Wellcome Early-Career Awards

Wellcome Early-Career Awards

Supports early-career United Kingdom scientists with career development and research funding to grow independence.

Eligibility · United Kingdom, Ireland

Wellcome Early-Career Awards are five-year independent fellowships designed for researchers who have completed doctoral training and are ready to design, plan, and deliver their own innovative research projects within Wellcome's Discovery Research remit. The award covers the grantholder's full salary for the award period plus up to £400,000 in research expenses; additional costs for overheads, overseas allowances, macaque purchases, and disability-related support are permitted outside the £400,000 cap. The scheme runs three times per year; the July 2026 deadline is 21 July 2026 at 15:00 BST.

Eligible applicants must have passed their PhD viva by the application deadline and hold no more than three years of postdoctoral experience at that date, with allowances for career breaks, part-time work, and Covid-19 impact. Applicants who have not completed a PhD must have at least four years of equivalent research experience. Administering organisations must be not-for-profit higher education institutions, research institutes, or healthcare organisations based in the UK, Republic of Ireland, or eligible LMICs (excluding India and mainland China). Coapplicants are not accepted; a sponsor at the administering organisation is required, and an optional mentor is encouraged. The award may not be renewed and only one Early-Career Award per researcher is permitted.

Assessment at interview is weighted equally across research proposal (50%), skills and experience (25%), and research environment (25%). The research environment section rewards applicants who have moved away from their doctoral supervisor's group or department. Applicants must commit at least 80 percent of their research time to the award throughout its duration. Researchers who already hold a tenured salaried post (except LMIC-based applicants reliant on external funding) are not eligible. One resubmission with significant changes is allowed for unsuccessful applications. The award does not fund studentships, but research staff salary costs equivalent to up to 36 months full-time can be requested.