Liz Shaw

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MEDICAL HUMANITIES AT THE WELLCOME
TRUST FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

• Liz Shaw
• Jacob Leveridge
• Nils Fietje

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To foster and promote research with the aim of
improving human and animal health
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• Independent research-funding charity
• Established 1936
• Funded from private endowment
• Managed for long-term stability and growth
• Interests range from science to history of
  medicine

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• Net investment base of over 12 billion
• In the 2007/2008 financial year the Trust spent
  615.2 m on Grants
• 456.8m on Science Funding
• 38.3m on Medicine, Society, History
• 30.2m on TTD, 89.9m on Sanger

• an independent research-funding charity
• established 1936
• funded from private endowment
• managed for long-term stability and growth
• interests range from science to history of
  medicine

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Credit cr-AAAhhh-nch!

• Aaa/AAA Bond Credit rating.
• Budget for 2008/9 585m
• Shortfall of 30 million was absorbed mainly by
  Science Funding.

• an independent research-funding charity
• established 1936
• funded from private endowment
• managed for long-term stability and growth
• interests range from science to history of
  medicine

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History of Medicine Review

• Summer 2008, quinqennial review led by Joanna
  Bourke
• Recommended broadening the remit to include
  Medical Humanities
• Encourage bolder, more expansive research
• Open the scheme up to international applicants.

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Change

• Remit Medical History and Humanities
• Eligibility UK/ROI and International Applicants
  if deemed of Strategic Importance
• Changes to Grants Scheme SE Award, Project
  Grants, and Research Leave Awards have been
  discontinued
• Programme Grants are emphasized

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Change

• Reconstitute the Funding Committee to reflect the
  changes in the remit
• Encourage outputs that are more accessible to the
  general public
• Introduce closer monitoring of ongoing research
• Organise a Frontiers Meeting to develop the
  research agenda

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The New Remit

• New title Medical History and Humanities
• Encourage applicants to address the important
  questions that will develop further our
  understanding of the progress, socioeconomic and
  cultural impacts of medicine and medical sciences
  on human and animal health.
• Research must be historically grounded, drawing,
  where appropriate, on wider disciplines, in
  particular the humanities.
• Disciplines Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences

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Eligibility

• Main regions of funding UK and ROI
• Possibility of oversees funding, if deemed of
  strategic importance
• Focus Areas India, Major Overseas Programmes
  (MOPS), Developing and Restructuring Countries
• No more Collaborative Research Initiative Grants

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Places Strong track record in global health
researchGeographic focus
Major Overseas Programmes
Focus countries
Other eligible countries
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Grants Overview
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Programme Grants

• Encourage more expansive research on important
  questions at the interface of science, medicine
  and the humanities
• Can include money for Outreach Officers
• Long-term funding up to 5 years support on a
  focused topic or theme

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Pilot Grants

• Designed explicitly to develop a competitive
  Programme Grant application
• Test research questions, methodology and
  collaborations
• Should also have its own autonomous outcome (e.g.
  journal article, large conference, etc)
• Can include research leave
• Up to 2 years support

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University Awards

• Allows universities to attract outstanding
  research staff
• The university guarantees a permanent post at the
  end of the award
• Applicants cannot be in an established academic
  post
• Up to 5 years support, providing full salary for
  three years, 50 in the fourth year and 25 in
  the fifth year

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Fellowship Awards

• You CAN apply before you have finished your PhD
• Only two deadlines 1st of August and 1st of
  December
• Interviews are held within 2 weeks after the FC
  meeting
• Up to 3 years support

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Research Leave Awards for Clinicians/Scientists

• Highlighted by the Review as important scheme
• Enables clinicians or scientists to undertake a
  full-time research at a centre or department with
  academic expertise in medical history
• Provides the salary of a locum or replacement
  lecturer for the duration of the award
• Up to 6 months support

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Small Grants

• Research Expenses assistance for modest
  programme of study (up to 2 years, 5,000)
• Conferences, Symposia, Seminar Series financial
  support for organising academic meetings of all
  kinds (up to 5,000)
• Applications accepted throughout the year
• Fast turnaround decisions are usually made
  within 8 weeks
• No need for preliminary application

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Application Process

• Three deadlines per year
• 1 March (FC meets in June)
• 1 August (FC meets in November)
• 1 December (FC meets in March)
• Prelims required 6 weeks before deadline
• Interview within 2 weeks of Funding Committee
• How we can help Grant Outreach and Grant
  Administration

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Other Wellcome Funding
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Public Engagement

• Supporting projects that aim to inform and
  inspire the public about biomedical science and
  its social/historical contexts
• To engage with society to foster an informed
  climate within which the medical Humanities and
  biomedical science can flourish

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Public Engagement Grant Schemes

• People Awards
• Society Awards
• Arts Awards
• Broadcast Development Awards
• International Engagement Awards
• Capital Awards

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People Award Interior Traces

• Radio drama, video, performance and debate
• How images of the brain have radically changed
  medicine, law, ethics and our sense of self
• www.interiortraces.com
• Events in Wellcome Collection, Dana Centre
  Birkbeck Cinema

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Society Award Debating Matters

• Inter-school sixth form debating competition
• Emphasis on content not rhetoric style
• Increasing participation from state schools
• At least one third of debates on biomedical
  topics
• Adapted for use in Ireland and India

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Biomedical Ethics

• Ethical issues arising in the develop-ment
  delivery of healthcare or use of medical
  techniques in non-healthcare contexts
• Must have some ethical/critical analysis of what
  ought or ought not to be done, or some analysis
  of concepts crucial to that ethical analysis
• Can have substantial empirical component
• Must be research in ethics

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Biomedical Ethics Grant Schemes

• Research Fellowships
• New Clinical Fellowships in BME Clinical
• Research Leave Awards in BME
• University Awards
• (Dissemination Awards POST Fellowships)
• Symposia (through Medical History Humanities)

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Other Arts and Humanities Activities at the Trust

• Wellcome Library
• http//library.wellcome.ac.uk
• Wellcome Collection
• http//www.wellcomecollection.org
• Wellcome Trust Book Prize
• http//www.wellcomebookprize.org

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STAY IN TOUCH!
e.shaw_at_wellcome.ac.uk 0207 611 8693 n.fietje_at_wellc
ome.ac.uk 0207 611 7357 j.leveridge_at_wellcome.ac.uk
0207 611 8536 www.wellcome.ac.uk/medicalhumaniti
es