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Wellcome Early-Career Awards

Wellcome Trust

This scheme provides funding for early-career researchers from any discipline who are ready to develop their research identity. Through innovative projects, they will deliver shifts in understanding related to human life, health and wellbeing. By the end of the award, they will be ready to lead their own independent research programme.

Scheme at a glance

Lead applicant career stage:

Early-career researcher

Administering organisation location:

UK, Republic of Ireland, Low- or middle-income countries (apart from India and mainland China)

Frequency:

Three times a year

Funding amount:

Your salary and up to £400,000 for research expenses. Certain costs do not count towards the £400,000 research expenses limit. Check 'Research costs we'll cover' for more information.

Funding duration:

Usually 5 years, but may be less for some disciplines, and may only be longer if held on a part-time basis.

Coapplicants:

Not accepted

Lead applicant career stage and experience

At the point you submit your application, you must have completed a substantive period of research training relevant to your discipline.

You must have:

completed a PhD (for example, in the life sciences) or an equivalent higher research degree. You must have passed your viva examination by the application deadline.

if you have not started a PhD or equivalent degree, at least four years' equivalent research experience (for example, in the humanities and social sciences).

You may also have some postdoctoral experience in your proposed field of study, but no more than three years at the point of the application deadline unless you can demonstrate how other factors have impacted on your research career. When we review how much postdoctoral experience you have, we will allow for part-time work, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, career breaks (for example, parental leave or long-term sick leave) and other significant amounts of time spent outside research (for example, clinical training).

We will also consider whether you have changed research discipline. For example, moving from astrophysics to computational neuroscience. There may be some crossover, such as in research sites or techniques, but the shift should still be a significant change.

We consider postdoctoral experience as any periods spent in research after you passed your PhD/higher research degree viva.

You should be able to demonstrate:

a good understanding of research methodology
evidence of project delivery and analysis.

You should not need close supervision to complete your proposed research, although you may need training in new techniques and experimental approaches.

How much time you must contribute

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 in a clinical craft speciality, you may spend up to 40% of your time on clinical duties.

Health professionals

If you are a health professional and you want to continue with clinical activities, you must be registered with, and be licensed by, the relevant professional regulator in the country you intend to work in. Read our Q&As for health professionals.

If you are based in a low- or middle-income country

Applicants who are based in a low- or middle-income country may hold a permanent, open-ended or long term rolling contract, although it is not a requirement. All other eligibility criteria apply.

If you’ve spent time away from research

You can apply if you've spent time away from research (for example a career break, parental leave, or long-term sick leave). We'll allow for this when we consider your application.

Depending on your previous career stage and the level of supervision and retraining you need now, you may also want to consider a Career Development Award.

AI Based Application Success Predictor

Based on Wellcome’s guidance and common review criteria:

✔ Alignment With Wellcome’s Mission

• Research must align with Wellcome’s strategic priorities (e.g., fundamental discovery, major health challenges, innovation in methods or applications). Wellcome

✔ Bold, Creative Research Questions

• Projects should aim to generate step-changes rather than incremental findings, challenging assumptions or proposing novel frameworks. Wellcome

✔ Robust, Feasible Design

• Clearly defined aims, appropriate methods, risk mitigation and realistic timelines are critical for reviewers to judge deliverability. Wellcome

✔ Strong Investigator Profile

• Track record of quality outputs, leadership potential, commitment to mentorship and capability to manage complex research. Wellcome

✔ Inclusive, Supportive Research Environment

• Evidence of leadership in fostering positive research culture, including equity, diversity, ethics, stakeholder engagement and openness, is increasingly weighted in assessment. Wellcome

🛠 Practical Application Tips

📍 Know the remit: Check whether your project fits the specific scheme requirements before applying. Wellcome
📍 Organise strong team roles: If applying with co-applicants, ensure each role is justified and complementary. Wellcome
📍 Highlight impact: Clearly state potential scientific and health benefits — short- and long-term. Wellcome
📍 Leverage review guidance: Use Wellcome’s published reviewer criteria as a checklist for your narrative. Wellcome
📍 Institutional approvals: Ensure your organisation can administer the award and meet all grant conditions. Wellcome

🧠 Summary: Wellcome Trust Success Checklist

Predictor	Why It Matters
Strategic alignment	Fits Wellcome’s mission and priorities. Wellcome
Boldness & innovation	Drives step-change scientific advances. Wellcome
Quality & feasibility	Essential for fundability. Wellcome
Investigator capability	Confidence in execution. Wellcome
Research environment quality	Included in scoring for many schemes. Wellcome
Clear, well-written proposal	Reviewer readability and logic.

Specialties

Public Health

Eligibility Requirements

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.

During the award, we expect you to:

expand your technical skills and/or your experience of different research methodologies or frameworks
build a collaborative network with other researchers in your field
develop your people management skills
advance your understanding of how to complete research responsibly and promote a positive and inclusive culture.

By the end of the award, you should have the research maturity to develop, manage and lead your own creative, independent research programme.

If you decide not to pursue a career in research, you’ll have transferable skills that you can use in roles related to research or outside of research, for example in industry or teaching.

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: Wellcome Trust

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: Gibbs Building 215 Euston Road London NW1 2BE

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