We’ve updated our timeline for developing the new plan and manage health and care research service.
The service will replace older systems over time, including IRAS and HARP, and make it easier to plan, approve, manage and complete research in the UK.
Since December 2025, invited users have been using the service to make changes to eligible existing studies. Since then, we've expanded what the service can support and have made improvements based on their feedback.
Key dates
These dates show when we expect to start introducing support for more types of studies over the next two years.
Each stage marks the start of new features, which will usually be introduced first to a smaller group of users before being rolled out more widely.
- September 2026 – start supporting modifications that require Research Ethics Committee (REC) only review
- December 2026 – start supporting modifications that require REC and study-wide review
- March 2027 – Government Digital Service beta assessment
- April 2027 – start supporting new applications for non-CTIMP studies
- November 2027 – start supporting new applications and modifications of studies involving medical devices
- March 2028 – start supporting new applications and modifications of CTIMP studies
What this means for users
The service will grow progressively, supporting more study types and becoming available to more users over time.
For now, we are working with a small group of early adopter sponsors. We will expand this group over the next few months, and eligible sponsors will be contacted directly.
We are also starting to work with a group of Research Ethics Committee (REC) members who have volunteered to be early adopters. We will support them to start using plan and manage health and care research from September.
Because we are taking a phased approach, nothing will change at this stage for most people who use our existing services.
Unless you are invited to take part in the roll-out, please continue to use existing services for now. We have detailed plans in place to support all users through the upcoming changes, and we will continue to share progress as the service develops.