This scheme provides funding for established researchers and teams from any discipline who want to pursue bold and creative research ideas to deliver significant shifts in understanding that could improve human life, health and well-being.
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 wellbeing, and aligns with our funding remit.
The research can be in a single discipline or multidisciplinary.
An award can be held by an established researcher or a team of researchers led by an established researcher.
Eligibility: You can apply to this scheme if you are an early-career researcher and you are ready to design, plan and deliver your own innovative research project that aims to:
- advance understanding in your field
and/or
- develop methodologies, conceptual frameworks, tools or techniques that could benefit health-related research.
At the point you submit your application, you must have completed a substantive period of research training relevant to your discipline.
You must be able to contribute at least 80% of your research time in support of the project proposed in the award. You should not spend more than 20% of your time on non-research related activities, for example clinical duties, teaching or administration. If you’re based in a clinical craft specialty, you may spend up to 40% of your time on clinical duties.
Level of funding: A Wellcome Early-Career Award provides a salary for the grantholder and up to £400,000 for research expenses. If you are eligible to request overheads or overseas allowances, these are not counted against the £400,000 limit for research expenses. The award usually lasts for 5 years, but may be less for some disciplines, such as humanities and social science.
Additional information: If your host organisation is in the UK and you have team members who will spend at least 50% of their working time contributing to the award, they may be eligible to apply for a Global Talent visa through the endorsed funder route.
Key dates
- 15 February 2024: deadline for application at 17:00 pm BST
- April 2024: shortlisting
- 09-11 July 2024: interviews