1. The Wellcome Trust Chonnettia Jones, PhD
Head of Science Integration, Structures
March 2015 1

2. Outline History and overview of the Wellcome Trust
Refreshed Funding Framework
Funding opportunities
Future directions
Workshops:
Securing grant funding as an established researcher
Propelling your early-career research with Wellcome Trust Funding 2

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Our History
The Wellcome Trust was set up in under the will of Sir Henry Wellcome, who invested the entire share of his pharmaceutical company, The Wellcome Foundation, in a charitable trust.
Our Invested Endowment is currently worth around £19 billion.
Investments in property, public and private equities, hedge funds, property and cash.
We spend about £700 million on charitable activities per year.
The Trust was established in 1936 from £1M bequeathed by the pharmaceutical millionaire, Henry Wellcome. We are the UK’s largest charity and the second largest charity in the world that funds biomedical research. Last year we spent about £700 million on charitable activities, about 75% of that in biomedical research.

4. Our vision and mission
Our vision is to achieve extraordinary improvements in human and animal health.
Our mission is to support the brightest minds in biomedical research and the medical humanities.
Five Strategic Challenges:
Maximising the health benefits of genetics and genomics
Understanding the brain
Combating infectious diseases
Investigating development, ageing and chronic disease
Connecting environment, nutrition and health

5. Governance Framework and Funding Divisions
Board of Governors
Chair Sir William Castell
Chair-elect Eliza Manningham-Buller
Executive Board
Director Jeremy Farrar
C&S
Simon
Chaplin
Innovations
Stephen
Caddick
Investments
Danny
Truell
Finance
Tim
Livett
Legal
Susan
Wallcraft
People
Ted
Smith
Science
Kevin
Moses
Celllular, Developmental & Physiological Sciences
Genetics and Molecular Sciences
Infection and Immunobiology
Neuroscience and Mental Health
Population Health
Strategy
Clare
Matterson

6. Our current grant portfolio

7. Refreshed Funding Framework
Strategic funding: To transform fields, fill gaps, or initiate major new developments
Response-mode funding, for:
People - support for individuals and career pathways
Teams - support for research groups and collaborative activities
Seeds – support for the development of ideas for future support
Resources - support for enabling work that underpins research
Places - support for cross-disciplinary and synergistic working
Strategic funding – priorities set by the Trust, small percentage of the total Trust spend per year (~15%)
Response-mode funding – research driven by the external scientific community, majority of the funding (~ 85%)

8. Science Funding

9. Grant funding schemes in science
Science Funding
Grant funding schemes in science
People
Investigator Awards
Fellowships
Teams
Collaborative Awards new
Seeds
Seed Awards new
Resources
Biomedical resources
Multi-user equipment grants
Places
Centres

10. People

11. Personal support for researchers
Science Funding
Personal support for researchers
PhD
Four-year PhD Studentship Programmes
Senior Research Fellowships
Investigator Awards
Research Career Development Fellowships
Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellowships
Intermediate Clinical Fellowships
Postdoctoral Research Training Fellowships for Clinicians
BASIC
Principal Research Fellowships
Senior Fellowships
Training Fellowships
Intermediate Fellowships
Masters Fellowships
PUBLIC HEALTH & TROPICAL MEDICINE
Research Career Re-entry Fellowships
Clinical PhD Programmes
CLINICAL
Research Training Fellowships
- As of today, we support more than 1500 people through different personal support schemes
- Support is matched to career stage, different types of science (lab, field, clinic, office/theoretical), UK and overseas
- Support ranges from basic PhD programmes to clinical training programmes through to early career researchers to more senior researchers
EARLY
INTERMEDIATE
SENIOR

12. Investigator Awards – Key Features
Funding for world-class researchers and clinicians in an established academic post (salary provided by the host institution), with a compelling long-term vision for their research
Flexible funding support for researchers at all career stages (normally 7+ years post-PhD) – from newly appointed lecturers, to mid-career researchers, up to senior or emeritus professors
Applicants are considered according to their career stage and experience, with any career breaks or time out of academic research taken into consideration
Research question drives duration and value of awards - up to £3m over 7 years

13. Fellowships - Key Features
To attract, train and retain the best researchers (including basic and clinical research)
Schemes designed for each stage of the research career
Salary of the Fellow provided
Plus research costs – including the salaries of the Fellow’s research team, consumables, equipment and other expenses
Award size and duration varies, depending on the career stage and scheme

14. Basic Science Research Fellowships
Long-term support for researchers of international standing with an established track record at the highest level.
Considered three times a year.
Principal Research Fellowships
For outstanding researchers (7-12 years post-doc) to continue their independent programmes of research.
Considered three times a year.
Senior Research Fellowships
For outstanding young researchers (up to 7 years post-doc) to build an independent research career.
Considered three times a year.
Research Career Development Fellows
Anyone interested in any of our fellowship schemes should contact the office. We are always happy to provide advice to ensure that you apply for the most appropriate scheme.
Important to note that fellowships are competitive at every level and there is no guarantee that you will progress through the different levels.
We encourage you to consider support from other funding agencies. Note, we allow concurrent applications for personal support scheme
For post-doctoral scientists to re-establish a research career (away for 2+ years).
Considered twice per year.
Research Career Re-entry Fellowships
Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellowships
For the highly talented newly qualified post-doctoral researchers (up to 2 years post-doc).
Considered twice a year.

15. Clinical Science Fellowships
For outstanding clinical researchers to establish themselves as leading investigators in clinical academic medicine.
Considered twice a year.
Senior Research Fellowships
For clinicians to continue research at postdoctoral level and maintain a clinical career.
Considered twice a year.
Intermediate Clinical Fellowships
For clinicians who have recently gained a higher degree to carry out post-doctoral research.
Considered twice a year.
Clinical Postdoctoral Training Fellowships
MB/PhD Fellowships
For medical, dental and veterinary graduates with little/no research experience to pursue training in a research lab towards a PhD or MD.
Considered three times a year.
Research Training Fellowships

16. Science Funding
Seeds

17. Science Funding
Seed Awards
Responsive, flexible funding, enabling researchers to develop a novel idea
To generate resources, tools and/or preliminary data leading to a larger research application
Up to £100,000 over 2 years
Not for researchers with a current personal award or other substantive funding
Only one award per lifetime
Considered 3 times per year

18. Science Funding
Teams

19. Science Funding
Collaborative Awards
Collaborative research projects trying to solve a problem that can only be achieved by teams working together
Up to £4 m over 5 years
Considered 3 times per year
First deadline date for preliminary applications: May 2015
Awarded following interview

20. Science Funding
Resources

21. Multi-user Equipment Grants and Biomedical Resources
Science Funding
Multi-user Equipment Grants and Biomedical Resources
Multi-user equipment that support multiple research programmes
Up to £1m
Contribution from host institution expected
Biomedical resources for the benefit of the wider scientific community
May include cohorts, databases, shared resources
Annual competition

22. Places

23. International Funding
WT Centres in Neuroimaging (UCL), Human Genetics (Oxford), Cell Biology (Edinburgh), Stem Cell (Cambridge), Cell-Matrix Research (Manchester), Molecular Parasitology (Glasgow), Cancer & Developmental Biology (Cambridge), Mitochondrial Research (Newcastle)
WT Centres for Research in Clinical Tropical Medicine: Bloomsbury, Imperial, Oxford, Liverpool
Europe & Central Asia
£77m
Mahidol–Oxford Tropical Research Unit, Thailand UK
£2,048m
North America
£49m
WT/DBT India Alliance
Oxford University Clinical Research Unit, Vietnam
Southeast Asia & Pacific
£101m
Latin America & The Caribbean
£14m
Kenya Medical Research Institute, Kenya
Sub-Saharan Africa
£168m
Africa Centre for Health and Population Studies, South Africa
Malawi–Liverpool–Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kenya

24. Science Funding
Further information
For general grant enquiries: or +44 (0)

25. Science Funding
Further information
For guidance on the scientific scope or suitability of your application for a particular scheme, please contact our Science division:
Basic Careers and Clinical Activities
Dr. Candy Hassall
Neuroscience & Mental Health
Dr. John Isaac
Genetics and Molecular Sciences
Dr. Michael Dunn
Infection and Immunobiology
Dr. Mike Turner
Cellular, Developmental and Physiological Sciences
Dr. Alison Cave
Population Health
Dr. Mike Turner (interim)

26. Science Funding
Other opportunities

27. Support and flexibility for our researchers
Flexible Support
Support and flexibility for our researchers
Flexibility in our funding
Maternity/paternity/adoption sick leave supplements and extensions
Flexible (part-time) working and career breaks
In addition to taking into account part-time working, we will “stop the clock” for eligibility for the primary carer (either the mother or father) when applying for our schemes by an additional six months per child, irrespective of the actual period of parental leave taken. Each case will be considered individually

28. Research Career Re-Entry Fellowships
For post-doctoral scientists to re-establish a research career, with the opportunity for updating research skills
Applicants must have been away from research for at least 2 years
Career breaks may have been for any reason (e.g. family committments, illness, career changes)
Up to 4 years support, taken on a full or part-time basis
Applications considered twice a year
Career Re-entry Fellowships are for postdoctoral scientists who have recently decided to recommence a scientific research career after a continuous break of at least two years.
It gives scientists the opportunity to return to high-quality research, with the potential to undertake refresher or further training.
Particularly suitable for applicants wishing to return to research after a break for family commitments.
We will accept applications from individuals with more than two years of postdoctoral research experience.
The fellowship is tenable for two to four years, depending on seniority before career break, and may be taken up on a full or part-time basis. Four year fellowships are for researchers who already possess strong research track record. Two year fellowships are for researchers who have demonstrated the potential for a strong research career prior to the break.
The award will fund:
the salary of the Fellow for two or four years
research expenses for materials and consumables; animals; small items of equipment; and fieldwork and data collection.
support to attend scientific meetings.
Funds for retraining (where appropriate)
Research assistance, in exceptional cases.

29. Innovations
Innovations
Support proof-of-concept research and development for new healthcare products
Stimulate development of new products and technologies with translational potential
Encourage the commercial application of research to meet medical needs by facilitating their route to the market
For information, contact:

30. Support for public engagement
Raising awareness of biomedical
science and the medical humanities
and the issues that they raise
Stimulating interest, excitement and
debate
Supporting formal and informal learning
Fund Engagement Activities
For information, contact:
Types of projects we fund can include:
Workshops, events, debates, discussions and exhibitions in public venues
Deliberative or opinion gathering projects
Teaching materials or techniques to encourage wider discusssions
Projects that utilise the collections of the Wellcome Library and Wellcome Collection

31. Future Directions

32. Future priorities for the Wellcome Trust
Strengthen and leverage current partnerships and external collaborations, build new partnerships
Harness expertise from the external scientific community to inform future strategic priorities
Establish rapid and robust response mechanisms to emerging opportunities (e.g. Ebola) 32

33. Thank you