UK Clinical Research Facility (UKCRF) Network

What UK Clinical Research Facility (UKCRF) Network does

The UK Clinical Research Facility (UKCRF) Network is a not-for-profit coordination body that develops, shares, and implements operational excellence standards across 54 Clinical Research Facilities (CRFs) and over 110 individual units in NHS Trusts and university hospitals throughout the UK and Ireland. Founded in 2008 and hosted by Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, the network is funded primarily by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) — most recently awarded £2.4 million for the 2023-2028 period — with co-funding from the Chief Scientist Office (Scotland). It is governed by a Senior Management Team led by Director Paul Brown, with Deputy Directors Caroline Saunders and Joanna Gray, and operates through four work packages: Operational Delivery, Strategic Leadership, Workforce Development, and Involvement & Inclusion.

The network's core products are standardised operational guidelines, training resources, and tools used by clinical research staff delivering early-phase experimental medicine. Notable assets include the Study Intensity Tool (an Excel-based workforce planning instrument), Emergency Scenario Training Guidelines (currently V.6.0, covering 15 adult and paediatric emergency scenarios), the Competency Assessment Template Toolkit, the Dosing Day Final Checklist, the Phase I and Experimental Medicine Governance Standards Framework and Risk Stratification Matrix, the Clinical Research Induction Framework, and a Laboratory Skills Training package. These resources are distributed primarily through the UKCRFN Portal (a private Google Site), supplemented by the annual conference (Leicester 2025, Dublin 2026), work groups, reciprocal mentoring, and a leadership programme.

The business model is publicly funded rather than commercial: guidelines, tools, and training resources are provided free of charge to member CRFs across the UK and Ireland. The network serves three primary segments — NHS Trusts hosting CRFs, university research hospitals partnered with those trusts, and (indirectly) pharmaceutical/biotech industry sponsors seeking multi-site trial access — plus a secondary segment of patient and public contributors engaged through PPIE workstreams. Industry engagement is supported by a dedicated Industry Operations Manager role, while international knowledge exchange occurs through partnerships with the International Association of Clinical Research Nurses (IACRN), NIHR CRN, and Cancer Research UK.

Name

UK Clinical Research Facility (UKCRF) Network

Legal name

UK Clinical Research Facility (UKCRF) Network (hosted by Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust)

Website

https://ukcrfnetwork.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The UKCRF Network is a not-for-profit coordination body for 54 Clinical Research Facilities across the UK and Ireland, developing standardised operational guidelines, workforce training tools, and governance frameworks to support early-phase experimental medicine delivery in NHS and university hospitals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Clinical Research Network Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Medical Laboratories (8071)

akta.pro primary industry

Clinical CROs (Phase I–IV) (HLAGAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Clinical Research Support (CRC/CTA) (EDAOAJAO), Specialty Therapeutic-Area CROs (e.g., oncology/rare disease) (HLAGAAAL)

Keywords

• Clinical research network
• Experimental medicine infrastructure
• Clinical trial coordination
• Workforce development training
• Clinical research governance

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices12 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. NIHR Funding: The UKCRF Network receives government funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) for the period 2023-2028. The £2.4 million funding supports research studies and network operations across 54 CRFs in the UK and Ireland.
2. Network Services (Non-commercial): The network provides guidelines, training materials, tools, and resources to member CRFs at no cost. Services are funded through NIHR public funding and support both commercial and non-commercial experimental medicine studies.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The UKCRF Network is a coordination and support organization that collaborates with Clinical Research Facilities (CRFs) and experimental medicine infrastructure across the UK and Ireland. It develops, shares, and implements standardized guidelines, tools, training materials, and workforce development resources to support CRF operational excellence and the delivery of patient-oriented commercial and non-commercial experimental medicine studies.

Product overview

The UK Clinical Research Facility (UKCRF) Network is a coordination and support organisation for Clinical Research Facilities across the UK and Ireland, not a single product but a comprehensive portfolio of guidelines, tools, training resources, and professional development programmes. The core offerings include: operational tools such as the Study Intensity Tool for workforce planning, Emergency Scenario Training Guidelines, and Dosing Day Final Checklist; training resources including the Clinical Research Induction Framework, Laboratory Skills Training Package, and Competency Assessment Template Toolkit; governance frameworks such as the Phase I Governance Standards; and professional development through the CPD Directory, Leadership Programme, and Annual Conference. These are distributed primarily through the UKCRFN Portal, a private digital platform, and supplemented by work group coordination and annual conferences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Study Intensity Tool A research-specific workforce planning tool built in Microsoft Excel that provides a standardised approach to assessing study workload, staffing levels, and resource allocation across nursing, imaging, laboratory, and human performance functions for clinical studies.
• Emergency Scenario Training Guidelines Comprehensive resource covering nine adult and six paediatric emergency scenarios (anaphylaxis, cardiac arrest, sepsis, asthma, hypoglycaemia, cytokine release syndrome, haemorrhage, seizures and more) to support clinical research teams in preparing for and responding to medical emergencies.
• Competency Assessment Template Toolkit Practical framework for staff writing competency assessments in clinical research, including generic templates and specialised templates for activities such as informed consent and safe sample processing, covering adult and paediatric research.
• Phase I and Experimental Medicine Governance Standards Framework Framework providing enhanced governance processes and risk assessment standards for highest-risk early phase and experimental medicine studies, including a Risk Stratification Matrix aligned with the MHRA Phase I accreditation scheme.
• Dosing Day Final Checklist Bedspace checklist for final safety checks prior to exposing participants to investigational medicinal products in early phase clinical trials.
• Aiding the Auditor Toolkit Internal audit toolkit developed by the Quality Assurance Theme Group to support CRFs in developing effective internal audit functions.
• CPD Guidance and Directory Customisable Continued Professional Development guidelines and directory aligned to the Four Pillars of Clinical Practice, supporting career development across all roles and levels in clinical research.
• Clinical Research Induction Framework Framework covering 12 themes including clinical research understanding, governance, informed consent, study management, IMP management, and PPIE for new research staff induction.
• Delivering Laboratory Skills Training Package Comprehensive training package for trainers covering nine laboratory skill topics including pre-analytics, centrifuge training, pipetting, and dangerous goods regulations.
• Student Placement Toolkit Comprehensive guide developed to support clinical research areas in supervising students, including pre-placement orientation packs, placement workbooks, and activity worksheets.
• UKCRFN Portal Private digital platform (Google Site) for sharing information, documents, guidelines, tools, and training resources with CRF staff across UK and Ireland.
• Leadership Programme Leadership development programme for clinical research facility staff to enhance management and leadership capabilities.
• Reciprocal Mentoring Programme Mentoring programme facilitating knowledge exchange and professional development across the clinical research community.
• UKCRF Network Annual Conference Annual conference bringing together clinical research professionals across UK and Ireland, featuring expert-led plenaries and interactive parallel sessions (2026 in Dublin, 2025 in Leicester).

Quantifiable outcome

• 93% of training participants successfully implement tools in their work areas
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2023MFT hosts the UKCRF Network and provides administrative infrastructure including data storage on MFT servers, MS Teams accounts, and physical office space. The network has been hosted at MFT since its inception.
• Health Research Board - National Clinical Trials Office (HRB-NCTO)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 October 2022Ireland's national integrated clinical research network of seven Clinical Research Facilities/Centres that are members of the UKCRF Network and contribute to network objectives.
• HRB Clinical Research Facility - University College CorkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 October 2022One of seven HRB CRFs in Ireland, supporting clinical trials across Cork University Hospital, Mercy University Hospital, and University Hospital Waterford.
• Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2020Host of NIHR Cambridge CRF, managing over 1,000 active research studies with 360 in the CRF facility. Partnered on COVID-19 vaccine trials and testing initiatives.
• Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2020Partner in Oxford COVID-19 vaccine trial alongside Cambridge University Hospitals and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust.
• International Association of Clinical Research Nurses (IACRN)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 August 2019Collaborative partnership for international study visits bringing clinical research nurses from USA, Africa, and Norway to visit UK CRFs. Joint programs include annual study visits and knowledge sharing initiatives.
• NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 August 2019Collaboration on international study visit programs for clinical research nurses, combining NIHR CRN infrastructure with IACRN's international network.
• Cancer Research UK (CRUK)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 August 2019Partner in the international study visit programme for clinical research nurses, supporting knowledge sharing and professional development initiatives.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Clinical Trials Ontario: Ontario's clinical research network providing coordination, site support, and quality standards for clinical trials in a Canadian provincial context. Comparable coordinating role for a sub-national health system.
• Australian Clinical Trials Alliance (ACTA): Australia's clinical trials network coordinating investigator-initiated clinical trials across Australian sites. Comparable role in coordinating clinical research infrastructure in a different geography with similar publicly funded model.

Broad incumbents

• European Clinical Research Infrastructure Network (ECRIN): Pan-European clinical research infrastructure network coordinating national clinical trial networks across Europe. Provides EU-level coordination analogous to what UKCRF Network delivers for the UK and Ireland, but with broader geographic scope.

Emerging players

• Clinical Trials Transformation Initiative (CTTI): US-based public-private partnership developing clinical trial quality and efficiency recommendations. Similar focus on improving clinical research delivery practices and standards, though focused on US trial ecosystem.

Others

• MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL: UK-based clinical trials methodology and operations hub. Different delivery model (academic trials unit vs CRF coordination network) but shares publicly funded status and focus on clinical research excellence in the UK.
• NIHR School for Primary Care Research: NIHR-funded primary care research network. Different therapeutic focus but shares NIHR funding model and network coordination structure, demonstrating the broader NIHR network ecosystem in which UKCRF Network operates.

Direct peers

• NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN): The NIHR Clinical Research Network coordinates clinical research delivery across NHS England and is funded by the same primary sponsor (NIHR). Both organizations are publicly funded networks coordinating clinical research infrastructure in the UK; CRN focuses more on later-phase delivery while UKCRF Network focuses on early-phase CRFs.
• Health Research Board - National Clinical Trials Office (HRB-NCTO): Ireland's national integrated clinical research network of seven Clinical Research Facilities/Centres that are members of the UKCRF Network. Both networks coordinate CRF infrastructure with overlapping objectives across the UK and Ireland.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ukcrfn

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about UK Clinical Research Facility (UKCRF) Network