HRA UPDATE: Applications reviewed faster than ever in 2025
Date: 22 May 2026
The review and approval of applications for health and social care research in the UK is happening faster than ever according to a HRA review of data from 2025, performance data from 2025 which showed that the total number of applications reviewed by Research Ethics Committees in the UK increased by 3.1% last year. The time taken for the reviews for these applications to be completed reduced to a record low of 29 days for commercially sponsored studies in 2025 – less than half of our target of 60 days.