professionals for evidence-based practice. Directly comparable as a trusted evidence-based research resource targeting similar clinical decision-making use cases.
• JBI (Joanna Briggs Institute): JBI provides evidence-based resources, systematic reviews, and educational tools for nursing, midwifery, and allied health. Comparable as a curated evidence/research subscription service targeting the same practitioner and student segments as MIDIRS.
• BMJ Best Practice / BMJ Knowledge: BMJ Best Practice provides evidence-based clinical decision support and research summaries for healthcare professionals including midwives. Comparable as a subscription evidence/research service targeting practising clinicians with continuous professional development value.
• Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) resources: RCOG provides guidelines, journals, and educational resources for obstetricians and the wider maternity workforce. Comparable as a UK professional-body-affiliated publisher providing evidence-based maternity content, with overlapping customer segments to MIDIRS.
• EBSCO (CINAHL / Nursing Reference Center): EBSCO operates CINAHL and other nursing and allied-health research databases subscribed to by universities and healthcare professionals. Most directly comparable to MIDIRS as a paid, curated research database serving nursing/midwifery professionals with librarian-curated search packs and institutional licensing.

Broad incumbents

• Wolters Kluwer (Ovid / Lippincott): Wolters Kluwer operates the Ovid research platform and Lippincott nursing/midwifery journals widely used in academic and clinical settings. Comparable as a large incumbent healthcare information provider covering similar nursing/maternity literature, with overlapping institutional customer base.
• Clarivate (Web of Science): Clarivate operates Web of Science and other research intelligence platforms subscribed to by academic and clinical institutions. Comparable as a subscription research database sold into universities with overlapping institutional customers.
• Elsevier (ClinicalKey / ScienceDirect): Elsevier operates ClinicalKey and ScienceDirect, which aggregate peer-reviewed clinical and nursing/midwifery research. Comparable as a broad incumbent healthcare publisher with overlapping institutional customer base and subscription distribution model.

Emerging players

• DynaMed / EBSCO Clinical Decisions: DynaMed provides evidence-based clinical reference content for practising clinicians, with overlap to maternity and women's health topics. Comparable as an evidence-based clinical decision support resource for practising professionals with subscription model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/MIDIRS
• Facebookfacebook.com/MIDIRS
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/midirs
• Instagraminstagram.com/midwivesmidirs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Midirs