Policy and position statements

In this section you can learn more about the policies and positions of the Wellcome Trust. Grantholders should read these documents in conjunction with the Grant Conditions and the Award Letter.

To discuss any of these issues further, email the Strategic Planning and Policy Unit: sppu@wellcome.ac.uk.

Animals in medical research
Position statement on the use of animals in medical research.

Access to bioinformatics resources
Position on the use of Trust funds to access genome sequence data.

Access to Trust archives
Policy on external access to information about the Trust and the activities it funds.

Bioterrorism and biomedical research
Position statement on bioterrorism and biomedical research.

Complementary and alternative medicine
Policy on complementary and alternative medicine.

Consent and revenue sharing agreement
Conditions for granting consent for the exploitation of Wellcome Trust-funded intellectual property.

Data management and sharing
Policy on the management and sharing of data that arises from the research the Trust funds.

Full economic costs
Position statement on full economic costs in UK universities.

Funding for clinical trials
Includes details of funding policy and requirements for registration of clinical trials.

Genome data release
Policy on the release and access to genome sequence information.

Good environmental practice
Guidelines on good environmental practice adopted by the Wellcome Trust.

Good research practice
Guidelines on standards for Wellcome Trust-funded researchers.

Handling allegations of research misconduct
Including procedures for investigation of research misconduct by the Wellcome Trust.

Human participants in research
Ethical requirements for work involving human participants.

Human remains in museums and galleries
Policy on human remains currently held by the Science Museum on behalf of the Wellcome Trust.

Intellectual property and patenting
Policy on intellectual property and patenting, including the role of Technology Transfer at the Wellcome Trust.

Managing risks of research misuse
Joint Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, Medical Research Council and Wellcome Trust policy statement on managing risks of misuse associated with grant funding activities.

Peer review and confidentiality
Policy on peer review and confidentiality, including a statement on making the comments on UK Biobank public.

Personal information in research
Position statement on the use of personal information in research.

Policy, advocacy and influence
Position statement on the Wellcome Trust’s policy and advocacy work.

Research involving people in low and middle income countries
Position statement and guidelines for Wellcome Trust-funded research involving people living in developing countries.

Research publishing and open access
Position statement in support of open and unrestricted access to published research.

Standing Advisory Group on Ethics (SAGE)
A committee of external experts to provide advice on ethical issues, Trust policies and the work of the Trust more broadly.

Stem cell research
Wellcome Trust policy on stem cell research.

Supporting career development of researchers
Trust position on the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers

Tobacco funding
Eligibility of researchers in receipt of financial support from tobacco companies.

Trust-funded researchers and commercial organisations [Word 36KB]
Guidance for Trust-funded researchers serving as consultants to or directors of commercial organisations, and disclosure and management of conflicts of interest.