By Nneka Nwogwugwu
Researchers are invited to submit proposals for Wellcome Mental Health Award, which provides funding for validation activities related to new projects with a clear therapeutic concept and strong biological rationale for early intervention in anxiety, depression and psychosis.
Funded proposals will generate data supporting the target’s therapeutic potential in developing new and improved pharmacological treatments.
Eligibility:
Researchers can apply if they are:
- From disciplines relevant to drug discovery and mental health science, including but not limited to genomics, neuroscience, computational psychiatry, molecular biology in psychiatry, medicinal chemistry, neuropharmacology, and in-vitro/vivo/silico pharmacology.
- Based at an organisation anywhere in the world except mainland China.
Also, applicants are encouraged to apply as a team. Team applications must:
- Be diverse and interdisciplinary, within one or across multiple institutions and with collaborations covering multiple areas of expertise.
- include researchers at any stage of their career.
- Include the necessary expertise, technical skills and organisational support to deliver the proposed research, including any consultants or service providers.
- Include at least one member with knowledge of the biological mechanisms of the relevant mental health condition(s).
- Consider engaging with people with lived experience of mental health problems as appropriate in the development and dissemination of the project.
- Be of an appropriate size for the proposed research. Teams must consist of at least two applicants and not exceed five applicants (team size requirement includes the lead applicant and co-applicants but excludes collaborators and consultants).
- Include either a lead applicant or co-applicant(s) based in each country where the research will take place.
- Foster a diverse, inclusive and supportive research environment.
- Ensure ethical and equal partnerships, particularly in partnerships between low- or middle-income country and high-income country researchers.
The lead applicant must:
- Have relevant experience in one or more areas of expertise that is required to deliver the proposal.
- Have the experience needed to drive and lead a collaborative research project and the necessary support structures in place to enable this.
- Have a permanent, open-ended or long-term rolling contract or the guarantee of one for the duration of the award. The contract cannot be conditional on receiving this award.
- Be able to contribute at least 20% of their research time to this project.
Co-applicants:
- Can be based in the same or different organisations as other applicants, or be resident in different countries. They can be at any career stage from any relevant discipline.
Each co-applicant must:
- be essential for the delivery of the project and make a significant contribution, for example, in designing the proposed research and leading a specific component of the project.
- guarantee institutional support for the duration of the project, though they do not need a permanent or open-ended contract.
- have at least 20% of their research time to this project.
Funding Information
Funding amount: Up to £700,000 per project
Funding duration: Up to 2 years
How to Apply
Interested applicants can click here to begin their application.
The Wellcome Mental Health Award is inviting researchers from relevant fields, excluding those based in mainland China, to submit proposals for funding up to £700,000 over two years. The funding is allocated for validation activities in projects focused on anxiety, depression, and psychosis that have a clear therapeutic concept and a robust biological rationale for early intervention. Eligible applicants span fields like genomics, neuroscience, and pharmacology, and are encouraged to foster diverse, interdisciplinary teams that prioritize ethical and inclusive partnerships, especially in collaborations between differently resourced countries.
Applications must include a lead applicant with substantial experience in collaborative research and long-term contractual commitment. Teams should be varied, consist of 2 to 5 members—including the lead and co-applicants—and be equipped with the needed expertise to advance the project. Co-applicants do not require a permanent contract but must have institutional support and dedicate at least 20% of their research time to the project. The initiative underscores the importance of involving individuals with lived mental health experience in the project development and dissemination stages. Interested researchers can apply through the specified Wellcome website.
