The Wellcome Career Development Awards support mid-career researchers from all disciplines who demonstrate the potential to become international research leaders. This scheme aims to foster the development of research capabilities, drive innovative programs, and generate significant advancements in understanding human life, health, and wellbeing.

Scheme Overview

This award targets mid-career researchers poised to lead substantial and innovative research programs. The administering organization must be located in the UK, Republic of Ireland, or a low- or middle-income country (excluding India and mainland China). Funding is available three times a year, with upcoming deadlines in July 2025 and November 2025.

The funding amount is flexible, tailored to the resources needed for the research program. Applicants should collaborate with their organization to justify the requested resources. The annual expenditure for a Career Development Award is typically below £250,000, excluding the applicant’s salary, with applications exceeding this value subject to additional scrutiny.

The funding duration is usually 8 years, but may be shorter for some disciplines. Co-applicants are not accepted. The next application deadline is 24 July 2025, 17:00 BST.

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must be mid-career researchers ready to lead a substantial and innovative research program. They should aim to make a key contribution to their field by generating significant shifts in understanding or developing methodologies that benefit health-related research. During the award, researchers are expected to develop their research capabilities and leadership skills, support others, and train the next generation of researchers.

To be eligible, applicants must already be driving their own research and have completed one or two substantial periods of research after their initial training. They should have made important contributions to their area of research and may have experience working collaboratively. At the point of application, you may have been appointed to a fixed term position with four years or less remaining on your contract at the point of application. If this applies to you, you can ask for your own salary with this award.

In summary, eligible candidates should:

• Be a mid-career researcher

• Have completed substantial research periods

• Demonstrate leadership potential

Research Focus and Scope

Research projects must align with Wellcome's Discovery Research priorities and have the potential to improve human life, health, and wellbeing. The research can be in any discipline, including STEM, experimental medicine, humanities, social science, clinical/allied health sciences, and public health. However, the research must not fall outside of what Wellcome supports in Discovery Research.

The proposed research should be bold, creative, and of high quality. It should aim to deliver a significant shift in understanding or provide a significant advance over existing methodologies. The research approach should be novel, developing and testing new concepts, methods, or technologies, or combining existing ideas in a new way.

The research must not start earlier than seven months after the application deadline. Review previous projects that have been successful for this scheme to understand the scope of research.

Funding Details and Eligible Costs

The Wellcome Career Development Award provides a salary for the grantholder (if required) and research expenses. The award usually lasts for 8 years, but may be less for some disciplines. The award may be held on a part-time basis. When applying, you should cost the application at 1.0 (100%) full-time equivalent. We will then extend the duration of the award to reflect this.

Eligible costs include a basic salary, staff costs, continuing professional development and training, materials and consumables, animals, equipment, access charges, overheads, travel and subsistence, overseas allowances, and fieldwork expenses. Additional eligible costs are inflation allowance, open access charges, clinical research costs, public engagement and patient involvement costs, and contract research organizations.

Applicants should request a level and duration of funding that’s justifiable for their proposed research. Note that only one Career Development Award can be held, and renewals are not offered.

Application and Assessment Process

Applications must be submitted through the Wellcome Funding platform. The application requires a letter of support from the current supervisor and a letter of support from the director of finance at the administering organization if overheads are requested. A quote is needed if purchasing equipment costing £100,000 or more.

The application process involves several stages, including eligibility checks, review by a Discovery Advisory Group, written expert review, and interviews. Shortlisted candidates will be invited for an interview at the Wellcome offices in London. Final funding decisions are made by the Discovery Research Decision Board.

The assessment criteria include the research proposal (50%), skills and experience (25%), and research environment (25%). The research proposal should be bold, creative, and of high quality. The applicant's skills and experience in research, developing other researchers, and leadership will be reviewed. The research environment's contribution to the applicant's development and a positive research culture will also be assessed.

Potential Research Topics

Based on the scope of the call, here are some potential research topics relevant to academic research areas:

• Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare

• Advanced Material Science for Biomedical Applications

• Innovative Approaches in Life Science Research

• Microbiology and Infectious Disease Mechanisms

• Public Health Interventions and Policy