QCIF Digital Research is excited to announce the release of ReDBox 5, the latest version of Australia's leading open-source research data management platform.

Used by research institutions across the country, ReDBox helps researchers and organisations plan, manage, describe and publish research data assets.

This latest release delivers major improvements to flexibility, usability and administration, making it easier for institutions to tailor the platform to their needs.

A brand-new configurable form framework

One of the standout features of ReDBox 5 is a completely redesigned form framework built on Angular, Google's widely used open-source web application framework.

The new framework delivers a more modern user experience while giving institutions greater control over workflows, validation and data collection processes.

Key enhancements include:

• A refreshed and more consistent user experience.

• Flexible configuration of form layouts, field behaviour and validation rules.

• Advanced validation capabilities, including multiple validators per field, validation groups, advisory validations and clearer validation summaries.

• A significantly expanded library of reusable components, including repeatable groups, accordions, question trees, typeaheads, maps, file uploads, data location selectors, rich-text fields and record selectors.

• Enhanced dynamic form behaviour, allowing fields and sections to adapt automatically based on user responses and workflow state.

These improvements enable institutions to design more sophisticated data collection workflows without requiring custom development.

 Improved administration and self-service

A major focus of ReDBox 5 has been moving commonly requested configuration tasks out of application code and into administrative interfaces. Administrators can now manage significantly more of their ReDBox environment themselves, including:

• Site language and content through the administration interface.

• Controlled vocabularies, with improved support for external and historical vocabulary values.

• Reports and named queries through dedicated management interfaces.

• Integration settings in a more structured and reusable way.

• Branding and navigation, including logos, colours, themes, favicons and site menus.

• Enhanced user management capabilities.

This is an area the ReDBox team intends to continue expanding, with the aim of making the platform configurable without requiring major software changes or deployments.

Improved integrations, auditing and visibility

ReDBox 5 includes substantial improvements to the way the platform integrates with other research and institutional systems.

The release includes enhanced integrations with services such as Figshare and DataCite DOI, improved auditing and reporting, and greater visibility into system processes through new monitoring tools.

Built for the future

While many of the enhancements in ReDBox 5 are visible to users and administrators, significant work has also taken place behind the scenes.

The user interface has been migrated to Angular 20, the platform now runs on Node.js 24, and large parts of the ReDBox server have been migrated from JavaScript to TypeScript and reorganised into reusable core packages.

We’ve also introduced new extension and developer tooling, including:

• The ReDBox Development CLI.

• A formal data migration framework.

• Improved automated testing.

• OpenAPI documentation.

• Generated developer reference documentation.

  
  

These investments provide a stronger technical foundation for future development while making institutional customisations easier to maintain and upgrade over time.

Learn More

Whether your institution is looking to modernise research data management processes, improve compliance, or deliver a better experience for researchers, ReDBox 5 provides a flexible, scalable and future-ready solution.

Visit the ReDBox website to explore the latest features, roadmap and community resources.

Interested in learning how ReDBox could support your institution? Contact the QCIF team to arrange a consultation and discuss your research data management requirements.