Discovery research
Discovery research leads to new insights into our life, health and wellbeing. Researchers from any background have the freedom and flexibility to ask bold and creative questions that will improve our health.
Our vision is a world in which people gain health benefits that were made possible by new discoveries in research.
The greatest advances in health science come from unexpected places, discovered by researchers who have the time and support they need to pursue new lines of investigation.
But 75% of researchers believe their creativity is being stifled, preventing them from making new breakthroughs.
We want to change this.
By funding ambitious, curiosity-driven research across a range of academic disciplines, we can give researchers from different backgrounds the resources they need to take on big questions and overcome barriers to progress.
Discovery research is our term for studies that aim to answer the big questions surrounding life on Earth, with a view to furthering our understanding of human health.
We support researchers from different fields of interest, including the humanities and arts, and at different stages in their career.
We fund a broad range of projects, from exploring the fundamental processes that underpin biology, to the development of new methodologies, clinical research, and the social, political, and cultural contexts of disease.
For example, we funded the discovery of single cell sequencing, which led to the creation of the Human Cell Atlas (HCA) - an international consortium that charts the cell types in a healthy body from development, through adulthood, to old age. During the Covid-19 pandemic, HCA researchers used it to identify which cells were susceptible to infection, understand how the virus attacks cells, and distinguish immune responses in people of different ages.
We also funded a study by the Centre of Family Research in Cambridge that found that the quality of relationships mattered most to the wellbeing of the family unit regardless of the gender, sexual orientation, and genetic relatedness of the parents. The research was used to successfully campaign for same-sex marriage in the United States.
Supporting researchers from diverse places – and in different fields of interest – to explore less the links between life on Earth and human health is one of the best ways to make progress.
We want to help create optimal research environments for teams to make discoveries, as well as working to remove barriers to progress. This could include support for scaling up projects and providing much-needed resources.
To do this, we’ll work with key actors, such as governments and funders, and lead calls for sector wide reform.
"By focusing on discovery research, we want to enable researchers to be ambitious, take on difficult problems, and adopt creative and innovative approaches to push the boundaries of our understanding of life, health and wellbeing."
We prioritise research that has the potential to build and shape fields of enquiry, or open new ones, whether through a significant shift in understanding, or through the development of accessible new research tools, technologies, methodologies, and enabling platforms.
Pioneering discoveries are more likely to occur in creative environments between a diverse range of people, so we are working with partners and those we fund to support a thriving, inclusive research culture.
We encourage researchers to apply for our Discovery Research funding awards, which include dedicated schemes for early-career and mid-career researchers.
We also offer directed funding to tackle 'big questions' that require sizeable focus and make field-building investments in areas where open response activities are not sufficient to make progress.
Discovery Research funding is available across three awards for researchers at various stages of their careers:
This award supports researchers to establish their independence and trajectory in discovery research.
Wellcome Career Development Awards
For mid-career researchers who are ready to lead a substantial, innovative research programme and achieve international standing.
This award supports established researchers and teams.
For a more detailed description of what projects we will and won’t provide funding for, visit our remit page for Discovery Research.
How is Wellcome funded?
The Wellcome Trust is an independent charity. To find out where we get our grant funding from, visit our investments page.