Investigator Awards Q&A

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Q. Why are we introducing Investigator Awards?
A. Wellcome Trust Investigator Awards will build on our strategic goal of supporting the brightest researchers with the best ideas. Over the last few years, we have expanded and strengthened our Fellowship schemes and we now provide Fellowships for scientists at all stages of their careers, and endow these individuals with the flexibility of support and length of tenure to enable them to address important questions about health and disease. Our Fellowship schemes are generally open only to researchers who do not have established posts. We now plan to extend this successful funding model to researchers who are in posts salaried by their universities or research institutes.

Q. How will Wellcome Trust Investigators be selected?
A. Investigator Awards will be decided by interview, which will focus on the excellence of the applicant, the importance of the question to be addressed and the proposed approach to tackling the problem. Awards will fund world-class researchers with the vision to innovate and take risks, and to explore the most challenging questions in their field of study. We aim to select people who are able to articulate a compelling long-term vision for their research, and who demonstrate the talent, track record, originality and leadership to achieve it.

Q. How will Investigator Awards fit within our overall funding portfolio?
A. Investigator Awards will complement our existing portfolio of Strategic Awards and Fellowships. Strategic Awards provide the key route for the funding of large, multidisciplinary and often highly collaborative research initiatives. Fellowships fund the training and research of outstanding individuals who are not in established posts. Investigator Awards will fund the best researchers who are in established posts. Project and programme grants will be phased out.

Q. Will focusing on individuals lead to a reduction in funding for multidisciplinary and collaborative research?
A. No. We envisage that multidisciplinary and collaborative research involving equal input from several investigators will be supported through Strategic Awards rather than Investigator Awards. Investigator Awards will be well-resourced, allowing the recipient to support a world-class team and work in collaboration with centres of excellence around the globe. In cases where two individuals work together closely towards a shared vision, we will consider applications from 'co-Investigators'.

Q. What type of individual do we hope to attract?
A. We will be funding outstanding researchers working in biomedical research, clinical research and, at a later date, the medical humanities. Individuals can be located in the UK or Republic of Ireland, or in a low- or middle-income country in accordance with our policy on international funding.

Two types of award will be available. Investigator Awards will fund the best researchers who have been appointed recently to their first established post and are forging an international reputation for excellence in their field. Senior Investigator Awards will fund fully established researchers whose work is at the forefront of their field and who already possess an outstanding track record.

Q. What funding will be available?
A. Funding will be flexible in both length and scale. The value of an award will be dependent on the ambition and vision of the researcher, and the resources required to realise this vision and make an impact. New Enhancement Awards will allow Investigators, Fellows and Major Overseas Programme and UK Centre Directors the flexibility to respond to emerging opportunities and resource needs.

Q. What do we expect of our Investigator Award holders?
A. We want our Investigators to advance knowledge and generate breakthroughs in their research areas. We also want to work closely with our Investigators to establish a community of researchers at the leading edge of their fields. They will be expected to take an active role as mentors and educators. The Trust will provide the resources to enable Investigators to interact and collaborate, build networks, translate knowledge and participate in public dialogue about science.

Q. Will the introduction of Investigator Awards affect the amount of grant funding we provide?
A. No. Future funding levels will be determined by the size of the Trust's overall endowment, not by the mechanism of funding. For example, in 2009-10 we plan to commit over £600 million - as we did in 2008-09.

Q. When will the Investigator Awards scheme be introduced?
A. The Investigator Awards were launched in November 2009. We plan to make detailed information about the scheme available in June 2010 for potential applicants. Applications can be submitted from October 2010 onwards, and the first Awards will be made in May 2011.

Q. What schemes are being discontinued, and when will they close?
A. The following grant schemes will close: project grants, programme grants, equipment grants, biomedical resources grants, technology development grants, University Awards and Flexible Travel Awards (for both fellowships and sabbaticals). The last date that we will accept applications under these schemes will be 30 July 2010, with decisions on these applications taken by the end of March 2011.