Research Analysis Platform 2.0

Description

UK Biobank ("UKB") currently hosts a cloud-based health Research Analysis Platform which makes research projects and data accessible to researchers ("RAP"). The current RAP was procured by UKB in 2020 and was developed by DNAnexus, in collaboration with, and cloud infrastructure provided by, Amazon Web Services. As part of a series of changes to implement UKB's strategy to create a more secure data environment, UKB intends to initiate a procurement exercise in 2027 for the development of a new RAP ("RAP2.0") to take account of advances in technology over the past 5 years and its future requirements. The RAP2.0 is anticipated to be the default way that most researchers will access and analyse UKB's biomedical database and it is anticipated to comprise one or more software platforms or data analysis services that work together to meet the diverse functional needs to the research community. UKB currently intends to undertake separate procurements in relation to (i) the RAP2.0, (ii) cloud infrastructure which will host data on RAP2.0, and (iii) the development of an Output Checking System (formerly badged as Airlock Software) to control the extraction of data held by UKB for research purposes, whilst ensuring the ongoing security and confidentiality of the data and confidentiality of the data ("OCS"). UKB has established an informatics working group consisting of senior experts who will provide guidance to help develop the requirements for the technology listed at (i) - (iii) above. It is necessary for the procurement exercises for cloud infrastructure services to be completed before preliminary market engagement can take place with suppliers and users regarding the requirements and strategic approach to the new RAP2.0. The identity of the cloud services infrastructure will inform the approach to the RAP2.0 procurement to ensure the compatibility of the technology underlying the platform or platforms. It is currently intended that such preliminary market engagement for RAP2.0 will take place in 2027, followed by the competitive procurement exercise for the new RAP2.0. The current contract for the enablement of the RAP with DNAnexus expires in June 2026. It is intended that this contract will be amended in January 2026 to extend the services through to June 2028. It is currently envisaged that the first procurement to be undertaken will relate to the OCS (in the first half of 2026), followed by a procurement for cloud infrastructure (in the second half of 2026), followed by the procurement of the RAP2.0 in 2027. This Preliminary Market Engagement Notice relates to the development of the RAP2.0. Separate Preliminary Market Engagement Notices were published for cloud infrastructure and OCS in April 2025 and are being updated. Further updates regarding preliminary market engagement activities will be included in an update to this notice, as appropriate.