Four-year PhD Programmes

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Purpose

The Wellcome Trust wishes to provide support for four-year PhD programmes in academic institutions in the UK and the Republic of Ireland (RoI).

Wellcome Trust Four-year PhD Programmes were introduced in 1994 and are noted for the high-quality postgraduate training they provide.

The Trust hopes to continue to support the best graduates in leading academic research environments, where they will receive innovative training that will ensure they can meet future challenges in their chosen field of biomedical or public health research.

There are currently 30 PhD programmes in UK and RoI institutions.

Note: If you are a graduate looking to undertake a biomedical PhD and seeking information about our existing programmes, please visit this page.

What’s included?

Support for the programme will be for a period of five years, with an annual intake of typically not more than five students, reflecting the availability of high-quality training opportunities within the programme.

Students recruited to successful programmes will be provided with:

four year’s student’s stipend, as set by the Wellcome Trust
university fees at the home student rate
college fees (where required)
a contribution towards research expenses
a contribution towards travel for conferences and meetings
a contribution towards transferable skills training.

Eligibility

The programme should be based in an eligible institution in the UK or the Republic of Ireland.

The principal applicant should be the proposed director of the programme. This individual should be a recognised international leader in their field with a strong track record in postgraduate research training.

The Trust is willing to consider multiple applications from the same institution where there is the potential to propose more than one distinct PhD programme. However, in light of the relatively low number of awards to be made and the anticipated high demand, we encourage institutions to consider the justification for submitting multiple preliminary applications very carefully, particularly in reference to any ongoing PhD programmes.

Application process

We intend to hold two competitions, with decisions in July 2013 and July 2015, so the timing of applications should be considered carefully.

For the first round, an electronic copy of the preliminary application [Word 178KB] should be sent to 4yrphd@wellcome.ac.uk by 10 December 2012.

Preliminary applications will be assessed by the PhD Programmes Committee, which is composed of internationally leading researchers with a commitment to developing the next generation.

If the preliminary application is approved, guidance on submitting a full application will be provided. Full applications will be externally peer reviewed before being assessed by the Committee.

At each round of competition, applications for support of basic scientists and clinicians will be considered in parallel. Applications for new programmes will be seen in competition with existing programmes wishing to apply for renewal.

Deadlines

For the first round of competition, an electronic copy of the preliminary application [Word 178KB] should be sent to 4yrphd@wellcome.ac.uk by 10 December 2012.

Preliminary application review: mid-March 2013
Invited full application deadline: 26 April 2013
Committee review: 17-18 July 2013

The second round of competition will be advertised in autumn 2014.

Contacts

In the first instance, send enquiries regarding this competition to: 4yrphd@wellcome.ac.uk.