Policy Team

We want to help the world overcome Covid-19. Research is the best way to save lives – but more investment in accessible treatments, tests and vaccines is urgently needed to change the course of the pandemic.

At least $8 billion of new funding is needed for the global response to COVID-19 – for research, development and supply of treatments for all, and support for public health measures in countries with the weakest health systems.

Current practices prioritise outputs over people’s wellbeing. We want to help build a better research culture – one that is creative, inclusive and honest.

How Wellcome is working to ensure that research evidence is used to influence policy and practice.

Research is an essential part of being ready for and responding to public health emergencies, like COVID-19 and Ebola.

Wellcome is working with the World Health Organization (WHO) to take on big challenges in global health

Randomised clinical trials are essential to advancing evidence-based medicine and improving human health. But new guidelines are needed, which is why we've launched the Good Clinical Trials Collaborative. 

Everyone should have access to the life-changing benefits of medicines and other healthcare interventions, like vaccines, diagnostics and therapies.

We want the research we fund – like publications, data, software and materials – to be open and accessible, so it can have the greatest possible impact.

Knowledge and understanding don’t stop at borders. We're working with the UK government and others to achieve a Brexit settlement that allows research to thrive in the UK and Europe.

Emerging science and technologies, such as human genome editing and gene drive, could provide new solutions to health problems.

Patient data is hugely valuable for research. But the value of that data can only be unlocked if concerns about patient privacy are taken seriously.

We want to secure the investment in research promised by the UK government to overcome the biggest challenges in the world, such as climate change and epidemics.

The European General Data Protection Regulation was agreed in April 2016 and took effect from 25 May 2018.

The European Commission has published a proposal to update EU copyright law so that it applies equally across Europe and is fit for purpose in the 21st century.

Almost every major breakthrough in human and veterinary medicine has depended on the use of animals to research, develop or test new therapies.

Mitochondrial donation is an IVF technique that gives families affected by mitochondrial disease the chance of having healthy children.

The European Union is revising regulations governing the manufacture and sale of medical devices.

The Expert Advisory Group on Data Access promoted good working practices, consistent governance and transparent decision making for managing and using data from cohort studies.

The recommendations set out in the review mark one of the first steps towards making sure that promising drugs, devices, diagnostics and digital products are adopted quickly across the NHS.