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.
Eligibility
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.
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.
