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 wellbeing.
A Wellcome Discovery Award provides funding for research expenses. The award usually lasts for 8 years, but may be less for some disciplines, such as humanities and social science. The award may be held on a part-time basis. They will extend the duration of the award to reflect this.
About Wellcome
Wellcome exists to improve health by helping great ideas to thrive. They support researchers, we take on big health challenges, we campaign for better science, and we help everyone get involved with science and health research. Wellcome is a politically and financially independent foundation. Their founder, Sir Henry Wellcome, was a medical entrepreneur, collector and philanthropist. How they work today reflects the breadth of his interests, and his conviction that health can be improved when research generates, tests and investigates new ideas. Their governance is based on an updated version ... continue reading
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Wellcome Discovery Awards
Aim and Benefits of Wellcome Discovery Awards
We will only pay the international student fee rate for low- and middle-income nationals who are registered to study for a PhD/Research Masters in a high-income country, excluding the UK and Republic of Ireland. In all other situations, we will pay home student fees.
Requirements for Wellcome Discovery Awards Qualification
- You can apply for a Wellcome Discovery Award if you are a researcher who wants to pursue bold and creative research ideas. You must aim to make a major contribution to your research field by:
- Generating significant shifts in understanding and/or
- Developing methodologies, conceptual frameworks, tools or techniques that could benefit health-related research.
- You will be expected to actively promote a diverse, inclusive and supportive research environment within your team and across your organization.
- 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 the 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.
Interview date, Process and Venue for Wellcome Discovery Awards
Assessment Criteria
They will review your research proposal, skills and experience, and research environment.
Your research proposal
To be competitive, your research proposal will be:
- Bold. It aims to deliver a significant shift in understanding and/or it provides a significant advance over existing methodologies, conceptual frameworks, tools, or techniques. It has the potential to stimulate new and innovative research.
- Creative. Your proposed approach is novel – it develops and tests new concepts, methods, or technologies, or combines existing ideas and approaches in a new way.
- High quality. It is well-designed, clear, and supported by evidence and the proposed outcomes/outputs are feasible.
Your skills and experience (applicants and co-applicants)
They will review:
- Your research outputs and contributions to the research community
- Your previous contributions to, and plans for, developing team members and other researchers
- Your leadership and management skills, and how you plan to develop these during the award
- How the program will be managed and led
- Your rationale for a team approach, team composition (including your approach to diversity, inclusion and career stage) and the contribution of each team member.
Your research environment
They will review:
- How you will contribute to the strategic aims of your organisation
- How your research environment(s) will help you develop your research capabilities, and leadership and management skills
- Your experience of, and plans for, contributing to a positive and inclusive research culture
Application Deadline
November 21, 2023
How to Apply
Interested and qualified? Go to
Wellcome on login-funding.wellcome.org to apply
For more details, visit Wellcome website
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