Wellcome Trust Innovator Awards

On this page we present an overview of the Wellcome Trust Discovery Research Scheme.

On this page:

• Wellcome Trust Discovery Research Scheme
  • Early Career Awards
  • Career Development Awards
  • Discovery Awards

Wellcome Trust – Discovery Research Scheme

Awards under the Discover Research Scheme will fund fundamental research projects that are bold, with a significant impact to improve human life, health, and wellbeing. The approach has been simplified and provides researchers with more flexibility and freedom to perform their research, with longer project duration, and extensive resources (no maximum budget). Applications should be targeted at broad research lines with larger impact and not just based on one research project.

Their aim is to have a broader reach, touch upon more research fields and different disciplines including:

• Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)
• Humanities and social science
• Clinical/allied health sciences
• Experimental medicine
• Public health.

Wellcome Trust has included three global health challenges as part of their strategy, that will be tackled other the years: infectious disease, mental health and climate and health.

All calls will be open to applicants based in the UK, Republic of Ireland and low- and middle-income countries. For all calls, it will be possible to apply as a single applicant, or as a team including interdisciplinary research. This will depend on the resources and expertise needed for the projects.

Wellcome Trust will aim to open 3 rounds per year. Applications will be short-listed and then invited for final interviews.

There will only be 3 awards:

• Early-Career Awards
• Career Development Awards
• Discovery Awards

In the future, Wellcome trust aims to fund areas that require extra resources. In addition, they want to develop a strategic approach to supporting funded centres and enabling research infrastructures.

Summary:

Wellcome Trust launched the Discovery Research Scheme in August 2021, which includes 3 different awards (Early-Career, Career Development and Discovery Awards). The awards will fund bold fundamental research projects with a significant impact to improve human life, health, and wellbeing. The new approach has been simplified and provides researchers with more flexibility and freedom to perform their research, with longer project duration, and extensive resources (no maximum budget). Applications should be targeted at broad research lines with larger impact and not just based on one research project. For the next years, they expect to have 3 rounds per year.

Upcoming deadlines:

• Career Development Awards: Full proposal 3 April 2025
• Discovery Awards: Full proposal 8 April 2025

About Wellcome Trust

The Wellcome Trust is an independent foundation, founded by, Sir Henry Wellcome, a medical entrepreneur. Up to now, Wellcome Trust has invested £26.8 billion and plans to invest £5 billion in the next 5 years helping people across the world explore great ideas.

The Wellcome Trust funds research through many different grants, including funding for individuals, teams, resources, seed ideas, places and major initiatives in multiple research areas:

• • Biomedical science
  • Population health
  • Product development and applied research
  • Humanities and social science
  • Public engagement and creative industries.