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The Wellcome Trust
Funding opportunities
5 December 2007
Tracy Halpin and Savita Ayyar
Overview
• The Wellcome Trust
• The application process
• Funding schemes offered by the Wellcome Trust
The Wellcome Trust
• an independent researchfunding charity
• established 1936
• funded from private
endowment
• managed for long-term
stability and growth
• interests range from science
to history of medicine
Wellcome Trust mission
“To foster and
promote research with
the aim of improving
human and animal
health”
Strategic aims
Strategic Plan
2005-2010
What do we fund?
• Biomedical and veterinary research
• Technology transfer activities
• History of Medicine research
• Biomedical ethics research
• Public engagement
Good idea!
Application submission
Expert peer review
Funding Committee
Reject
Fund
Interview
Committee
Your application
www.wellcome.ac.uk
•Check scheme details
•Allow plenty of time (between 4-6 months)
Choose appropriate Stream
Immunology and
Infectious Disease
Populations and Public Health
Neuroscience and Mental Health
Physiological Sciences
Molecules, Genes
and Cells
Meeting Dates and deadlines
Funding Committee
•Meetings take place 4 times a year
•Dates available from website
Grant Application - Components
• Research Question : Summary & Details
• CV’s of applicants
• Resources
The research plan
• Clear hypothesis
• Not over/under ambitious
• Convincing preliminary data
• Appropriate co-applicants and collaborators
• Easily read and understood
Resources
Justifying resources is as important as the proposal.
• Personal support
• Staff - Research Assistants/Technicians
• Equipment & Access Charges
• Animals
• Materials & Consumables
Seek advice !!
• From colleagues and/or mentors and Trust staff
• Ask for as many independent views or comments
on the proposal as possible
• Seek opinions from colleagues outside your field
as to readability, focus etc.
Your application
post-submission
Referee selection
Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5 Month 6
Admin
Applications Sent to
compiled & Funding
copied
Committee
At the Funding Committee meeting..
•The importance of the question
•The approach to the question and feasibility
•Track record/potential of applicant?
•Appropriate equipment and running costs
For fellowships
•Person-Project-Place
•Scientific independence
Peer review – plays an important role but is not the only
defining factor
Funding schemes
Types of Support
Fellowships
Grants
• PhD programmes
• Project Grants
• Training Fellowships
• Programme Grants
• Intermediate Fellowships
• Equipment Grants
• Senior Fellowships
• University Awards
• Other
-Research Staff
-Research Technologists
Personal Support Schemes
BIOMEDICAL SCIENTISTS
CLINICAL SCIENTISTS
Based in the UK or Republic of Ireland
BIOMEDICAL & CLINICAL
SCIENTISTS
IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
Principal Research Fellowships
SENIOR
International Senior Research Fellowships
(in India, South Africa, Czech Republic, Estonia,
Hungary & Poland )
Senior Research
Fellowships
INTERMEDIATE
Research Career
Development
Fellowships
EARLY CAREER
Sir Henry Wellcome
Postdoctoral Fellowships
4 Year PhD
Programmes
University
Awards
Flexible
Travel
Awards
Research
Career
Re-Entry
Fellowships
Senior Research
Fellowships
Senior Research
Fellowships
Intermediate
Clinical
Fellowships
Flexible
Travel
Awards
Intermediate
Fellowships
Research Training
Fellowships
Research Training
Fellowships
PhD Programmes for
Clinicians
MSc/PhD
Programmes
Personal Support Schemes
BIOMEDICAL SCIENTISTS
Based in the UK or Republic of Ireland
Research projects can be based in the lab, the clinic or the field and may involve experimental
or theoretical approaches
Senior
Principal Research Fellowships
Senior Research
Fellowships
Intermediate
Research Career
Development
Fellowships
Early career
Sir Henry Wellcome
Postdoctoral
Fellowships
4 Year PhD
Programmes
University
Awards
Flexible
Travel
Awards
Research
Career ReEntry
Fellowships
Research Career Development
Fellowships
• 3-6 years’ post-doctoral research
experience
• Candidates must have made significant
intellectual contributions to research and be
able to demonstrate their potential to carry
out high quality independent research
• Awards now for up to 5 years
• Includes salary, research expenses and
research assistance if justified
• Considered twice a year
Senior Research Fellowships in
Basic Biomedical Science
• 5-~10 years post-doctoral research
experience
• For individuals of outstanding ability to
continue their independent programmes of
research
• Initial 5 year award funded in full by the
Trust
• Renewable for further five year periods,
with 50% of the fellow’s salary funded by
the host institution
• Annual competition
Principal Research Fellowships
• Candidates with an established track
record of research at the highest level
• Basic and clinical
• Seven years’ salary and research support
• Renewable for five year periods with 50%
salary support from the host institution
• Must have a guaranteed position at the
end of the Fellowship
• Often used to bring top researchers (back)
to the UK
Some popular grant schemes
Project Grants
• High-quality, hypothesis-driven research
• Usually up to 3 years’ duration
• Salaries for 1-2 posts, plus equipment,
travel and materials
• Awards typically between £180k-£350K
Can be used to support pilot studies and
international collaborations
Programme Grants
• Preliminary application required
• Principal Applicant needs proven
track record of research and funding
• Broader aims
• Normally 5 years duration
• Salaries for 3-4 posts, plus
equipment, travel and materials
• Awards typically in the region of
£750k-£1.5m
Support on project and
programme grants
In appropriate circumstances, researchers
can request personal salary support on a
Project or Programme grant application as:
 A named Research Assistant
 A Co-applicant
 The Principal Applicant
Equipment Grants
• Applications up to £1 million
considered
• Multi-user applications
encouraged
• Contribution from University
or other source usually
expected (10-20%)
Biomedical Resources
• Funds for the establishment
or maintenance of community
resources
• Evidence of requirement for
the resource within the
community
• Issues such as management
and dissemination need to be
considered
University Awards
To allow universities to attract/retain strategically important staff
• Two categories:
Academic researchers
• Salary support for five years and project support for three
years.
• Applicant takes up a permanent post at the end of the
award
Career technologists/analysts
 Trust provides 75% of applicant’s salary for 5 years
 Applicant then takes up a post which is guaranteed for at
least a further 5 years
The Wellcome Trust’s new Grant System
will be launched in Spring 2008.
• Web-based portal
• Fast and simple to use
• Enhanced functionality