Collaborative Awards promote the development of new ideas and speed the pace of discovery. We fund teams of researchers, consisting of independent research groups, to work together on the most important scientific problems that can only be solved through collaborative efforts.
Scheme at a Glance:
| Career stage: | Intermediate, Senior |
| Where your host organisation is based: | UK, Republic of Ireland, Low- and middle-income countries |
| Type of researcher: | Basic, Clinical, Public health |
| Level of funding: | Up to £4 million |
| Duration of funding: | Up to 5 years |
Eligibility & Sustainability:
Who can Apply?
Collaborative Awards are for teams of researchers bringing together the relevant expertise and experience to address the most important scientific problems.
Each applicant must be essential to the proposed collaborative research and have:
- Proven research expertise and experience in their field.
- An academic or research post (or equivalent).
- A salary for the duration of the award period. If this is not in place, your employing organisation must provide a guarantee of salary support for the duration of the award.
Members of the team must have proven experience in collaborative research and consist of independent research groups.
Team size will depend on the proposed research, but should generally have more than
two applicants, and no more than seven. Teams may be based in the same or in different organisations, and must bring different expertise or disciplines to the research question.Applicants should usually be based at eligible organisations in the UK, Republic of Ireland, or low- or middle-income countries. However, we can make exceptions for projects that need specific expertise or resources provided by team members based in other countries.
Go to the World Bank website(opens in a new tab) to see a list of low- and middle-income countries.
What we’re looking for:
Your proposal should describe a significant piece of work that addresses the most important questions, in an area relevant to the mission of the Wellcome Trust.
You should be able to demonstrate why the scientific problem you are tackling can only be solved through an integrated, collaborative team effort.
We encourage interdisciplinary research collaborations, although they are not essential. We also encourage applications that propose interdisciplinary research across our Science, Humanities and Social Science and Innovations teams.
What we offer:
A Collaborative Award can be up to £4 million and last for up to five years, but requests must be appropriate to the proposed research. Our support includes:
- research expenses directly related to your proposal
You can also apply for public engagement funds to involve the public in your research and inspire learning.
What we don’t offer
We don’t provide funds for directly allocated or indirect costs unless they’re included on this page.
Key dates:
We consider applications three times a year.
We consider applications three times a year. You must submit your application by 17:00 (GMT/BST) on the deadline day. We don’t accept late applications.
November 2017 round
The application form will be available on Wellcome Trust Grant Tracker in early August 2017.
Preliminary application deadline : 15 November 2017
Full application deadline : 26 February 2018
Shortlisting : April 2018
Interviews : 17–19 July 2018
August 2017 round
Preliminary application deadline : 23 August 2017
Full application deadline : 13 November 2017
Shortlisting : January 2018
Interviews : 10–12 April 2018
April 2017 round
Preliminary application deadline : 20 April 2017
Full application deadline : 13 July 2017
Shortlisting : September 2017
Interviews : 28–30 November 2017
How to Apply for this grant
Log in to our online grants system (Grant Tracker). You can save your application and return to it any time.
Start your Application
You should discuss the scope of your proposal and suitability for the scheme with us before you submit your full application. Please contact the relevant member of our Science division.
- Submit your preliminary applicationYou must submit your application through the Wellcome Trust Grant Tracker(opens in a new tab).View the Sample preliminary application form for Collaborative Awards in Science [PDF 445KB]
- ShortlistingIf eligible, our senior science staff may assess your proposal’s initial suitability and competitiveness for the scheme.
- Submit your full applicationIf your preliminary application is successful, we’ll invite you to submit a full application.View the Sample full application form for Collaborative Awards in Science [PDF 2.1MB]
- Scientific reviewOne of the following expert review groups will review your application, depending on your area of research:
- Cell and Developmental Biology
- Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neuroscience and Mental Health
- Genetics, Genomics and Population Research
- Immune System in Health and Disease
- Molecular Basis of Cell Function
- Pathogen Biology and Disease Transmission
- Physiology in Health and Disease
- Population and Public Health
If shortlisted, we will invite you for an interview. We’ll give you at least two weeks’ notice.
- External written peer reviewWe’ll seek written comments from external expert reviewers. Unattributed comments will be sent to you before your interview.If peer reviews indicate that your application is not competitive, it will be withdrawn at this stage.
- InterviewYou will be interviewed by our Science Interview Panel at the Wellcome offices in London.
Contact us
Contact our information officers if you have a question about funding.
Or call
Preliminary application deadline : 23 August 2017
