The Wellcome Career Development Awards for International Mid-Career Researchers

The Wellcome Career Development Awards from the Wellcome Trust enable researchers to work on human life, health, and well-being from the perspective of any discipline. This Award leads the fellows to own their research program. This scheme supports mid-career researchers from any discipline who have the potential to become international research leaders. They will expand their research capabilities, drive innovative work programs, and deliver significant shifts in understanding that may improve human life, health, and well-being.

If you are a mid-career researcher ready to lead an extensive and innovative research program, you can apply for a Wellcome Career Development Award. Your research can be in any discipline – including science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), experimental medicine, humanities and social science, clinical/allied health sciences, and public health – as long as it has the potential to improve human life, health, and well-being and is within the scope of their funding.

The Scheme at a Glance

• Host organization Locations: UK, Republic of Ireland, and countries with low or middle incomes, excluding India and mainland China
• Level of funding: You should request your salary (if applicable) as well as the resources you require for your research project
• Duration of funding:Typically, eight years, but may be less for some disciplines and only slightly longer if held part-time.
• Last date to apply: 27 July 2023 (17:00 BST)
• Shortlisting: October 2023
• Interviews: 16-18 January 2024
• Offered by: Wellcome Trust organization

What Does the Award Offer?

Fellows will benefit from the following items and benefits:

• The Award covers the grantee’s salary (if applicable) and provides research expenses
• Part-time involvement opportunity with the Award is possible. They will extend the award period to reflect this.
• Applicants can request funding at a level and duration appropriate for their proposed research.
• The Award typically lasts eight years, but it may be shorter in some disciplines, such as humanities and social science.

The Award includes the following costs:

• Salary: A basic salary from the host organization for the grant duration.
• Visa and Work permit costs: If Wellcome pays your salary as part of the grant, you can request a visa and work permit assistance to help you start your new job at your host organization.
• Staff: They will pay up to four Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) employees, full or part-time, who will work on your project. If needed, you may request additional staff costs (in addition to the four FTE employees).
• Continuing professional development and professional skills training: Types of training can include:
  Research leadership, professional, and people management skills
  career development, support inclusion and diversity, fostering a healthy research culture
• Materials and consumables
• Animals
• Equipment
• Access Charges
• Fieldwork expenses
• Travel and subsistence
• Contract research organizations
• Public engagement and patient involvement cost
• Clinical research cost
• Open access charges
• Overseas allowances
• Other costs

Areas of Research

Researchers may consider these research areas for their projects:

• Molecular Mechanisms
• Pathogen Biology and Disease Transmission
• Cell Biology, Development, and Physiology
• Immune System in Health and Disease
• Population and Public Health
• Brain and Behavioral Sciences
• Genetics and Genomics
• Medical Humanities
• Social Sciences
• Data Sciences, Tools, and Technology

 Who Can Apply for the Wellcome Career Development Award?

If you are a mid-career researcher ready to lead an effective and innovative research program, you can apply for a Wellcome Career Development Award. A pivotal contribution to your field by:

• Generating significant shifts in understanding,
• developing methodologies, conceptual frameworks, tools, or techniques to aid health-related research.
• To be eligible, you will already be driving your research.
• You must have completed one or two significant research periods following your initial training.
• It would help if you made significant contributions to your field of study.
• You will have finished your clinical training if you are a health professional. To continue clinical activities, you must be registered with and licensed by the competent professional regulation in the nation where you wish to operate.
• It would be best to acquire international recognition in your field of study by the end of the Award.
• You should also have the qualifications and experience to apply for permanent posts in research institutes.

Award Exceptions

During the Award, they expect you to:

• Improve your research and leadership abilities.
• Encourage others to conduct responsible research and promote a positive and inclusive culture.
• Begin training the next generation of researchers and helping them advance their research skills and careers.

Host Organization Requirements

The applicants’ host organization should fulfill the following criteria:

• Applicants should have sponsorship from an eligible host organization or Higher education institution
• The institution must be in the UK, the Republic of Ireland, and a low- or middle-income country
• Be a research institute
• Higher education university or institution
• Non-academic healthcare organization
• Not-for-profit organization.

Assessment Criteria of the Award

The selection committee will evaluate applicants’ study or research projects, abilities and expertise, and research settings. To be competitive, your study proposal must include the following elements:

• Bold: It aspires to bring about a considerable shift in perception or to be a significant improvement over existing approaches, conceptual frameworks, tools, or procedures. It has the potential to spark new and exciting research.
• Creative: Your approach is original in developing and testing new concepts, methodologies, or technologies or cleverly integrating existing ideas and practices.
• High Quality: It is well-designed, clear, and evidence-based, with attainable objectives and results.
• The committee also evaluates the applicants’ research experience, educational background, and research environment.

Who Can’t Apply?

You are not eligible to apply if:

• You hold, or have held, an equivalent fellowship at this career stage.
• You have applied to this program and are awaiting a response.

Expectations of the Host Organization?

Applicants should be at an eligible organization that can sign up for their grant conditions. Applicants’ host organization should:

• Provide you with the same status and perks as other senior academic personnel.
• When you join the organization and begin the Award, we provide an onboarding, embedding, and planning system.
• Allow you and any grant-funded employees ten days per year (pro rata if part-time) to participate in Concordat-compliant training and ongoing professional development (CPD).

How to Apply for the Wellcome Career Development Awards?

To apply for this opportunity, follow the below-listed steps:

• Submit your application for approval to your host organization by completing the online form.
• Create an account on the online application portal through Apply Now button.

Apply Now

• View the sample complete application form for the Wellcome Career Development Awards.
• Please submit it to your host organization’s authorized organizational approver for approval.
  Host organization reviews your application and submits it to them.
• Shortlisting: They’ll ensure you’re eligible for the program and that your application illustrates how you’ll achieve its goals.
• Written expert review: The organization seek external written expert review on shortlisted applications
• Interviews: Shortlisted candidates will have an interview with a committee at the Wellcome headquarters in London. Accessibility requirements accommodations will be available. Those applicants who cannot attend in person can participate remotely.
• Funding Decision: The Discovery Research Decision Board will make the final funding choices. You will be notified of the financing decision through email shortly after the decision.
• Feedback: Written feedback will be available to all unsuccessful applicants at each decision point, including the reasons for a decision.

Please check the Wellcome Trust Organziation website for further details about the Wellcome Career Development Awards.