Wellcome Discovery Award is awarding funds for any research from any academic field. This scheme provides funding for established researchers and teams from any discipline who want to pursue bold and creative research ideas to deliver significant shifts in understanding related to human life, health and wellbeing.
“From 29 October 2026, we will only accept applications from lead applicants based at eligible administering organisations in the UK and low- and middle-income countries in Africa, South Asia and South-East Asia. Any applications submitted to Wellcome on or before 28 October 2026 will be assessed under the current location eligibility requirements.”
Applications are open and will close on September 22, 2026. Wards can be up to 8 years, but may be less for some disciplines, and may be longer if held on a part-time basis. The average duration of a Discovery Award is 7 years, although they have supported awards from 3 to 8 years.
“You should ask for the resources you need for your research programme – see the ‘Research costs we’ll cover’ section on this page. You will need to justify this in your application. The average size of a Discovery Award is £3.5 million. Applications above £5 million will be subject to additional scrutiny.”
As applicants, you can apply for a Wellcome Discovery Award if you are a researcher who wants to pursue bold and creative research ideas. You must aim to make a major contribution to your research field by:
- Generating significant shifts in understanding. Or
- Developing methodologies, conceptual frameworks, tools or techniques that could benefit health-related research.
Click the link to learn more.
https://wellcome.org/research-funding/schemes/wellcome-discovery-awards.
