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RAS Approval Pathway pricing
Find information on costs associated with using the Researcher Access Service (RAS).
Pricing changes from 1 April 2025
Pricing for the Researcher Access Service (RAS) has increased from the 1st of April 2025. This has been a joint decision made by Research Data Scotland (RDS) and our partners to ensure the long-term sustainability of our services. Our goal is to create a pricing model where charges cover the full cost of data provisioning, and each individual project contributes to the costs of running the Scottish National Safe Haven. This allows us to continue to invest in improving our service and scaling in the future.
This price increase is a one-off step change in pricing structure to bring our system to a sustainable level.
For more information on the decision to update our pricing, please read our blog post: "Changes to prices for accessing Scottish datasets."
Researcher Access Service (RAS) pricing model
RAS pricing covers the cost of delivering data access services, including researcher support, data processing, linkage, governance and access infrastructure. Researchers are not charged for the data itself.
The Researcher Access Service operates a component-based tiered pricing structure based on the type of organisation researchers are applying from (e.g. public sector, academia, charity, commercial, industry). Whether a research project is routed through the RAS Approval Pathway or the PBPP Approval Pathway, the component pricing model remains consistent though individual costs within the model may vary.
Researchers will only pay for the support they require, receiving a bespoke cost estimate following the submission of an enquiry. While the addition of research questions after a project has already been approved by the RAS Approval Panel will not incur an additional cost, project amendments falling into the three categories below will be priced as additional components:
- Addition of approved researchers
- Extension of project end date
- Addition of or changes to variables or datasets (within scope of the RAS Approval Pathway)
All pricing is under continuous review and actual costs will be agreed with the researcher during the application process. Please be aware that researchers are required to have funding in place before an application can be submitted to the RAS Approval Panel for review.
Preparing your application
Think your project is suitable for the Researcher Access Service? Read our guidance for how to prepare your application.
RAS pricing examples
Example 1
Up to four (4) datasets from the RAS approval pathway, two (2) researchers requiring access to the Scottish National Safe Haven for one (1) year:
|
NHS or Public Sector body price |
Academic Institution or Third Sector organisation price |
|---|---|
| £11,588 (ex. VAT) | £15,064 (ex. VAT) |
Example 2
Up to four (4) datasets from the RAS approval pathway, three (3) researchers requiring access to the Scottish National Safe Haven for three (3) years:
|
NHS or Public Sector body price |
Academic Institution or Third Sector organisation price |
|---|---|
| £25,494 (ex. VAT) | £33,141 (ex. VAT) |
Example 3
Eight (8) datasets from the RAS approval pathway, four (4) researchers requiring access to the Scottish National Safe Haven for two (2) years:
|
NHS or Public Sector body price |
Academic Institution or Third Sector organisation price |
|---|---|
| £27,812 (ex. VAT) | £36,152 (ex. VAT) |
What are your data needs?
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Related content
Preparing your application
Find guidance on the how to submit an application and which documents to prepare.
RAS datasets and variables
Find out which datasets and variables are available through the RAS Approval Pathway.
Help shape our Researcher Access Service
Interested in supporting the development of the Researcher Access Service and helping us shape our work?
