The IMPC (International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium) was launched recently, and its aim is to develop and phenotype mouse knockouts of 4000 genes over the next 5 years and, ultimately, of all 20000 or so genes in the mouse genome. As part of the IMPC, the MRC (Medical Research Council) also launched a call for MRC mouse networks, where groups of U.K.-based researchers could form a consortium based around a particular area of research. Members of the respiratory research community formed the RDDRC (Respiratory Development and Disease Research Consortium) to consolidate and develop respiratory phenotyping methods suitable for high-throughput screening. This paper, arising from a Biochemical Society workshop held in London in 2012, highlights the purposes of the RDDRC and the needs of the respiratory research community.