A new £10.7 million scheme aims to revitalise clinical veterinary research.

Research by academics trained in the veterinary sciences has become increasingly important in the light of the recent re-emergence of foot and mouth disease and the threat of diseases such as avian influenza that pass from animal to human. The Wellcome Trust has therefore launched a new funding programme of clinical veterinary awards, which will be run in partnership with the seven UK veterinary schools and co-ordinated by Professor Sandy Trees from the Faculty of Veterinary Science at the University of Liverpool.

Funding of £7m will be used to create three types of fellowship for different career stages: one-year Research Entry Fellowships, Integrated Training Fellowships towards a PhD and Postdoctoral Fellowships. These awards will be administered by the Trust.

The remaining £3.7m of funding will be available for small grants such as vacation scholarships, intercalation awards and summer schools. The funding will be given to the UK's seven veterinary schools (at the Universities of Bristol, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, London and Nottingham) and the University of Oxford (Laboratory Animal Medicine Component), and will be administered by the University of Liverpool.

See also

• Support for veterinary researchers
• £10.7 million initiative to boost veterinary research training (press release, 20 September)