Wellcome Grant Funding Schemes

What Wellcome grants offer

Wellcome supports research in the fields of health and the life sciences through various funding programmes. Each of these programmes covers your salary as well as the funds required to carry out a research project. The amount depends on your career stage. Early-Career Awards totalling approximately 465,000 euros (400,000 pounds) for research costs, in addition to your salary, over a period of 5 years. Career Development Awards last for around 8 years, with annual expenditure typically amounting to less than around 290,000 euros (250,000 pounds), excluding salary. Discovery Awards for experienced researchers amount to an average of around 4 million euros (3.5 million GBP) over a period of up to 8 years. A separate programme, Mental Health Award, supports teams working on anxiety, depression and psychosis in young people. It provides 230,000 euros (200,000 pounds) to develop a proposal over 12 months, followed by up to approximately 9 million euros (5 to 8 million pounds) for the main study. Wellcome is an independent, global foundation based in London, which will invest around 16 billion GBP over the ten years to 2032.

Who can apply

• You are a researcher, not a student: These are research fellowships, not study grants. You must hold a PhD (or have approximately 4 years’ equivalent research experience). For programmes aimed at experienced researchers, you must also have a demonstrable track record of independent research.
• Career stage decides the scheme: For the ‘Early-Career Awards’, we are seeking applicants with no more than 3 years’ postdoctoral experience. For the ‘Career Development Awards’, we are seeking researchers at the mid-point of their careers who are prepared to lead a programme. For the ‘Discovery Awards’, internationally recognised research leaders are sought.
• Field of study: All academic disciplines relating to human life, health and well-being, ranging from STEM subjects and clinical sciences to the social sciences, the humanities and public health.
• Nationality: Applicants of all nationalities are welcome to apply. The decisive factor is the location of your host organisation, not your passport.
• Where you are based: Your host organisation must be a non-commercial organisation (university, research institute, healthcare organisation or non-governmental organisation) in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland or an eligible low- or middle-income country. From 29 October 2026, this is restricted to the United Kingdom and low- or middle-income countries in Africa, South Asia and South-East Asia.
• Excluded activity: Such research is not possible in mainland China. Research projects funded by the tobacco industry are also not supported.

How to apply

Applications must be submitted online via the Wellcome Funding Platform. For the ‘Discovery Awards’, the application deadline is 22 September 2026; the decision will be made in March 2027. Applications for the ‘Early-Career Awards’ and the ‘Career Development Awards’ can be submitted at any time. If you are shortlisted, you will be invited to an interview before the final decision is made.

How realistic are your chances?

These are competitive, generously funded grants for individuals who, at their respective career stages, can already demonstrate an impressive track record of publications and the ability to work independently. They are more suited to established researchers than to those at the start of their careers. As each programme is linked to a specific career stage, you will improve your chances by applying for the programme that best suits you. Wellcome itself describes the ‘Mental Health Award’ as extremely competitive, as it is expected that only around 20 grants will be awarded in the first phase.