Finding and Matching Tool

Objectives: a) Finding Tool: To enable the identification of new expert reviewers who might initially be unknown to UKRI to assess a relevant grant application, through external means i.e. the tool must be able to identify relevant key criteria (e.g. key words) within an application's text, and then search external data services for relevant reviewers depending on the identified criteria. It would be advantageous if the tool will be able to return suggested reviewers which cover the breadth of UKRI's applications i.e. individuals in industry as well as academia, as well as STEM and non-STEM reviewers. b) Matching Tool: The tool must be able to identify relevant key criteria (e.g. key words) within an application's text and then search within a predefined list of reviewers to find the individuals with the most suitable expertise for reviewing that application. The tool must be able to do this for one application, and for a large group of applications simultaneously. In addition, it would be an advantage if the tool could also carry out text analytics/matching to identify resubmissions, plagiarism, sub-optimal application quality, scope of application vs scope of funding opportunity and sub-optimal review quality.

Note: We are looking for tools which can perform either a) or b), or a combination of both. Also note that the databases from which data will be drawn from will evolve and are not static.

Summary of what you are looking to achieve from the sessions 1. Understand current tools available for the above objectives within the market 2. Understand any innovations/other functionality within this space to achieve the above objectives 3. Estimate the cost of the 'off the shelf' tools to inform future spend/procurement 4. Understand the technical integration feasibility of these types of tools with our funding system 5. Understand how current suppliers comply with GDPR requirements/regulations 6. Identification of any unfeasible requirements, or any new requirements

Overall this will inform the suggested options for Reviewer Finding and Matching within UKRI. -Our budget is estimated as being up to £120k per year -We are looking for a 2 + 1 term contract - This will be structured as an initial 2 year term with an option to extend for a further 12 months.

Rough timeline for when the tender is due to launch is Financial year 20/21: Quarter 4 - However this date is subject to change.

Please find attached two documents:- >The first one is a high level user needs document detailing what is required from the potential software >The second one includes the agenda and information around the supplier day and expressing an interest in attending