FULLY FUNDED Wellcome Early-Career Awards 2023 for researchers from low, middle-income countries, UK

Application deadline: 21 February 2023

This scheme provides funding for early-career researchers from any discipline who are ready to develop their research identity. Through innovative projects, they will deliver shifts in understanding that could improve human life, health and wellbeing. By the end of the award, they will be ready to lead their own independent research programme. 

Scheme at a glance

Where your host organisation is based:

UK, Republic of Ireland, Low- or middle-income countries (apart from India and mainland China)Level of funding:

Your salary and up to £400,000 for research expenses. If eligible, you may also request additional funding for overseas allowances and overheads. Duration of funding:

Usually 5 years, but may be less for some disciplines, and may only be longer if held on a part-time basis.

Eligibility and suitability

Who can apply, who can’t apply, what’s expected of your host organisation

You can apply to this scheme if you are an early-career researcher and you are ready to design, plan and deliver your own innovative research project that aims to:

• advance understanding in your field

and/or

• develop methodologies, conceptual frameworks, tools or techniques that could benefit health-related research.

During the award, we expect you to:

• expand your technical skills and/or your experience of different research methodologies or frameworks
• build a collaborative network with other researchers in your field
• develop your people management skills
• advance your understanding of how to complete research responsibly and promote a positive and inclusive culture.

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 our funding remit.

Career stage and experience

At the point you submit your application, you must have completed a substantive period of research training relevant to your discipline.

You must have:

• completed a PhD (for example, in the life sciences) or an equivalent higher research degree. At the point of application you must have passed your viva examination.

or

• if you have not started a PhD or equivalent degree, at least four years’ equivalent research experience (for example, in the humanities and social sciences).

You may also have some postdoctoral experience in your proposed field of study, but no more than three years unless you can demonstrate how other factors have impacted on your research career. When we review how much postdoctoral experience you have, we will allow for part-time work, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, career breaks and other significant amounts of time spent outside research, for example clinical training.

We will also consider whether you have changed research discipline. For example, moving from astrophysics to computational neuroscience. There may be some crossover, such as in research sites or techniques, but the shift should still be a significant change.

We consider postdoctoral experience as any periods spent in research after you passed your PhD/higher research degree viva.

You should be able to demonstrate:

• a good understanding of research methodology
• evidence of project delivery and analysis.

You should not need close supervision to complete your proposed research, although you may need training in new techniques and experimental approaches.

If you are a health professional and you want to continue with clinical activities, you must be registered with, and be licensed by, the relevant professional regulator in the country you intend to work in. Read our Q&As for health professionals.

By the end of the award

By the end of the award, you should have the research maturity to develop, manage and lead your own creative, independent research programme.

If you decide not to pursue a career in research, you’ll have transferable skills that you can use in roles related to research or outside of research, for example in industry or teaching.

Host organisation

You must have sponsorship from an eligible host organisation in one of the following:

• UK
• Republic of Ireland
• a low- or middle-income country (apart from India and mainland China).

It can be a:

• higher education institution
• research institute
• non-academic healthcare organisation
• not-for-profit organisation.

You should choose a research environment that provides you with the appropriate training, resources and experience to deliver your project and develop your research skills and identity. We encourage you to move away from your current research environment. This may mean moving from your group or department, but it is not essential to move organisations.

Time spent away from research

You can apply if you’ve spent time away from research (for example a career break, maternity leave, or long-term sick leave). We’ll allow for this when we consider your application.

Depending on your previous career stage and the level of supervision and retraining you need now, you may also want to consider a Career Development Award.

Resubmissions

If you are unsuccessful with an application to this scheme, you can submit one more application for the same project. Significant changes are needed for the second application. You do not need to contact us first.

Other Wellcome awards

During an Early-Career Award, you can be a coapplicant on one other Wellcome award.

Assessment criteria

We 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, supported by evidence and the proposed outcomes/outputs are feasible.

Your skills and experience

We will review:

• Your previous research outputs and contributions to the research community.
• Your research skills and experience of different methodologies, and how you plan to develop these during the award.
• How you will develop your management skills and capabilities for leading a research programme.

Your research environment

We will review:

• How your research environment(s) will support you to deliver your research programme and develop as a researcher.
• How your host organisation will help you develop your project and management skills.
• How you will contribute to a positive and inclusive research culture.

Who can’t apply

You are not eligible to apply if:

• You have an existing tenured (salaried) post for the duration of the award. You can only relinquish an existing tenured (salaried) post to take up an Early-Career Award if your current post is not research-based.
• You have made an application to this scheme and you are waiting for a decision.
• You hold, or have held, an equivalent award at this career stage. An equivalent award does not include short-term funding.

Find out what short-term funding we allow

You cannot apply if you intend to carry out activities that involve the transfer of grant funds into mainland China.

What’s expected of your host organisation

You must be based at an eligible organisation that can sign up to our grant conditions.

We expect organisations based in the UK to meet the responsibilities required by the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers for institutions, managers and researchers.

Any organisation with Wellcome funding that is based outside the UK is expected, at a minimum, to follow the principles of the Concordat.

We also expect your host organisation to:

• Give you, and any staff employed on the grant, 10 days a year (pro rata if part-time) to undertake training and continuing professional development (CPD) in line with the Concordat. This should include the responsible conduct of research, research leadership, people management, diversity and inclusion, and the promotion of a healthy research culture.
• Provide a system of onboarding, embedding and planning for you when you join the organisation and/or start the award.
• Provide you with the status and benefits of other academic staff of similar seniority.

If your host organisation is a core-funded research organisation, an Early-Career Award should not replace or lead to a reduction in existing or planned core support.

Sponsor

Your sponsor must hold an established post (or an honorary academic appointment) at the host organisation for the duration of the award. They will be expected to:

• Guarantee the space and resources you’ll need from the start date to the end date of your award.
• Ensure the research environment will support you to complete your project.
• Confirm workload expectations with you – you should not spend more than 20% of your time on non-research related activities, for example clinical duties, teaching or administration. If you’re based in a clinical craft specialty, you may spend up to 40% of your time on clinical duties.

If you plan to work for more than three months outside your host organisation, you must also have an additional sponsor at that location. They must guarantee the space and resources you’ll need during your visit.

Mentor

You should also identify a mentor for the period of your award. They should have a track record in training and mentorship, and support and guide you on how to:

• manage your application
• develop your research career
• progress with your personal development
• manage the processes and regulations at your host organisation (although they do not need to be based at your host organisation).

Your sponsor can also be your mentor.

What we offer

Funding level, duration of award, research expenses, what we don’t offer

A Wellcome Early-Career Award provides a salary for the grantholder and up to £400,000 for research expenses. If you are eligible to request overheads or overseas allowances, we won’t count these against the £400,000 limit for research expenses. 

The award usually lasts for 5 years, but may be less for some disciplines, such as humanities and social science.

The award may be held on a part-time basis. We will extend the duration of the award to reflect this.

You should ask for a level and duration of funding that’s justifiable for your proposed research.

You can only hold one of these awards. We do not offer renewals.

The award includes:

• a basic salary (determined by your host organisation)
• relocation allowance
• staff
• continuing professional development and training
• materials and consumables
• animals
• equipment
• access charges
• overheads
• travel and subsistence
• overseas allowances
• fieldwork expenses
• inflation allowance
• open access charges
• clinical research costs
• public engagement and patient involvement costs
• contract research organisations
• other costs

If you’re awarded this grant

You are guaranteed an endorsement of a Global Talent visa application.

If your host organisation is in the UK and you have team members who will spend at least 50% of their working time contributing to the award, they may be eligible to apply for a Global Talent visa through the endorsed funder route.

What we don’t offer

See ‘Other costs’ for the costs we will and will not provide.

How to apply

1. Before you applyMake sure you read everything on this page.You may also want to watch a recording of a webinar that took place on Monday 12 April 2021.Get some tips to help you write your grant application.You do not need to contact us before you write and submit your application.
2. Submit your application to your host organisation for approvalComplete your application form on Grant Tracker.View the sample full application form for Wellcome Early-Career Awards [PDF 1.9MB].Submit it to the ‘authorised organisational approver’ at your host organisation for approval. Make sure you leave enough time for the approver to review and submit your application before the deadline. The approver may ask you to make changes to your application.Get some guidance on using Grant Tracker.
3. Host organisation reviews your application and submits it to usYour application must be submitted by 17:00 (GMT/BST) on the deadline day.
4. ShortlistingWe will check your eligibility for the scheme and that your application demonstrates how you will meet the aims of the scheme. If your application is ineligible or does not demonstrate how you will meet the aims of the scheme, we will withdraw your application and contact you to explain why.One of the following Early-Career Advisory Groups will review your application, depending on your area of research:
   • Molecular, Cellular and Physiological Sciences
   • Brain and Behavioural Sciences
   • Infection and Immunobiology
   • Population and Public Health 
   • Medical Humanities
   • Social Sciences.
   If shortlisted, we will invite you for interview.
5. Written expert reviewWe’ll seek external written expert review on shortlisted applications. Only the proposed research will be reviewed.Reviewers will be chosen based on their expertise within the relevant research field and not on their level of seniority.Unattributed comments will be sent to you before your interview.
6. InterviewsThe Early-Career Interview Committee will interview shortlisted candidates at the Wellcome offices in London. Accessibility requirements will be accommodated. Those who cannot attend in person can participate remotely.We will provide information on the structure of the interview, layout of the room, and interview committee membership.Shortly before the day of the interview, you will need to provide us with your presentation slides. You will be asked to give a presentation at the start of your interview.The focus of the interview will be on questions and answers. The committee will assess across a set of criteria rather than one specific aspect of the proposal.
7. Funding decisionFinal funding decisions will be made by the Discovery Research Decision Board.You will receive an email notification of the funding decision soon after the decision has been made.
8. FeedbackWritten feedback will be provided to all unsuccessful applicants at each decision point, including the reasons for a decision.

Disabled applicants

If you are disabled or have a long-term health condition, we can support you with the application process.

Source / More information: Official Website HERE.