Infectious Disease

Infectious diseases are estimated to cause around a quarter of all deaths in the world. The threat of new and returning infectious diseases, drug-resistant infections and future epidemics will likely only add to this figure. 

Science can create vaccines, treatments and tests to bring infectious diseases under control, and the Covid-19 pandemic has shown the importance of preparing for escalating infectious diseases before they become a crisis. That’s because existing systems can limit access to these life-saving tools. 

The impacts of infectious diseases are not felt equally, so science and policy must be used to develop solutions that meet the needs of the communities most affected. Wellcome has been committed to research in this area for many years.  

We will work alongside these communities and bring together our diverse expertise across science, innovation and society to build a world that is better prepared to prevent and eliminate infectious diseases.

Over the next 30 years, we want to reduce the risk and impact of infectious diseases. 

To determine how best to bring diseases under control and stop epidemics, we will support research tackling infectious diseases that are already on the rise and those with the potential to become future epidemics or evade current treatments. We will focus on the most affected communities, recognising that the overall burden of infectious diseases does not pose an equal threat to everyone’s health. 

Wellcome funds discovery research into a broad range of disciplines, including infectious diseases. Insights and tools from this research will contribute to solving this health challenge, as well as increasing broader understanding of life, health and wellbeing. 

To help deliver our vision across three key health challenges, we support research through a combination of open calls and direct funding approaches.  

We work with and fund a diverse group of people who can bring innovative and creative insights to these urgent health challenges. 

This page will be updated regularly with the latest infectious disease funding information and the opportunities we have available for discovery research.

Effective research and coordinated action can stop infectious diseases from spiralling into global health emergencies. Wellcome has led the research response to Covid-19, as we did for Ebola outbreaks in 2014 and 2018, and advocated for policies built on scientific evidence.