This Wellcome Trust 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 related to human life, health and wellbeing.
Who can apply?
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.
An award can be held by an established researcher or a team of researchers led by an established researcher.
If you are applying as a team of researchers
Team size will depend on the proposed research. It will usually range from two to eight applicants, including the lead applicant. The primary location for the research, including the leadership of the programme, must be within the UK, Republic of Ireland and/or a low- and middle-income country.
If you are applying as an individual
You cannot involve coapplicants in your application and award, but you can still work with collaborators.
Whether applying as an individual established researcher who will employ staff through your grant, or as a team of researchers, we encourage lead applicants to put together diverse teams. You will be expected to actively promote a diverse, inclusive and supportive research environment within your team and across your organisation.
Who can’t apply
You are not eligible to apply as a lead applicant on a Discovery Award if you are the lead applicant on two other Discovery Award applications and you are waiting for a decision.
You cannot apply if you intend to carry out activities that involve the transfer of grant funds into mainland China.
Is your research right for this scheme?
You must check whether Wellcome Discovery Research can fund your type of research project before you apply.
Check what we fund in Discovery Research
Your research must:
- fit within what we support in Discovery Research
- have the potential to improve human life, health, and wellbeing.
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
- be in a single discipline or multidisciplinary.
Your research must not:
- fall outside of what we support in Discovery Research. Check what we don’t fund.
- start earlier than seven months after the application deadline.
Visit funding web page
(https://wellcome.org/research-funding/schemes/wellcome-discovery-awards)
