Application Deadline:
17 February 2026
About Organisation
Wellcome (Wellcome Trust) is a major global charitable foundation funding research to improve human health. It supports scientists, researchers, and innovators across disciplines to address urgent health challenges and to advance understanding of biology, medicine, public health, and related fields. Wellcome emphasises impact, innovation, and rigorous research while also encouraging inclusivity, diversity, and responsible conduct. Their funding schemes include support for early-career researchers, mid-career researchers, discovery research, and more. Wellcome’s Early-Career Awards are part of their “Discovery Research” remit, enabling researchers who are developing their independent research identity to design and lead novel projects that can deliver shifts in understanding or methodology with applications for improving human wellbeing.
About the Grant
The Early-Career Awards are designed for early-career researchers from any discipline who are ready to develop their research identity through innovative, independent research. Applicants can propose projects that advance understanding in their field or develop new methodologies, conceptual tools, frameworks or techniques that benefit health-related research. The award offers a salary for the lead researcher plus up to £400,000 for research expenses. Duration is usually 5 years (may be shorter for certain disciplines or longer if part-time). The research can be in STEM, experimental medicine, clinical/allied health, public health, humanities, social sciences—as long as it aligns with Wellcome’s remit and has potential health or wellbeing impacts.
Who can Apply?
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Lead applicant must be an early-career researcher, ready to lead their own independent project.
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Must have completed a PhD (viva passed) or equivalent; for some disciplines, substantial research experience (e.g. ~4 years) is accepted in lieu of a PhD.
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Postdoctoral experience should generally not exceed 3 years (adjusted for part-time work, career breaks, or other factors).
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Applicants can be based in the UK, Republic of Ireland, or in low- or middle-income countries (excluding India and mainland China) if their organisation is eligible.
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The administering organisation must be a not-for-profit entity (e.g. university, research institute, healthcare organisation) and able to meet Wellcome’s grant conditions.
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Applicant should not hold an equivalent award or a tenured/secure salaried post that would conflict with the award’s requirements (unless exceptions apply in LMICs).
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Must contribute an appropriate portion of research time (full- or part-time arrangements may vary) and show capacity for project management, people management, and delivering outputs in a supportive research environment.
How to Apply?
You submit an application via Wellcome’s funding platform. The application includes a research proposal (describing project, methodology, outputs), your CV, track record, plan for people management and collaboration, description of research environment, budget (including salary + research expenses + possible overhead, travel etc.), and justification for how the project aligns with Wellcome’s remit and impact goals. Additional supporting documents may be required.
Application Deadline
Wellcome Early-Career Awards have multiple rounds; for the February 2026 round.
Last Date To Apply
For more information, please visit the grant website here.
