How to submit an application

Preliminary applications

Some schemes - mostly personal support schemes - require a preliminary application. The main purposes of preliminary applications are:

to assess the eligibility of applicants and research proposals
to check that applicants are applying for the most appropriate scheme.

The quality of the proposed research is not judged at this stage. If applicants are eligible to apply, they are invited to submit a full application.

Before submitting an application you should refer to the application information.

Written preliminary applications
For other types of support that require a preliminary application, enquiries should be made either by email or in writing and may include:

brief details of the proposed research (one A4 page maximum)
a note of existing funding from all sources, including the source of the applicant's salary funding
a brief CV
a list of relevant publications
an approximate costing
for fellowship and studentship applications, a letter of support from an academic sponsor.

Refer to the relevant web page for each scheme for details on how to submit a preliminary application, as well as any additional information that may be required.

Preliminary applications and other written enquiries should be sent to the most relevant funding stream.

Full applications

Submission of full applications via our eGrants application system, where a form is available, is mandatory. Most application forms for Biomedical Science and Medical Humanities schemes are available on the eGrants system; however, Word forms are still available for:

Public Engagement grants
Technology Transfer grants
Applicants who have limited/unreliable access to the internet. Please email the eGrants service desk - egrants.support@wellcome.ac.uk - if this is the case.

Additional guidance

General guidance for all applications (including fellowships)

When received, an application will be subject to the Wellcome Trust's normal selection procedure and will be considered in competition with other similar type applications.
If you submit a full application and either you are ineligible to be an applicant or the subject of your proposal does not fall within the Wellcome Trust's remit, the Wellcome Trust reserves the right not to process your application.
The Wellcome Trust's willingness to consider the application in no way implies that support will be forthcoming.
The Trust does not normally consider support for the extension of professional education or experience, nor the care of patients.
The Trust does not supplement support provided by other funding bodies.
The Trust will not award grants to cover expenditure already incurred.
Grants are cash-limited at the point of award.
You are expected to inform the Wellcome Trust if you subsequently decide to submit this or a similar proposal to another funding body while this application is still being considered by the Wellcome Trust. Non-compliance may lead to refusal to consider the application. If applicants request funding for the same costs on more than one application to the Wellcome Trust at any one time, they must make this clear in their application.
Additional data may be submitted up to two weeks before the date of the decision-making committee meeting; after this date, no extra information will be accepted.
Depending on when you submit your application, it may take between four and six months to process. You should therefore allow at least six months between submission and the proposed starting date. However, certain awards are made once or twice a year. For the timescales and deadlines to be met for a specific scheme, please refer to the detailed information about that specific scheme.
Abbreviations should not be used unless fully explained.
If there are any ties on intellectual property rights or publications arising from the research you undertake, please contact the Wellcome Trust for advice. Restrictions on intellectual property may affect your eligibility to apply to the Wellcome Trust.
A revised Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers was agreed in June 2008. The Wellcome Trust expects organisations that hold Wellcome Trust grants to adopt the principles of the revised Concordat for the management of their researchers.

General guidance for all fellowship applications

Fellowship applicants must not apply to more than one Wellcome Trust Fellowship scheme at any one time.
Holders of Wellcome Trust fellowships must contact the Trust before submitting a full application for a grant on which they are a principal applicant or coapplicant.
Each fellowship application also requires the support of the head of department in which the work will be carried out. In some applications, the head of department may also be the sponsor.

Contact for general enquiries

Grant Enquiries
Wellcome Trust
Gibbs Building
215 Euston Road
London NW1 2BE, UK

T +44 (0)20 7611 2020
E grantenquiries@wellcome.ac.uk