Early-Career Awards (2025)

Early-Career Awards (2025) is sponsored by Wellcome. Provides funding for early-career researchers to establish their own research programs.

Lead applicant career stage:Administering organisation location:Frequency: Apply anytime - Applications are accepted year-round Your salary and up to £400,000 for research expenses. Certain costs do not count towards the £400,000 research expenses limit. Check 'Research costs we'll cover' for more information.

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

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.

### Lead applicant career stage and experience You should be able to demonstrate the ability to conduct independent, original research that makes a meaningful contribution to knowledge. This can be achieved through: * completion of a PhD or equivalent higher research degree. You must have passed your thesis defence (Viva examination) by the date you submit your application.

* at least four years’ research experience equivalent to a PhD. Any periods of research undertaken during an undergraduate or Master’s degree are not counted as equivalent research experience. You must not have started a PhD or equivalent higher research degree.

#### If you do not have a PhD For research experience or a higher research degree to be considered equivalent to a PhD, it should involve a substantial programme of original research and development of skills, including critical thinking, advanced methodological expertise, and intellectual independence carried out under some supervision.

You must demonstrate the ability to: * design and lead research projects * generate and analyse complex data * communicate and disseminate original findings * contribute independently to a research field Research experience could include: * research conducted during time working in industry * working as a clinician with dedicated research time * working in other academic or non-academic settings * having pursued a non-traditional academic career path The work should have resulted in recognised research outputs that show generation of new knowledge, rather than synthesis or application of existing evidence or the production of consultancy-led reports.

Examples include: * production of a thesis or monograph * peer reviewed primary research publications * conference presentations * the development of new datasets, analytical approaches, techniques, models or tools that are published ##### Examples of equivalent higher research degrees: ###### Typically equivalent: * Doctor of Medicine (MD) or similar doctorate where it includes a substantial, sustained research component comparable to a PhD ###### Typically not equivalent: * professional doctorates primarily based on taught modules, structured training, or shorter research projects * qualifications where the research component is limited in duration (for example, less than two years full-time or equivalent) or scope Examples of higher research degrees that are typically not equivalent may include MD, DClinPsy, DrPH, DVM, and similar awards with directed programmes and limited independent research.

#### What level of postdoctoral experience we allow You may have some postdoctoral experience in your proposed field of study, but no more than three years at the date of submission 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,career breaks(for example, parental leave or long-term sick leave)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. #### How much time you must contribute You must be able to contribute at least 80% of your research time in support of the project proposed in the award.

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 in a clinical craft speciality, you may spend up to 40% of your time on clinical duties.

#### If you are a health professional 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 ourQ&As for health professionals.

#### If you are based in a low- or middle-income country Applicants who are based in a low- or middle-income country may hold a permanent, open-ended or long term rolling contract, although it is not a requirement. All other eligibility criteria apply. #### If you’ve spent time away from research You can apply if you've spent time away from research (for example a career break, parental 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 aCareer Development Award.

### Other people you must involve in the application and award ### Other people you can involve in the application and award ### Other Wellcome applications You may only have one application under consideration as a lead applicant at any one time for the following schemes: * Career Development Award * the research proposals are distinct, and * you meet the eligibility criteria and time commitment requirements for each scheme You may also be named as a coapplicant on Discovery Award applications, if you meet the scheme’s eligibility requirements and time commitment requirements.

These criteria apply to new applications submitted on or after 1 July 2026. Resubmissions of applications submitted before this date will continue to follow the previous resubmission rules. A resubmission is an application that has previously been reviewed by our shortlisting Advisory Groups.

These do not include applications withdrawn by us before shortlisting. The same project may be submitted for consideration a maximum of two times across all Wellcome funding schemes and themed funding calls. Resubmissions should include significant changes, demonstrating clear development of the original proposal.

If you have submitted an application with a project that has already been reviewed twice, any subsequent application must be with a new project. Please consider carefully before resubmitting an application. It must reflect clear progress and not respond solely to reviewer comments.

If you are unsuccessful with an application for an Early-Career Award, you may submit one further application for the same project to any Wellcome scheme. You can do this at any time as long as you still meet the eligibility criteria for the scheme or call. You do not need to contact us before resubmitting.

If your application scores in the lowest levels at the shortlisting meeting you will not be permitted to resubmit. We will tell you about this in your decision letter. You are not eligible to apply if: * You have an existing tenured (salaried) post for the duration of the award(unless based in a low- or middle-income country).

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, have held, or have accepted an offer for an equivalent award at this career stage.

An equivalent award does not include short-term funding. You cannot apply if you intend to carry out activities that involve the transfer of grant funds into mainland China. ## Is your research right for this scheme?

You must check whether Wellcome Discovery Research can fund your type of research project before you apply. * fit within what we support in Discovery Research * have the potential to improve human life, health, and wellbeing. * be in any discipline - including science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), experimental medicine, humanities and social science, clinical/allied health sciences, and public health.

* fall outside of what we support in Discovery Research. Check what we don't fund. Review previous projects that have been successful for this scheme ## Is your organisation right for this scheme?

The administering organisation is the organisation responsible for submitting your final application to Wellcome and managing the finances of the grant if it is awarded. If your administering 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.

### Where your administering organisation is based The administering organisationmust be in one of the following: * alow- or middle-income country(apart from India and mainland China).

The organisation must be not-for-profit and can be a: * higher education institution * healthcare organisation ### Your research environment 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. ## How applications are assessed We will review your research proposal, skills and experience, and research environment. The assessment weightings are used at interview stage.

### Your research proposal (50%) 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 (25%) * 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 (25%) * How your research environment(s) will support you to deliver your research programme and develop as a researcher. * How your administering organisation will help you develop your project and management skills.

* How you will contribute to a positive and inclusive research culture. ## Research costs we'll cover A Wellcome Early-Career Award provides a salary for the grantholder and up to £400,000 for research expenses.

On top of the £400,000 research expenses limit, you may also be able to ask for: * the cost of macaques purchased from the Centre for Macaques * adjustment support, including assistive technology (for example, screen readers or mobility aids) and support staff. Review the ‘staff’ section for more information. If you are eligible for these costs, we will not count them against the £400,000 limit for research expenses.

Contact us if you have any questions. If after two or more years from your Early-Career Award activation date your organisation awards you a permanent, open ended or long-term rolling contract that includes your salary, you will be able to keep the salary element of the award to use towards your remaining research costs. 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. When applying, you should cost the application at 1. 0 (100%) full-time equivalent.

We will then 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. If you're awarded this grant, you are guaranteed an endorsement of a Global Talent visa application. If your administering 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.

See 'Other costs' for the costs we will and will not provide. Get some tips to help you write your grant application.

### Information you need to provide As well as answering the application questions, you will need to provide: * a letter of support from the person overseeing your clinical training if you are intending to complete clinical training during the award * a letter of support from the director of finance at your administering organisation if you are requesting overheads.

### How long it takes to apply You must leave enough time for: * you to complete the application * your organisation to review and submit the application. ### Getting support with your application We offer disability-related support for applicants.

Read the disability-related support guidance if you: * are disabled or have a long-term health condition and you need help applying for funding * need to defer your application * need help completing your project, for example costs for assistive technology. We can provide certain translation costs to support your application process.

This includes: * costs to translate officially stamped documentation required by Wellcome to process your application, for example, documents required to undertake financial and other compliance checks * costs to translate into your language any official Wellcome-issued documentation if required by your organisation or country to be accepted legally, such as the Award Letter if successful If you require disability-related support or translation costs to complete your application, please contact us.

Make sure you read everything on this page. You do not need to contact us before you write and submit your application. 2.

#### Submit your application to your administering organisation for approval Complete your application form on Wellcome Funding. Submit your application to the ‘approver’ your administering organisation for approval. The approver may ask you to make changes to your application.

##### If this is your organisation’s first time applying for Wellcome funding If this is your organisation’s first time applying for Wellcome funding, you will need to request an organisation account. You can do this in the 'Add your administering organisation' section of your application form.

We will ask you for your organisation's: * team email address for the people who will approve and submit your application (this is usually a research management team) We will create the organisation account and provide access to the approvers. Review our guidance for research offices. 3.

#### Administering organisation approves and submits it to Wellcome Review our guidance for organisations on **how to approve and submit applications**. We 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: * Cell Biology, Physiology, Data and Tools * Molecular Mechanisms, Genetics and Genomics * Brain and Behavioural Sciences * Infection and Immunobiology * Population and Public Health If shortlisted, we will invite you for interview.

Advisory Group meetings are observed by potential future grant applicants, as part of our Committee Observers initiative. Observers are subject to the same confidentiality obligations as committee members and reviewers. 5.

#### Written expert review We'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. The Early-Career Interview Committee will interview shortlisted candidates at theWellcome 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. You will be asked to give a presentation at the start of your interview.

Shortly before the day of the interview, you will need to provide us with your presentation slides. 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.

Final 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. We will write to you after this with the reasons for the decision.

We may use positive action on this scheme. Read our guidance for more information. There are no deadlines for applications to this scheme.

Applications can be submitted at any time. We assess submitted applications for eligibility at regular intervals and assign them to the next shortlisting meeting. If the next meeting has reached capacity your application will go to the following meeting.

The shortlisting and interview committee will each meet three times each year. We encourage applicants to apply well in advance of any planned project start date to allow for review and decision-making. The time it takes us to give you a decision depends on which shortlisting meeting your application is reviewed at.

Once we have received your application and confirmed which meeting your application will go to, we will let you know the date. If your application is shortlisted it will go to the next scheduled interview meeting. For example, if shortlisted in February, your interview date would be in May.

We publish all confirmed shortlisting and interview meeting dates on this page. We may update the application form periodically to reflect technical changes or new policies, and occasionally broader changes to the scheme. We will make clear on the Wellcome Funding platform when we have made changes to an application form.

2. No deadline - apply anytime 3. Three times a year (February, June and September) 4.

Three times a year (4-6 May 2027, 7-9 September 2027, January 2028) We do not answer questions on the scope or competitiveness of proposals.