International Master’s Fellowships

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Offering nationals of low- and middle-income countries the opportunity to receive training at Master’s degree level.
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This scheme offers nationals of low- and middle-income countries the opportunity to receive training at Master’s degree level.

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We’re changing our funding schemes

The way we fund research is changing to support our new strategy. A simplified set of funding schemes will be open for applications in summer 2021.

This scheme will close to applicants during 2021. See 'key dates' on this page for the final application deadline.

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Scheme at a glance
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International Master’s Fellowships
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Scheme at a glance
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Key dates

This scheme will close in 2021. These are the final dates.

April 2021 round

  • Application deadline

    13 April 2021, 17:00 BST

  • Decision

    June 2021

August 2021 round

This is the final round.

  • Application deadline

    24 August 2021, 17:00 BST

  • Decision

    November 2021

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Who can apply

You can apply for an International Master's Fellowship if:

You must:

  • hold a clinical or non-clinical undergraduate degree in a relevant subject 
  • be at an early stage in your career with limited research experience (but you must have demonstrated interest in, or aptitude for, research).

Your research proposal

Your research proposal should be within our science remit and focus on a health priority in a low- or middle-income country.

When we consider your application, we'll look at the:

  • quality and importance of your research question(s)
  • feasibility of your approach to solving these problems
  • suitability of your choice of research environments
  • suitability of the taught Master of Science (MSc) course you select – it should take place at a recognised centre of excellence and provide you with training that will complement your research project.

Who can't apply

You can’t apply if you’re:

We wouldn't usually expect you to apply if you already have a Master's. Please contact us before you apply.

If you've already been unsuccessful with a full application for this scheme, please contact us before you apply again.

You can't apply to carry out activities that involve the transfer of grant funds into mainland China.

What's expected of your host organisation

You must be based at an eligible host organisation in a low- or middle-income country for the research project. When your host organisation submits your application, they must agree to provide the space and resources you’ll need from the start date through to the end date of your award.

Sponsor

You must have a sponsor who is a head of department or equivalent (for example centre director or head of school) in your host organisation.

The sponsor must be able to guarantee that you’ll have a post for the duration of the fellowship. The sponsor should not expect you to spend more than eight hours a week on non-research activities (for example clinical duties, teaching or administration).

Your sponsor's support and mentorship should be part of a longer-term commitment to help you achieve your career aspirations.


Supervisor

You must have a supervisor who will be responsible for the day-to-day supervision of your research project.

You should also have additional supervisors for each period that you spend outside your host organisation, including your taught course. They must agree to provide the space and resources you’ll need.

You should give careful thought to your choice of supervisor(s). 

A supervisor should:

  • have an ongoing research programme
  • have a strong track record in research, training and mentorship
  • provide you with guidance during the application process and fellowship.

You can nominate your sponsor as a supervisor, if appropriate.

Other schemes

International Training Fellowships

Offering nationals of low- and middle-income countries the opportunity to receive training at postgraduate or postdoctoral level.
Full details of International Training Fellowships

International Intermediate Fellowships

Offering nationals of low- and middle-income countries the opportunity to lead their own research programmes.
Full details of International Intermediate Fellowships

Investigator Awards in Science

Enabling independent researchers with a compelling research vision to tackle the most important questions in science.
Full details of Investigator Awards in Science
Scheme finder

An International Master's Fellowship is for 30 months, unless you want to hold it on a part-time basis. 

The first 12 months should be dedicated to doing a taught Master of Science (MSc) course at a recognised centre of excellence anywhere in the world. 

The following 18 months is for your research project at an eligible organisation in a low- or middle-income country.

An award of £120,000 provides support for:

Support during the Master's course

The support includes:

  • If your taught course or training is in the UK, you can use £16,000 a year (outside London) or £18,000 a year (in London) to cover the cost of your stipend. If your course or training is outside the UK, you should check living costs with your prospective training organisation.

  • travel costs (eg outward and return airfares)
  • approved tuition fees, according to the rate charged by the training organisation.

We support distance learning taught Master's degrees.

If your stipend is liable for tax in the country you're based in, you can use the funds to cover the taxed amount.

Support during the fellowship

The support includes:

  • As this is a fellowship scheme, you must request your salary on the grant.

    We will fund the total cost of your salary for the full 30 months of the grant.

    You can only receive one salary during your grant. If you are already paid a salary, your host organisation may use it to pay the person who replaces you.

    You should ask your host organisation to calculate your salary during the grant. It should reflect the skills, responsibilities and expertise needed to carry out the role, and include:

    • your basic salary
    • employer’s contributions, including any statutory obligations (eg National Insurance contributions if you’re based in the UK) and pension scheme costs
    • any incremental progression up the salary scale
    • locally recognised allowances such as London allowance.

    For Year 1 include any known pay awards for this period or an assumed percentage equivalent to our current inflation rate of 2.0% if this hasn’t been confirmed. Your salary should automatically increase from Year 2 onwards, based on our current inflation allowance rates.

    Find out more about fellows working on a Wellcome grant.

    Visa and work permit costs

    If Wellcome is going to pay your salary on the grant, you can use your fellowship funds to pay for visa costs to help you take up the post at your host organisation. You can also use them for:

    • Immigration Health Surcharge costs.
    • Essential associated costs, such as travel to attend appointments at a visa application centre or embassy.
  • If you have to move to take up the post at your host organisation, you can use up to £1,000 to pay for these costs.

  • You can use your funds to cover overheads if your grant will be based at a:

    • university outside the UK or Republic of Ireland
    • research organisation that does not receive core funding for overheads
    • charitable or not-for-profit organisation
    • small or medium-sized commercial organisation.

    You can also pay for overheads on any part of your grant that is sub-contracted to any of the organisations listed above.

    You cannot use your funds to cover overheads if your grant will be:

    • administered by a UK university and they will include the sub-contracted funding in its annual report to the UK Charity Research Support fund
    • based at one of our Africa and Asia Programmes.

    Overheads can include:

    • estates, for example building and premises
    • non-project dedicated administrative and support staff
    • administration, for example finance, library, and room hire.

    The total cost for overheads should not be more than 10% of the total amount awarded. These costs must directly support the activity funded by the grant.

What we don’t offer

  • Major equipment. We only consider modest requests for equipment, so the place you choose to do your research project must have the necessary equipment and facilities.
  • Research assistance.

We don't fund overheads unless they're included on this page (for example research management and support costs).

You must submit your application through the Wellcome Trust Grant Tracker (WTGT).

Start your application

Stages of application

  1. Before you apply

    It's important to check that your application is competitive. Please read the advice in the ‘Eligibility and suitability’ section above before you apply.

    We encourage you to discuss your application with your sponsor and research supervisor. They will give you advice about the intellectual quality and importance of your project. They will also help you to decide whether it's the right time for you to apply.

    We also encourage you to contact your research office at your host organisation as early as possible in the application process. They should be able to advise you on:

    • how to structure your application, including the budget 
    • what information is needed to support your proposal 
    • how much time your host organisation will need to approve your application after you submit it. 

    You can also get some tips to help you write a Wellcome grant application and guidance on using Grant Tracker.

  2. Complete your application

    Log in to our online application system Grant Tracker. Do this at an early stage so that you can familiarise yourself with the system.

    You can view a PDF version of the online form here: Sample full application form for International Master's Fellowships [PDF 353KB]

    You must complete every section of the form. Your sponsor and supervisor will need to complete some of the sections. 

  3. Submit your application to your host organisation

    When you've completed the form, submit it to your host organisation. A person at your host organisation with the role of 'authorised organisational approver' will get an automated email from Wellcome asking them to review and submit the application.
     
    Make sure you leave enough time for the approver to do this before the deadline. The approver may ask you to make changes to your application.

  4. Host organisation submits your application

    The approver at your host organisation must submit your application to us by 17:00 (GMT/BST) on the deadline day.
     
    We may take up to four months to consider your full application. We will let you know if you are not eligible. 

  5. Scientific review

    The International Interview Committee will review your application and make the final decision. There are no interviews for these fellowships. If successful, you must take up the fellowship within one year of the award.

Disabled applicants

If you are disabled or have a chronic health condition, we can support you with the application process.

Coronavirus (Covid-19)

What you need to know if you're a grant applicant or grantholder.

Dates

You must submit your application by 17:00 (GMT/BST) on the deadline day. We don't accept late applications.

April 2021 round

  • Application deadline

    13 April 2021, 17:00 BST

  • Decision

    June 2021

August 2021 round

This is the final round.

  • Application deadline

    24 August 2021, 17:00 BST

  • Decision

    November 2021

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Grants awarded

Find out about some of the people and projects we've funded for this scheme.

Contact us

If you have a general question about this scheme, contact our information officers:

If you have a question about the scope and content of your proposal, contact the relevant person in one of our science teams:

Find a contact in our science teams

Researcher stories

Read about the career journeys of some of our researchers.

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Develop your research career

See our other postgraduate training schemes.

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International Masters Fellowship - Grant Funding | Wellcome
Meta description
Get information about Wellcome's International Master's Fellowships. Researchers can check their eligibility for postgraduate funding and find out how to apply.
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Lead applicant career stage
Researcher type
Funding amount
£120,000 including salary, studentship stipend, fees and research expenses
Funding duration
30 months (12 months taught Master’s course and 18 months research project)
Scheme status
Open
Scheme abbreviation
IMF