Research Delivery Network

The Research Delivery Network (RDN) enables the health and care system to attract, optimise and deliver research across England.

The RDN is funded by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to enable the health and care system to attract, optimise and deliver research across England. It replaced the Clinical Research Network (CRN) on 1 October 2024.

We consist of 12 Regional Research Delivery Networks (RRDNs) and a Coordinating Centre (RDNCC), working together as one organisation with joint leadership.

We contribute to NIHR’s mission to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research.

Our vision, mission and purpose

Our vision is for the UK to be a global leader in the delivery of high quality research that is inclusive, accessible, and improves health and care.

Our mission is to enable the health and care system to attract, optimise and deliver research across England.

We have two primary purposes. To:

  • support the successful delivery of high quality research, as an active partner in the research system
  • increase capacity and capability of the research delivery infrastructure for the future

This will:

  • enable more people to access health and social care research where they live
  • support changing population needs by delivering a wider range of research and deliver research in areas of most need
  • provide support to the health and care system through research
  • encourage research to become a routine part of care
  • support economic growth by attracting investment to the UK economy

Why we are changing from the CRN to the RDN

The research needs of the UK health and care system have evolved, and will continue to do so. Building on the successes of the CRN, we now need to enable more types of research to happen across a wider range of health and care settings, and to provide consistent services and support. 

To enable this, we operate as a single organisation, with shared responsibility for delivering consistent, collegiate and customer focused services across the RRDNs and RDNCC. 

This will:

  • ensure greater consistency across organisation structures including  job roles 
  • provide new ways of working to ensure we maximise opportunities for people working across the RDN to contribute their expertise and experience

We focus on effective support for the whole RDN Portfolio, rather than individual studies. Our support includes building strategic capacity and capability to ensure the health and care system is able to deliver all types of research now and in the future. 

We will put a stronger emphasis on continuous improvement, learning and value for money in every part of RDN. This will ensure our services continue to meet the changing needs of our customers and the UK health and care system over time. 

We will build a sustainable, adaptable organisation that is fit for the future and well placed to deliver on the vision for the UK to be a global leader in the delivery of high quality research. We will ensure our research is inclusive, accessible, and improves the health and care for people across England and the UK.

More information

Visit the:

Research Delivery Network website

Find out more about our performance and our annual statistics.