Wellcome Early-Career Award 2026 with Funding of up to GBP 400,000
Applicant criteria
- 20 - 60
- Both
Opportunity criteria
Opportunity description
Wellcome has opened applications for the Wellcome Early-Career Awards, a long-term research funding opportunity aimed at early-career researchers who are ready to design, manage, and carry out an innovative research project independently.
The award accepts research projects from various disciplines, including science, technology, engineering, mathematics, experimental medicine, public health, health sciences, social sciences, humanities, and the arts, provided that the project contributes to developing new understanding related to human life, health, or wellbeing.
The award aims to help researchers build their research identity, develop leadership and management skills, establish a scientific collaboration network, and prepare to lead an independent research program in the future.
Funding Value and Award Duration
The award provides:
- Coverage of the researcher’s salary throughout the grant period according to the salary scale approved by the host organization.
- Funding of up to GBP 400,000 to cover research project expenses.
- A funding duration usually lasting up to 5 years.
- The possibility of carrying out the project on a part-time basis, with the award duration extended in proportion to the working hours.
- The possibility of requesting certain additional costs that are not counted within the GBP 400,000 limit, such as eligible overheads, international working allowances, and accommodations for researchers with disabilities.
Benefits
The funding may cover the following, according to the project’s needs and justification:
- The researcher’s basic salary, employer contributions, pension contributions, and approved local allowances.
- Salaries for project staff, equivalent to a full-time position for up to 36 months.
- Costs of specialists and technical experts, such as data analysis, fieldwork, and clinical studies.
- Materials, consumables, equipment, and services needed to carry out the research.
- Training in research and technical skills.
- Training in leadership, team management, career development, and responsible research.
- Travel, accommodation, fieldwork, and research collaboration costs.
- Visa and work permit costs for the researcher and staff funded under the project.
- Visa costs for a partner and dependent children, as well as immigration health surcharge fees in eligible cases.
- A personal relocation allowance of up to GBP 1,000 when relocation is required to work at the host organization.
- Costs of accessibility support and assistive technology for researchers or staff with disabilities.
- Costs related to engaging participants and volunteers in studies.
- Costs of organizing conferences, seminars, or research meetings related to the project.
- Eligibility to receive Wellcome’s endorsement for a UK Global Talent Visa application for award holders.
Eligibility criteria
Applicants must meet the following requirements:
- The applicant must be an early-career researcher who is ready to design, manage, and carry out their own research project.
- The applicant must have completed a substantial period of research training relevant to their discipline.
- The applicant must hold a PhD or an equivalent higher research degree, and must have passed the final examination before the application deadline.
Or:
- If the applicant has not started a PhD or an equivalent research degree, they must have equivalent research experience of at least 4 years, which may apply to some social sciences and humanities disciplines.
- The applicant must not have more than 3 years of postdoctoral research experience by the application deadline, unless there are circumstances that have affected their research career path.
- The applicant must have a good understanding of research methodologies.
- The applicant must provide evidence of the ability to carry out projects and analyze their results.
- The applicant must not require direct and continuous supervision to carry out the project, although they may request training in new techniques or methodologies.
- The project must be innovative and aim to make a significant advancement in knowledge or develop tools, techniques, or research frameworks that benefit health-related research.
- The applicant must dedicate at least 80% of their research time to the project.
- The applicant must not allocate more than 20% of their time to non-research duties, such as teaching, administration, or clinical work, although this may increase to 40% in some practical clinical disciplines.
- The applicant must choose an eligible host organization and supervisor to submit the application and manage the funding.
Host Organization Requirements
The organization that will administer the award must be:
- Located in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, or an eligible low- or middle-income country, excluding India and mainland China.
- A nonprofit organization.
- A university or higher education institution.
- A research institute or research center.
- A healthcare organization.
- Able to sign Wellcome’s grant conditions and manage the funding.
- Able to provide the environment, resources, and training needed to carry out the project and support the researcher’s development.
Current Round
The deadline is:
July 21, 2026, at 3:00 PM British Summer Time, corresponding to 5:00 PM Jordan time.
The shortlist is expected to be announced in October 2026, and interviews will take place from January 12 to 14, 2027.
Next Round
The next round opens on:
July 22, 2026.
The application deadline for this round is:
November 10, 2026, at 3:00 PM Greenwich Mean Time.
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