WELLCOME TRUST ANNOUNCES NEW MAJOR ARTS FUNDING SCHEME

8 January 2007

In February of this year, the UK's largest medical research charity, the Wellcome Trust, will launch the Arts Awards, a new funding scheme that aims to encourage original and imaginative arts projects inspired by biomedical science.

The Wellcome Trust, which spends £500 million each year to support the brightest scientists with the best ideas, also has a firm commitment to funding artistic projects that help to increase public awareness of science and stimulate debate about biomedical issues. Since 2002, around £5.5 million has been awarded to arts projects through its Engaging Science scheme.

The new Arts Awards scheme will build on the strengths of past Wellcome Trust schemes such as Sciart - which funded experimental arts and science collaborations - and Pulse, the young person's arts programme.

Clare Matterson, Director of Medicine, Society and History at the Wellcome Trust explains:

"Over the last decade, the Wellcome Trust has been a major supporter of arts projects that explore biomedical science and its social and cultural contexts. These projects are an excellent way of raising interest and stimulating debate, often reaching audiences that have not traditionally thought that science was for them. Our new Arts Awards scheme will build on our experience from both Sciart and Pulse, and encourage artists and scientists to work together to present scientific ideas, developments or controversies in intriguing and imaginative ways."

Whether it's through the visual arts, film-making, writing or performance, the Arts Awards will enable the public to observe, discuss or participate in lively debate about scientific advances that have a direct impact on society.

Gwyneth Lewis, previous National Poet for Wales and Wellcome Trust grantholder commented:

"The chance to collaborate with distinguished medical practitioners has been life-changing for me as a poet. It's a huge privilege to have access to medical experience at this level and will, I hope, influence my work for a long time beyond the immediate project funded by the Wellcome Trust."

Other previous projects funded by the Wellcome Trust have included the critically acclaimed Bobby Baker show 'How to Live', a commentary on cognitive therapy recently performed at the Barbican; 'Colour Coded', a young, black filmmakers' project examining skin colour and pigmentation; and 'Ex Memoria', a short film exploring the experience of Alzheimer's disease, which has recently been shortlisted for the British Independent Film Awards alongside films such as 'The Queen' and 'The Wind That Shakes the Barley'.

The new scheme will be formally launched on Thursday 15 February at an event that will celebrate past achievements of the Trust's arts funding, and highlight how the new Arts Awards scheme will run. Previously funded artists and performers will showcase their work, including: All Change Arts, performing a dance piece on stem cell research and gene therapy; an installation on historical and contemporary facial reconstruction from Paddy Hartley; Brendan Walker's 'Auto-portraits of Fairground Thrill'; and Stan's Cafe's 'Plague Nation', a performance installation on epidemiology.

Applications are now being sought for the Arts Awards at two levels of funding: small grants for any amount up to and including £30 000, and large grants for applications over £30 000. The first deadline for small grants is 16 March 2007 and for large grants is 27 April 2007.

Full details about the Arts Awards

Notes to editors

Media enquiries

Mike Findlay, Wellcome Trust Media Office
T +44 (0)20 7611 8612
E m.findlay@wellcome.ac.uk

The Wellcome Trust is the largest charity in the UK and the second largest medical research charity in the world. It funds innovative biomedical research, in the UK and internationally, spending around £500 million each year to support the brightest scientists with the best ideas. The Wellcome Trust supports public debate about biomedical research and its impact on health and wellbeing.