Overview
Wellcome's November 2026 Early-Career Awards round funds researchers from any discipline to build an independent research identity through projects that advance understanding of human life, health and wellbeing.
Complete grant details
Awards usually last five years and cover the grantholder's salary plus up to £400,000 in research expenses, with certain eligible costs outside that research-expense cap. Projects can span STEM, medicine, humanities, social sciences, clinical and allied health, and public health, provided they fit Wellcome's Discovery Research remit and have potential to improve human life, health or wellbeing. Applications are made through the Wellcome Funding platform and require approval and submission by the administering organisation before the deadline.
Eligibility requirements
The scheme is for early-career researchers from any discipline who are ready to develop their research identity. Applicants normally need a completed PhD or equivalent higher research degree, or at least four years of equivalent research experience where a PhD has not been started, and must meet Wellcome's career-stage and administering-organisation rules. The host must be an eligible not-for-profit organisation in the UK, Republic of Ireland or an eligible low- or middle-income country, excluding India and mainland China.
Tips for this grant
Practical Job and Scholarship guidance. These tips do not replace official rules or create new eligibility requirements.
- Check eligibility, funding coverage, study/project level and every required document before investing time in the application.
- Prepare transcripts, references, language tests, proposal/motivation statement and proof documents early.
- Separate the scholarship deadline from any university/program admission deadline; they may be different.
- Treat “fully funded” as a source fact only when the official provider explicitly confirms the covered costs.
Verification notes
Verified against Wellcome's official Early-Career Awards page and official scheme-deadlines page. The November 2026 round opened 22 July 2026, closes 10 November 2026 at 15:00 GMT, and the scheme page states salary plus up to £400,000 research expenses with a usual five-year duration.
Job and Scholarship is the discovery and verification layer. Confirm eligibility, dates, salary/funding and application instructions on the original source before submitting anything.
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