Translation Fund
Translating
ambitious ideas,
supporting
innovative R&D
Pushing the boundaries of current
knowledge and addressing crucial
areas of unmet medical need.
What do we fund?
The Translation Fund is flexibly structured
to enable innovative research and
development that addresses unmet needs
in healthcare. We aim to support
individuals through larger and bolder
awards to accelerate product development.
Proposals must have translational
outcomes and should include clear and
credible strategies for adopting the research
into clinical practice or public health.
Who can apply?
We welcome applications from researchers
in universities, not-for-profit research
institutions and commercial organisations
worldwide.
For more information
Visit wellcome.ac.uk/translation
Seeding Drug Discovery
Early-stage
small-molecule
drug discovery
Developing drug-like small molecules that
will be the springboard for further research
and development by the biotechnology and
pharmaceutical industry in areas of unmet
medical need.
What do we fund?
We now support projects at an earlier
stage in development as well as helping
later-stage projects progress further
towards clinical trials:
Early-stage awards (from screen to lead)
help applicants with a potential drug
target or new chemistry to embark on
a programme of compound discovery.
Late-stage awards (from lead to clinical
development) are for applicants with more
advanced projects to take these towards
and into clinical trials.
Who can apply?
We welcome proposals from academic
and commercial organisations, of any
size, based anywhere in the world
(no connection to the UK is necessary).
For more information
Visit wellcome.ac.uk/sdd
Health Innovation Challenge Fund
Accelerating
innovation in
patient health
A parallel funding partnership between the
Wellcome Trust and the Department of Health
to stimulate the creation of innovative healthcare
products, technologies and interventions and
to facilitate their development for the benefit of
patients in the NHS and beyond.
What do we fund?
We fund development of novel
technologies for healthcare, including
medical devices, diagnostics, biologics and
drug repurposing. Collaboration between
organisations and across disciplines is
encouraged. Projects should be clinically
driven and teams must feature strong
clinical representation. Projects will
normally culminate in a first in man clinical
study and lead to patient benefit within the
next 5 years.
Who can apply?
Organisations that perform research in the
UK - including universities, not-for-profit
institutions, NHS Trusts and Foundation
Trusts (and equivalent authorities) and
companies. For collaborative projects, the
lead organisation must be based in the UK.
For more information
Visit wellcome.ac.uk/hicf
Pathfinder Awards
Sparking
innovative
ideas
Pilot funding to catalyse innovative
early-stage applied research and
development projects in areas of
unmet medical need.
What do we fund?
We fund innovative discrete pilot studies
to develop assets and kick-start future
development.
Who can apply?
We support projects run by individual
organisations and also seek to stimulate
partnerships:
• Academic and commercial organisations in the UK or the Republic of Ireland can apply for individual awards.
•
Partnerships between academic and commercial organisations, based anywhere in the world, can also apply. We envisage that an academic (or not-for-profit) lead with an early-stage programme will build on or establish a partnership with a company that has specialist knowledge and access to technologies to facilitate the development
of a specific novel product.
For more information
Visit wellcome.ac.uk/pathfinder
Portfolio Awards
Supporting
inventive
collaborations
By funding portfolios of projects, we can
tap into synergies that will accelerate
R&D, enhance productivity and improve
the probability of success for innovations
in healthcare.
What do we fund?
We fund ambitious programmes which
require a portfolio of projects to deliver
ground-breaking innovative solutions
with a profound healthcare impact and
which cannot be fully realised through
project-based funding.
Proposals must offer a potential new
solution to an unmet need in healthcare,
and must plan to develop the innovations
to a stage where it will be sufficiently
attractive to a downstream funder –
whether a commercial (e.g. venture
capital, pharma, biotech) or not-forprofit organisation.
Who can apply?
We fund applicants from all over the world,
including cross-border collaborations.
For more information
Visit wellcome.ac.uk/portfolio