The Wellcome Discovery Awards for International Established Researchers in the UK: (Deadline 16 April 2024 )

The Wellcome Discovery Awards from the Wellcome Trust enable established researchers and teams to work on human life, health, and well-being from the perspective of any discipline.

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. Expectations go for actively promoting a diverse, inclusive, and supportive research environment within the researcher’s team and organization.

If you are an established 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 the resources you require for your research project by justifying the application
• Duration of funding:Typically, eight years, but may be less for some disciplines and only slightly longer if held part-time.
• Application Opens: 06 June 2023
• Last date to apply: 21 November 2023 (17:00 BST)/ 16 April 2024 (17:00 BST)
• Shortlisting: February 2024
• Interviews: 7-9 May 2024
• Offered by: Wellcome Trust organization

What Do the Wellcome Discovery Awards Offer?

Fellows will benefit from the following items and benefits:

• The Award covers 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 but should justify their applications.
• The Award typically lasts eight years, but it may be shorter in some disciplines, such as humanities and social science.

The Discovery Awards include the following costs:

• Staff and their salaries from the host organization and necessary fees
• Continuing professional development and training
• Materials and consumables
• Animals for tests
• Necessary equipment and maintenance costs of the equipment, such as computer and VAT
• Access charges for the cost of access to shared equipment, services, or facilities
• Overheads
• Travel and subsistence
• Overseas allowances
• Fieldwork expenses
• Inflation allowance
• Open access charges
• Clinical research costs
• Public engagement and patient involvement costs
• Contract research organizations
• 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.
• The research can be in a multidisciplinary or single discipline
• An established researcher or a team of researchers led by an established researcher can apply
• The principal applicant or a lead applicant of a team must have international standing as a research team leader in their field, have experience in creative research and leading innovation, and a record of managing and training others
• Researchers should be in a host organization in one of the eligible countries, such as the UK, the Republic of Ireland, or a low- or middle-income country mentioned above
• Co-applicants’ career stage doesn’t matter and can be anywhere in the world but from mainland China.

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’  and co-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.
• If you propose to engage out activities that require the transfer of award funds into mainland China, you cannot apply.

Expectations of the Host Organization?

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

• Be based at a qualified organization
• Guarantee agreement and availability of the space and resources needed throughout the research project
• Explain how the research best fits with the strategic aims of the organization
• 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, make sure to read every single guide on the website. Applicants may follow the below-listed instructional steps:

• Submit your application for approval to your host organization by completing the online form on the Welcome Application portal.

For more information, Visit:

OFFICIAL LINK & APPLY