Vidatum

Vidatum Academic

Vidatum Academic offers a full Research Management System offered in modules from pre- award to post-award stages, including ethical reviews and Export Control, Researcher profiles, outputs, and impact tracking with optional research portal. Vidatum Timesheets covers timesheet compliance for research projects. All modules are supported with a robust reporting console.

Features

• Integration with internal systems and Single Sign-On
• Full economic costing, contract negotiation, and approval tracking
• Processing Actuals from finance against project budgets
• Customised Forms with configurable logic and on screen validation
• Configurable Approval , capturing comments and versions of applications
• Recording of Research profiles, impact and outputs .Optional Research Portal
• Robust reporting with KPI reports and generation of customised reports
• Timesheet Compliance for funder returns, recording project and non-project work
• Modular structure supporting full Research Lifecycle

Benefits

• Fully integrated modules for implementation based on priority
• All data stored in one place for effective reporting
• Integration with internal systems improves inter-system information
• Configurable workflow allows for internal processes to be followed efficiently
• User-friendly, easy-to-use interface increases system adoption
• Simplified creation and approval of proposals, budgets, and ethics applications
• Streamlined publishing of research profiles, outputs, and impact
• Easy timesheet submission and approvals for funder returns
• Customizable forms for proposals and ethics reviews
• Configurable workflows with reminders to increase approval efficiency

• Education pricing available

Service documents

• Pricing document

  PDF

• Service definition document

  PDF

• Terms and conditions

  PDF

Request an accessible format

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need versions of these documents in a more accessible format, email the supplier at simon.cullen@vidatum.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.

Framework

G-Cloud 15

Service ID

427476424970681

Contact

Simon Cullen
+353 1 524 2400
simon.cullen@vidatum.com

About the service

• Service categories:

  Application Development and Deployment

  Application development

  • Business rules management
• Multi cloud support: No

Service scope

• Software add-on or extension: No
• Cloud deployment model: Public cloud
• Service constraints: There are no hardware constraints. Configuration will be needed to align with the institution's processes, and this will be addressed during the implementation phase.
• System requirements: Modern Browser

User support

• Email or online ticketing support: Yes
• Support response times: Vidatum provides support to clients' technical staff from 09:00 to 17:30 Irish time, Monday to Friday, excluding Irish bank holidays. Faults are categorized and resolved based on priority:; ; Urgent: Fatal error in the Software hindering all useful work. Response within 30 minutes, defect remedy within 2 hours.; High: Error hindering some non-critical functions or deviating from documented operation. Response within 4 hours, defect remedy within 4 hours.; Medium: Issues causing inconvenience but not halting operation. Response within 8 hours, 24 hours for defect remedy.; Low: Minor problems or annoyances addressed on a scheduled basis, not part of emergency response timelines
• User can manage status and priority of support tickets: No
• Phone support: No
• Web chat support: No
• Onsite support: No
• Support levels: Support services are included in the annual fee.
• Support available to third parties: No

Onboarding and offboarding

• Getting started: At the kickoff of the project, Vidatum sets up the DEV/UAT and Production Environments. We then proceed to schedule a series of workshops to define the following:; ; Configuration of the module; Workflow Process; Security Design (System and Workflow roles); Client Seed Data; Integration points and method of integration with internal systems; Conversion and migration strategy (if needed); ; The workshops will culminate in a set of design documents for the client’s review and approval, after which Vidatum will proceed to build the system with the agreed-on configuration. When the build is complete, Vidatum delivers the system for client testing. On completion,the system is deployed to the live environment and the support instructions and setup are completed by Vidatum for the client’s first line of support, usually the system administrators. Training is delivered based on a Train-the-trainer approach. Vidatum provides user guides, admin user guides, and reporting guides, in addition to training videos. During the implementation, each client is assigned with a Project Manager who will liaise with the client project manager through weekly progress meetings and weekly status reports. To speed up the implementation phase, we recommend that the client is ready and responsive with the information and resources needed
• Service documentation: Yes
• Documentation formats:
  • HTML
  • PDF
  • Other
• Other documentation formats: Training Videos
• End-of-contract data extraction: Vidatum will ensure that all data in Vidatum Projects will be transferred in a safe and secure manner and in a standard format agreed with the client and within timescales set out in the final Exit Plan.; ; Typical extracts of data include full exports of the SQL data, exports of data in excel files or in XML or JSON feeds.
• End-of-contract process: Vidatum provides an Exit Plan to be executed when a notice of full termination is issued more than 6 months prior to the expiry of the Agreement and in each case part or all of the services provided by Vidatum are to be transferred either to the client or to a new provider.; ; All transition activities will be achieved in a 6-month timescale (or at a timescale that is agreed mutually between both parties). The entire transition will be set out in the detailed Exit Plan that will incorporate delivery Milestones and Acceptance Criteria for each of the deliverables.
• Documentation accessibility standard: WCAG 2.2 A

Using the service

• Web browser interface: Yes
• Supported browsers:
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Firefox
  • Chrome
  • Safari
• Application to install: No
• Designed for use on mobile devices: Yes
• Differences between the mobile and desktop service: Vidatum can be used on mobile devices, both iOS and Android are supported, although in reality we see very little usage on such devices as the kind of work for which Vidatum is used is predominantly desk-based.
• Service interface: Yes
• User support accessibility: WCAG 2.2 A
• Description of service interface: Vidatum offers a comprehensive system featuring a Graphical User Interface (GUI) and an Application Programming Interface (API). Additionally, our platform provides interfaces facilitating the import of legacy data in Excel format and the export of report data in various formats, including Excel, CSV, XML.
• Accessibility standards: WCAG 2.2 AA
• Accessibility testing: Vidatum Academic has not undertaken formal user testing with assistive technology users. Accessibility has been assessed through an internal, self-declared VPAT-style accessibility review aligned to WCAG success criteria, supported by automated testing tools and manual review by the development and QA teams. Findings are recorded and addressed through the product improvement process.
• API: Yes
• What users can and can't do using the API: Vidatum Academic includes an API builder that supports exporting data in formats such as XML, JSON, CSV and XML. Using this API builder, feeds of data from Vidatum Academic can be provided to other applications and tools.; ; Information from other applications can be consumed in the system and we have a connector for all the major integration points including: HR, Finance, and Identity management. It is important to note, importing information into the system generally requires processing and so it is not a simple matter of consuming data, it must be processed, which usually requires Vidatum to build an interface for it.
• API documentation: Yes
• API documentation formats:
  • HTML
  • PDF
• API sandbox or test environment: No
• Customisation available: Yes
• Description of customisation: Branding: The login page has significant scope for branding. The remaining parts of the system can have some customization options such as the institution's logo (this is done by Vidatum).; ; Forms: Forms can be customized to reflect the needs of our clients. The forms can range from simple data collection with links to more detailed forms which are uploaded, to full data collection for complex online data capture forms. (Creating new forms is something that Vidatum does currently); ; Workflow: Workflow is configured by Vidatum at the time of implementation. Currently, the option to customize workflow by the client is not available but it is included in the roadmap for upcoming versions.; ; Clients can maintain their own specific lookup lists (e.g., organization structure, salary scales, lists of journals and publishers, tags of all types, report templates, and so on).

Scaling

• Independence of resources: We use Oracle Cloud as our hosting partner so there are no limitations to the scalability of the solution. With a system like ours, Oracle cloud has almost limitless possibilities to scale.

Analytics

• Service usage metrics: Yes
• Metrics types: Service level reports are provided against the SLA at intervals to be agreed on with the client. The report will include metrics such as:; ; SLA adherence/performance; Number of issues categorised by nature of issue (Bug, User Query, User Error, etc.); Time needed for resolution; Information on tickets that do not meet SLA; Process remediation if necessary; Brief analysis on issues raised if necessary
• Reporting types: Regular reports
• Resource tagging: Yes
• FOCUS resource tagging: No

Supplier type

• Supplier type: Not a reseller

Staff security

• Staff security clearance: Other security clearance
• Government security clearance: None

Asset protection

• Knowledge of data storage and processing locations: Yes
• Data storage and processing locations: United Kingdom
• User control over data storage and processing locations: No
• Datacentre security standards: Complies with a recognised standard (for example CSA CCM version 4.0)
• Penetration testing frequency: At least once a year
• Penetration testing approach: Another external penetration testing organisation
• Protecting data at rest: Physical access control, complying with SSAE-18 / ISAE 3402
• Data sanitisation process: No
• Equipment disposal approach: A third-party destruction service

Data importing and exporting

• Data export approach: Vidatum Academic allows users to export their Curriculum Vitae (CV) in a standard template to either Word or PDF format. Additional templates can be requested if required.; ; Vidatum's reporting module allows for data to be exported in multiple formats including Native Excel, CSV, Word or PDF. Exports from the reporting module are based on data from standardised and user custom reports.
• Data export formats:
  • CSV
  • Other
• Other data export formats:
  • JSON
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Word
  • PDF
• Data import formats:
  • CSV
  • Other
• Other data import formats:
  • Microsoft Excel
  • XML
  • JSON

Data-in-transit protection

• Data protection between buyer and supplier networks: TLS (version 1.2 or above)
• Data protection within supplier network: TLS (version 1.2 or above)

Availability and resilience

• Guaranteed availability: As Vidatum uses the Oracle Cloud and Oracle offers a 99.99% uptime SLA with their cloud instances we can confirm that the system will available at this level.
• Approach to resilience: Available on Request
• Outage reporting: Vidatum monitors all client environments and email alerts are sent to nominated emails accounts which can be monitored by one or more client staff.; ; Vidatum support staff are notified as part of the same process and are primed to respond to any unexpected outages.

Identity and authentication

• User authentication needed: Yes
• User authentication:
  • Identity federation with existing provider (for example Google Apps)
  • Username or password
  • Other
• Other user authentication: Vidatum Academic authenticates logins in one of the following ways:; • Active Directory;; • Azure Active Directory;; • Shibboleth (an implementation of SAML);; • Federated authentication services such as OpenID;; • LDAP and Secure LDAP;; • Google (Gmail); and; • Native Vidatum Projects authentication.; ; In a typical implementation we would use the Native Vidatum authentication for a DEV and UAT environment and one of the above other methods in a live environment. Our most recent two implementations have been with Azure Active Directory.
• Access restrictions in management interfaces and support channels: Access to system administration functionalities is limited to client staff with appropriate privileges and authorized Vidatum support personnel. Server access is restricted to a select few individuals within Vidatum.
• Access restriction testing frequency: At least once a year
• Management access authentication:
  • Public key authentication (including by TLS client certificate)
  • Dedicated link (for example VPN)
  • Username or password

Audit information for users

• Access to user activity audit information: Users have access to real-time audit information
• How long user audit data is stored for: At least 12 months
• Access to supplier activity audit information: No audit information available
• How long system logs are stored for: At least 12 months

Security governance

• Named board-level person responsible for service security: Yes
• Security governance certified: Yes
• Security governance standards: ISO/IEC 27001
• Information security policies and processes: Vidatum has an Information Security Management System (ISMS) compliance with ISO 27001. The ISMS focuses on polices such as Access Control, Data Protection and Incident Response.; ; Reporting Structure:; -Our ISMS manager reports to the CTO and CEO. Security policies are reviewed bi-annually ensuring they remain up to date.; ; Enforcement and Improvement:; -Immediate corrective actions for non-compliance ensure ongoing adherence to the policies outlined in the ISMS; -Reviews on security policies and the feedback from team members allow us to improve on our processes.
• Software Security Code of Practice: Yes

Operational security

• Configuration and change management standard: Supplier-defined controls
• Configuration and change management approach: All our version releases are tested before rolling out. We are currently on version 4.3. Looking ahead, we plan to release version 4.x every 9 to 12 months. We actively seek and encourage feedback from our customers during implementations and user group meetings. This feedback serves as a valuable source of insights and ideas for enhancing our software solution. Our development team carefully evaluates and considers customer suggestions, incorporating them into our development plans when they align with our strategic goals and provide value to a broader user base.
• Vulnerability management type: Supplier-defined controls
• Vulnerability management approach: Vidatum operates a structured vulnerability management process combining regular vulnerability scanning and penetration testing. External penetration testing is conducted annually by an independent third party, with additional internal testing and vulnerability scanning carried out throughout the year.; ; Identified vulnerabilities are assessed based on severity and risk. Critical and high-risk issues are prioritised and remediated as soon as practicable, with lower-risk items addressed through scheduled maintenance and release cycles.; ; Threat intelligence is informed by vulnerability scanning tools, penetration testing reports, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure security advisories, vendor notifications, and publicly available vulnerability databases such as CVE feeds.
• Protective monitoring type: Supplier-defined controls
• Protective monitoring approach: On an ongoing basis, Vidatum employs a managed vulnerability scanning service which provides structured and continuous security testing for complex web applications such as ours. It covers components such as API’s, cloud databases, network infrastructure and more. A key feature of the service is that it combines human expertise with an automated tool to deliver actionable reports.; ; Response times depend on the severity of the issues reported. Our response times range from immediate action to scheduled security patches.
• Incident management type: Supplier-defined controls
• Incident management approach: Vidatum operates a pre-defined incident management process with defined severity levels and response procedures. Users report incidents via agreed support channels, where they are logged, prioritised, and resolved in line with established processes. Regular status updates are provided during resolution. Formal incident reports are issued for major or high-severity incidents only, confirming actions taken and service restoration.
• Post-quantum cryptography secure: No

Secure development

• Approach to secure software development best practice: Independent review of processes (for example CESG CPA Build Standard, ISO/IEC 27034, ISO/IEC 27001 or CSA CCM v4.0)

Public sector networks

• Connection to public sector networks: No

Pricing

• Discount for educational organisations: Yes
• Free trial available: No

Discount percentage by annual call-off contract value (excluding VAT)

• Less than £250,000: 5%
• Between £250,000 and £500,000: 10%
• Between £500,001 and £1,000,000: 20%
• Between £1,000,001 and £2,500,000: 20%
• Between £2,500,001 and £5,000,000: 20%
• Over £5,000,001: 20%

Standards and certifications

• ISO/IEC 27001 certification: No
• ISO 28000:2022 certification: No
• ISO 9001 certification: No
• Quality management systems (QMS): No
• CSA STAR certification: No
• PCI certification: No
• Cyber essentials: No
• Cyber Essentials Alternative: None of the criteria
• Cyber essentials plus: No
• Cyber Essentials Alternative: None of the criteria
• Other security certifications: Yes
• Any other security certifications: ISO 27001 letter of commitment certification Feb 26

Social value

• Mission: Kick start economic growth:

  To secure the highest sustained growth in the G7 - with good jobs and productivity growth in every part of the country making everyone, not just a few, better off.

  Policy Outcome 1: Fair work: That offers fair wages and good working conditions. Help people get a job, stay in work, and progress in their careers, with good employment opportunities across the country. Notes: Where there is a large proportion of labour costs in the contract, commercial teams should consider MAC in Outcome 1 as a priority

  • Providing opportunities for, and measuring and monitoring of, staff workforce conditions over time, including employee engagement, involvement in decision-making and satisfaction and adapting to any changes in the results, with clear processes for acting on issues identified
  • Activities that support an environment where staff are educated about, and feel empowered to, address their physical wellbeing
  • Activities that support an environment where staff are educated about and feel empowered to report and address bullying and harassment
  • Payment of more than the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage (as appropriate) to the contract workforce
  • Entitlement to sick pay for the contract workforce, with provision in place for any staff who do not meet the earnings threshold for statutory sick pay, payment of sick pay from day one of absence and payment of staff on the contract workforce who are off sick a replacement income of 100% of their usual earnings for as long as possible
  • Measures to support in-work progression to help people in the contract workforce, to move into higher paid work by developing new skills relevant to the contract
  • Support for the contract workforce by providing career advice, and providing opportunities for staff working on the contract with in-work progression career development into known skills shortages or high growth areas

  Policy Outcome 2: Skills for growth: Supporting growth sectors and addressing skills gaps.

  • Understanding of employment and relevant skills issues, and of the education and training issues relating to the contract. Illustrative examples: demographics, skills shortages, new opportunities in high growth sectors, geographic/local community and skills/employment challenges
  • Support for educational attainment relevant to the contract, including training schemes that address skills gaps and result in recognised qualifications
• Mission: Make Britain a clean energy superpower:

  To cut bills, create jobs and deliver security with cheaper, zero-carbon electricity by 2030, accelerating to net zero

  Policy Outcome 4: Sustainable procurement practices: Reducing carbon footprints, minimising waste, and promoting the use of clean energy and green technologies.

  • Understanding of opportunities for additional environmental benefits delivery in the performance of the contract, including working towards net zero carbon emissions and use of clean energy and green technologies
• Mission: Build an NHS fit for the future:

  That is there when people need it; with fewer lives lost to the biggest killers; in a fairer Britain, where everyone lives well for longer.

  Policy Outcome 8: Increasing productivity through physical and mental wellbeing: In the supply chain and communities in the relevant area.

  • Understanding of issues relating to health and wellbeing, including physical and mental health, in the contract workforce

Service documents

• Pricing document

  PDF

• Service definition document

  PDF

• Terms and conditions

  PDF

Request an accessible format

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need versions of these documents in a more accessible format, email the supplier at simon.cullen@vidatum.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.