Frequently asked questions

How many Translation Awards does the Wellcome Trust expect to support?
This depends on the nature, quality and cost of the applications received in a given financial year.

How do I apply for a Strategic Translation Award?
The purpose of Strategic Translation Awards (STA) is to provide significant momentum to advance translation in areas the Wellcome Trust perceives require exceptional effort to achieve a fundamental or strategic outcome. You should contact Technology Transfer staff if you have a concept for a STA.

Is there a preliminary application process?
Yes, applicants must submit a preliminary application form [Word 109KB]. Feedback will then be provided as promptly as possible on the appropriateness of the topic for translational funding and, if necessary, will include guidance on aspects of the project. Prospective applicants for Strategic Translation Awards should contact a member of Technology Transfer staff to discuss their application in advance of a preliminary submission.

Can I make multiple applications for Translation Awards?
Yes. All applications will be considered on their own merits. Principal investigators seeking support will, however, be expected to demonstrate that they can commit the time and attention needed to bring each project to a satisfactory conclusion.

Are resubmissions of unsuccessful applications permitted?
Generally no. Applicants wishing to re-apply are required to describe how the proposal varies from the previous application. We reserve the right not to process an application if it is too similar to one that has been declined previously.

Are applications from multiple organisations permitted?
Yes. The precise role of each principal investigator and organisation should be made clear in the application, together with details about how the work will be shared and intellectual property owned, managed and exploited.

Will the Wellcome Trust fund a translation project alongside other funders?
We would be willing to co-fund alongside others. We will not usually provide support for projects that have already attracted significant levels of professional investment. Please contact Technology Transfer staff if you have a specific query.

My university spin-out company needs to raise funds to further develop some exciting new technology. How do I know whether to apply for a Translation Award or approach the Wellcome Trust's Investment Division?
Generally your university technology transfer office can assist you in judging what are the best options for fundraising. Trust staff will offer advice on request.

Are the same criteria used by Technology Transfer and the Investment Division in deciding on the case for support?
No. The Investment Division is managed for financial returns and will only invest when the technology/products have demonstrated proof-of-concept. In comparison, Technology Transfer at the Wellcome Trust puts greater emphasis on the potential of a technology to impact on healthcare and bridge the gap between basic research and translation of that research. A credible case as to how and why an innovation will be developed further by the market is necessary, but the level of revenue return is not the main consideration.

Are applications relating to cancer permitted under the translation awards?
Yes. Proposals in the field of cancer aimed at bridging the gap between fundamental research and commercial product development will be considered. We have a policy on funding cancer research.

Can researchers from disciplines outside biomedicine apply?
Yes, providing the application of the research is designed to facilitate or meet a need in healthcare. For example, the application of physics, chemistry, computing, engineering and materials science to the development of medical products is entirely appropriate.

What should I do if the technology I wish to develop addresses a healthcare need in an area that is not commercially attractive?
We are committed to the translation of research into practical health benefits across the spectrum of disease. Disease areas neglected by industry because of the lack of a return on investment pose a particular problem, but imaginative ways forward can sometimes be developed such as partnering with NGOs or public-private partnerships (e.g. the Medicines for Malaria Venture). Applications for support to translate non-commercial technologies are not appropriate for Translation Awards or Strategic Translation Awards, but may be suitable for support under other funding schemes within the Trust. Technology Transfer staff or staff from other funding programmes will be happy to help with any specific queries.

Must I hold a tenured university post to be an applicant?
Our normal rules allow for tenured staff and staff on fixed-term contracts with no less than 12 months' service remaining to be coapplicants. Normally only tenured staff may be principal applicants. If you are employed by a body other than a university, you may be eligible to apply but we must confirm this. Please seek clarification from Technology Transfer staff at the Trust before applying.

Are applications from companies allowed?
Yes, applications from spin-outs and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) can be considered, together with projects from large enterprises. However, we will need to understand why commercial support for the project is not available.

Can I apply for my personal salary on a Translation Award?
If you hold a tenured university post, you may not re-charge your salary (in full or part) to a Translation Award.

What capital expenditure may be requested?
Providing it is adequately justified, modest equipment purchase and maintenance costs may be included in a Translation Award application. Building or refurbishment expenditure will not normally be considered.

Can I apply for overheads?
Translation Award applications may not include requests for institutional overheads.

What is the Wellcome Trust's policy on publication of the results arising from Translation Award projects?
We wish to encourage the dissemination of findings arising from the research we support in order to achieve maximum public benefit. At the same time, it is essential that any intellectual property (IP) is protected to ensure that downstream investment is not deterred. It is therefore appropriate that publication or release of research findings is delayed until patent protection of the IP has been put in place. For further information, read our policy on intellectual property and patenting.

Does the Wellcome Trust expect a share of any cash revenues or equity that may arise from commercialisation of a technology developed under one of its awards?
Yes. The primary purpose of Translation Awards is to secure a healthcare benefit from the development of new technologies/products. Many of these technologies will ultimately fail to reach the market so awards are made with no expectation of a financial return. However, in the event that a company is formed or a licensing agreement is entered into, we have a responsibility as a charity to share in the financial benefits in order to channel that back into the pursuit of its mission (see below for details of the our revenue and equity-sharing arrangements in respect of standard Trust grants).

Why does the institution have to seek the Wellcome Trust's consent before it can exploit Trust-funded intellectual property, and how should it do this?
Normally, an institution has to seek our consent prior to exploitation because, as a charity, we are under an obligation to ensure that the useful results of research that it funds are applied for the public good and that the exploitation is an appropriate means of achieving the public benefit. In order to obtain our consent, the institution must inform us about the exploitation activity that is planned. The institution can do this by completing and submitting our standard consent application form [Word 88.5KB] to Technology Transfer at the Trust. However, given that the majority of the institutions to which the Trust makes grants are also charities (which are now all generally governed by the relatively new Charities Act 2006), they are all, on the whole, subject to the same governed duties to exploit the intellectual property they create for public benefit.Therefore, for a trial period of 1 April 2011 until 30 September 2012, the Trust proposes to trial devolving its responsibility for fulfilling that duty directly to the grant-holding institutions. This will be effected by the Trust waiving the condition to seek its consent prior to exploitation of Trust-funded intellectual property ("IP") to those institutions that have confirmed in writing to the Trust that they wish to participate in the trial.

What will happen during the trial period where the Trust waives its consent right?
Under the trial arrangements, instead of the requirement to seek the Trust’s prior written consent, the participating institutions will still be expected to inform the Trust of its exploitation activities as they relate to Trust-funded IP (including providing copies of agreements related to Trust-funded IP exploitation) and to indicate how such exploitation activities may lead to a public benefit.To assist in this, the Trust has produced some written guidelines [Word 70KB] on the types of considerations which it would normally expect organisations to take into account when exploiting Trust-funded IP. On a practical basis, a participating institution should execute a copy of the Trust's revenue and equity sharing agreement [Word 196 KB] that is in place at the relevant time following completion of each exploitation activity and to return the executed document to the Trust with a copy of the relevant agreement(s).It should be emphasised that guidance will also continue to be available informally from the Trust and its Technology Transfer division on a case-by-case basis upon request to any institution whether it is participating in the trial or not.For those institutions that prefer not to participate in the trial and have not notified the Trust of their intention to participate, the standard arrangements (and forms) for seeking the Trust’s consent will apply, as set out in the FAQ below.

How does the Wellcome Trust grant consent to an institution that has applied for consent to exploit Trust-funded intellectual property?
Provided that a fully completed standard consent application form [Word 88.5KB] has been received, and we are satisfied that the exploitation proposed for the Trust-funded intellectual property is an appropriate means of achieving the public benefit, consent will be granted by entering into our standard consent and revenue/equity-sharing agreement [Word 107KB] which differs from the revenue and sharing agreement referred in the above FAQ. (Please note that the consent and revenue/equity-sharing arrangements outlined here do not apply to non-standard Trust grants, e.g. Strategic Translation Awards, or to pre-existing consent and revenue/equity-sharing arrangements made with Catalyst BioMedica Limited. If you have any questions about these, please contact Technology Transfer.)

What share of financial benefits does the Wellcome Trust expect to receive from exploitation of Trust-funded intellectual property?
Under our standard consent and revenue/equity-sharing agreement [Word 107KB], we expect to receive a share of any income or equity that arises from exploitation of Trust-funded intellectual property (IP). Trust-funded IP means IP that is being developed using Trust funding. This includes IP that will be newly created, and pre-existing IP the further development of which is being funded by us (e.g. Trust funding of proof-of-concept studies to support a pre-existing patent application). The consent and revenue/equity-sharing agreement contains separate revenue-sharing formulae for sharing income and equity received. Where income/equity is received as payment for IP that has not been funded solely by the Trust (e.g. because another research funder also provided funding), then the revenue-sharing formulae apply only to those parts of income/equity received that can be attributed to the Trust's funding. You can see more details about how the income-sharing formula works by using our revenue-sharing calculator [Excel 28KB].

How is equity shared?
If equity is offered as payment for Trust-funded intellectual property, then that equity is shared 60:40 between the institution and the Trust. For example, if a start-up company has 100 000 unissued shares, and offers to issue 40 000 of these by way of payment for an assignment or licence of the rights to a patent application arising from Trust-funded research, then the institution is entitled to 24 000 shares (60 per cent of 40 000) and we are entitled to 16 000 shares. Refer to the consent and revenue/equity-sharing agreement [Word 107KB] for further details.

How are inventors rewarded for Wellcome Trust-funded intellectual property that has been exploited?
Each institution is responsible for compensating its inventors from its share of income received, in accordance with its own inventors' reward scheme. Equity transactions are treated differently, because inventors are usually allocated founders' shares in return for their efforts. You should contact your institution or technology transfer office if you have any questions about this.

Does the Wellcome Trust provide financial support for biotechnology development as a venture capital investor?
Yes. This is administered by the Trust's Investment Division.

What happens if my project doesn't meet its milestones?
See our termination policy [Word 48KB].

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