Wellcome Accelerator Awards

Wellcome Accelerator Awards

Supports underrepresented United Kingdom researchers through focused fellowships and research development pathways.

The Wellcome Accelerator Awards is an annual scheme run by the Wellcome Trust to support early- and mid-career researchers of Black (including mixed Black), Bangladeshi, and Pakistani heritage who are currently working in or ordinarily resident in the UK. The scheme addresses structural underrepresentation of these groups in UK academic research by providing flexible, personal funding to help recipients reach their next career stage. Each award covers the applicant's salary (if required) and up to £200,000 for project expenses over a period of up to two years. The scheme runs annually until 2028, with the current cycle carrying a full application deadline of 25 August 2026.

To be eligible, applicants must self-identify as belonging to one of the specified heritage groups, hold an undergraduate or doctoral degree from a UK institution, and have completed a substantive period of relevant research training — either a passed PhD viva or at least four years of equivalent research experience. The applicant must be working in or ordinarily resident in the UK, and the administering organisation must also be in the UK (higher education institutions, research institutes, non-academic healthcare organisations, or not-for-profit bodies). Coapplicants are not accepted; the award is personal. Applicants may not concurrently hold another Wellcome award as a lead applicant.

Funding is flexible and can be used for a wide range of research or research-adjacent activities, including developing pilot studies or proof-of-concept work, research skills training, writing papers or grant applications, secondments to industry or NGOs, and planning collaborative networks. Salary support is provided if the applicant lacks a salary source, holds only a fixed-term contract with fewer than two years remaining, or has a proleptic appointment. Applicants should design a clear career development plan demonstrating how the funded activities will advance their position within academia.