How we work

We work with researchers in universities, with early-stage companies, with larger companies where there is a public good objective, and with healthcare investors/in-licensing professionals. Our approach is customised to suit these different sectors.

Academic researchers in universities
For academic researchers in universities, we make awards in the form of grants to fund the development of innovations. We also provide mechanisms to help in the development of the technology, such as project steering groups, advisory committees and so on. And we’re willing to support the costs of consultancy to facilitate the project in relation to troubleshooting or project management.

Our grant conditions allow the Wellcome Trust to be recognised in the form of financial return should the innovation be successful.

The business community
For the business community, we make awards as programme-related investments as the main mechanism of funding. This is where there is an alignment between our charitable objectives and the business objectives of the company. We don’t provide working capital, but provide support for specific pieces of work that address an unmet medical need. We provide programme-related investments in the form of convertible loan agreements for small companies, or other arrangements such as royalty recognition for larger companies.

We are happy to work with healthcare investors and in-licensing professionals - indeed, a number of our projects are co-funded at their inception. At later stages, if a project has developed well, we can assist the award holders (whether a university or company) to examine potential downstream investors, which may include venture capital firms, or corporate in-licensing departments.

Technology Transfer Advisory Group
The Technology Transfer Advisory Group (TTAG) members assist the Wellcome Trust’s Technology Transfer Team by periodically reviewing funding applications across each of the translation funding schemes. External advisors are invited to join TTAG when they have specific expertise that enables them to provide expert feedback and a funding recommendation on applications. As an advisory group, TTAG members have expertise across a broad range of life-science, therapy, product and platform technology areas.

Advisors are approached to review applications only when an application for funding is relevant to their expertise. If an advisor is available, they are invited to complete written reviews of an application within a given time period. Selected comments from the reviews may be anonymously feedback to the applicants. Importantly the reviews provide key information and guidance to the relevant funding committee ( Translation Fund Committee, Technology Transfer Strategy Panel, Seeding Drug Discovery Committee, Health Innovation Challenge Fund Joint Funding Panel or Affordable Healthcare Committee) and contribute to the committee decision-making.