Wellcome Mental Health Award: Physical Activity and Circadian Interventions

Wellcome Mental Health Award: Physical Activity and Circadian Interventions

Funds trials for United Kingdom youth evaluating physical activity and circadian approaches to anxiety and depression.

The Wellcome Mental Health Award: Physical Activity and Circadian Interventions is a one-off grant call from the Wellcome Trust funding mechanistically informed trials of physical activity and circadian-based interventions to reduce anxiety and depression in young people aged 10–18. The award responds to Wellcome's recognition that existing treatments for youth mental health are suboptimal and that physical activity and circadian disruption represent underexplored but biologically plausible therapeutic targets. Awards of £1–4 million fund 3–4 years of work, and Wellcome expects to make 5–10 awards in this highly competitive call. Eligible organisations are not-for-profit bodies worldwide (excluding mainland China), including higher education institutions, research institutes, healthcare organisations, NGOs, charities, and social enterprises. The application deadline is 14 July 2026 at 15:00 BST.

Teams must consist of at least three and no more than eight applicants. The lead applicant must be an established researcher holding a permanent or long-term rolling contract. The team must include expertise in both mental health science and the science of circadian systems or physical activity, and must include a clinical trials specialist as a coapplicant or collaborator. A pre-existing relationship with the target youth population (ages 10–18) is required. Lived experience expertise of anxiety and depression must be embedded in the team or an advisory group. Commercial organisations may not be the administering organisation but can participate as coapplicants.

Applications are scored on the research proposal, team experience, and stakeholder engagement. Successful proposals will build on existing mechanistic evidence, include clear pathways to real-world implementation and scale, and demonstrate how intervention benefits will reach communities in low- and middle-income countries as well as the UK and Africa. Teams should clearly articulate how the trial design, population selection, and dissemination plan are responsive to the equitable partnership principles Wellcome requires for LMIC-inclusive research.