Mental Health Award: Accelerating scalable digital mental health interventions
This call will fund research to evaluate and further develop scalable digital interventions to advance early intervention in depression, anxiety and psychosis.
This call will fund research to evaluate and further develop scalable digital interventions to advance early intervention in depression, anxiety and psychosis. Teams must have the research expertise required to drive the proposed research, an organisation which can take the intervention to scale (whether a company or not-for-profit) and lived experience experts. This call is open to interventions designed to lead to reductions in symptom(s) and/or functional impairments related to anxiety, depression or psychosis. We expect teams to already have a minimum viable product and feasibility data for their intervention.
Read more about our research priorities, eligibility, how to apply, what your research proposal must include and the research costs that can be covered.
This is a funding call for team awards. Applications must include a lead applicant and coapplicants.
The award will be held by a lead applicant from an eligible administering organisation, on behalf of a team of coapplicants. Wellcome cannot make awards to teams with co-lead applicants.
The team (lead and coapplicants) must include:
- The research expertise required to drive the proposed research, as lead and/or coapplicants.
- At least one individual from an organisation that can take the intervention to scale (company or not-for-profit) listed as an applicant (lead or coapplicant). The organisation must be able to demonstrate that they have the expertise and ability to take the intervention to scale. Indicators include but are not limited to:
- previous track record of the organisation or of key personnel including successful fundraising appropriate to the aims, stage and size of the organisation (this does not need to be in the field of mental health)
- business plan (should include a sustainability plan for the product)
- demonstrated links to suitable development partners and relevant networks (for example, letters of support or evidence of previous collaborations)
- People with lived experience of mental health problems. This can be as lead applicants, coapplicants and/or team members. The overall team should also include the skills needed to effectively involve and collaborate with lived experience experts.
- Justification for the inclusion of each applicant on the proposal.
- The necessary expertise, technical skills and organisational support to deliver the proposed research. This should be multidisciplinary where appropriate, for example, expertise in mental health, lived experience, data science, implementation science, ethics, social science or clinical trials.
- Coapplicants based in each country where the research will take place. If the proposed research is planned to take place only in a low- or middle-income country, the lead applicant must be affiliated with an eligible organisation based in that country.
- An appropriate number of team members to deliver the proposal within the timeframe. This will depend on the proposed research. Teams must consist of at least two applicants (including the lead applicant) and will typically not exceed eight applicants (excluding collaborators). There is no limit to the size of overall team (for example, including staff, sub-contractors or collaborators).
The team (lead and coapplicants) can include multiple researchers as required for the proposed research. Researchers may be embedded in a company, not-for-profit or a separate entity such as a higher education institution.
We encourage lead applicants to put together diverse teams that include coapplicants at any stage of their career, including those who are new to the field of mental health science.
We do not require applications to include a UK or other high-income country partner and do not prioritise such applications over those that only include low- or middle-income country (LMICs) partners.
The lead applicant must:
- Have experience in people and research management, as appropriate for their career stage.
- Have the experience needed to lead and drive a collaborative, large-scale research proposal and/or the necessary support structures in place to enable this.
- Have experience of, or demonstrate commitment to, effectively leading a team that embeds lived experience expertise, as relevant to the research proposal.
- Have a permanent, open-ended or long-term rolling contract (or the guarantee of one) for the duration of the award. The contract should not be conditional on receiving this award.
- Be able to contribute at least 20% of their research time over the course of the award. If the lead applicant does not have protected research time, they must be able to contribute 20% of their time to the award.
- Be based at an eligible organisation (which can include a sole trader or self-employed person's business). If you are based at a higher education institution, research institute, non-academic healthcare organisation, not-for-profit and non-governmental research organisation, you must be able to sign up to our grant conditions.
The lead applicant’s administering organisation is required under Wellcome's grant conditions to own all the foreground intellectual property arising from the project and to take the lead in any commercialisation activity. For guidance, applicants are advised to read Wellcome's intellectual property policy.
Coapplicants must:
- Be essential for the delivery of the proposal and make a significant contribution, for example, in designing the proposed research and leading a specific component of the proposal. The specific involvement of coapplicants should be justified in the application.
- Demonstrate the team’s commitment to effectively embed lived experience expertise, as relevant to the proposed research.
- Have a guarantee of workspace from their administering organisation for the duration of their commitment to the proposal, but do not need to have a permanent, open-ended or long-term rolling contract.
- Be able to contribute at least 20% of their research time over the course of the award. If the coapplicant does not have protected research time, they must be able to contribute 20% of their time to the award.
- Be based at an eligible organisation such as a higher education institution, not-for-profit organisation or company (which can include a sole trader or self-employed person's business).
Each coapplicant can be:
- based in the same or in different organisations
- at any career stage
- in any discipline
Collaborators are distinct from coapplicants as they will support the delivery of the proposed research but will not lead on a specific component of the research. For example, collaborators could provide technical, clinical or subject-matter expertise. They could also provide access to tools or resources, such as datasets, clinical records, or organisations led by or collaborating with lived experience experts.
Collaborators are not assessed for eligibility, and they are not required to give a minimum time commitment to the award.
Read about the different applicant roles at Wellcome.
If you’ve spent time away from research
Career breaks, parental leave, sick leave
You can apply for this award if you have spent time away from work (for example, for a career break, parental leave or long-term sick leave). We will take this into consideration during the review of your application.
Retirement
If you have retired, you must have a guarantee of workspace from your administering organisation and you must contact us before applying.
Working part-time
Lead and coapplicants can be employed part-time. There is no formal minimum, but part-time applicants should still be able to contribute at least 20% of their time to the proposed research and their part-time work should be compatible with delivering this successfully.
You should not apply for this call if:
- Your team does not include the research expertise required and an individual from a company or not-for-profit in the applicant team (as lead or coapplicants).
- Your team does not include lived experience experts as lead applicant, coapplicants or team members.
- You intend to carry out activities that involve the transfer of funds into mainland China.
- You cannot demonstrate that you can dedicate enough time and resources to the proposed research throughout the award.
- You are already an applicant on two applications to this funding call. You cannot be an applicant on more than two applications.
- You can only be a lead applicant on one application. You could then be a coapplicant on a second application.
- If you are not a lead applicant, you can be a coapplicant on two applications.
- If you are an applicant on two applications, you must demonstrate that you have sufficient capacity for both awards if both are funded.
- You already have applied for, or hold, the maximum number of Wellcome awards for your career stage. Find out how many Wellcome awards you can apply for, or hold, at one time depending on your career stage.
- Your proposed research does not fit the aims of this award. Check what kinds of research aren’t right for this call.
An administering organisation is an eligible organisation that formally submits the application to Wellcome and is responsible for administering funding if the proposal is awarded. This is the organisation where the lead applicant is based.
Where your administering organisation is based
The administering organisation can be based anywhere in the world except mainland China and can be a:
- Higher education institution.
- Research institute.
- Non-academic healthcare organisation.
- Not-for-profit or non-governmental research organisation.
- Company or not-for-profit organisation. Organisations must be legally incorporated.
If your application is successful and your organisation has not previously received funding from Wellcome, a further financial assessment may be required.
Wellcome will not pay for working capital costs of commercial organisations.
When we fund companies, we may fund through a Programme-Related Investment (PRI). Funding may need to occur through a convertible loan or revenue sharing agreement to ensure public benefit. Wellcome will communicate this to successful applicants.
We do not prioritise any type of organisation over another for our funding. We use the assessment criteria on this page to identify the most competitive proposals.
What the administering organisation must do
The administering organisation is required under our grant conditions to own all the foreground intellectual property (IP) arising from the project and to take the lead in any commercialisation activity. Wellcome does not directly own or co-own IP arising from its research funding. For guidance, applicants are advised to read Wellcome's intellectual property policy.
The administering organisation must:
- Give the applicant the workspace and resources they’ll need for the duration of the award.
- If based in the UK, meet the responsibilities required by the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers. If based outside the UK, at a minimum the organisation must follow the principles of the Concordat.
- Give you, and any staff employed on the grant, ten days a year (pro-rata if part-time) to undertake training and continuing professional development (CPD) in line with the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers.
- Provide a system of onboarding, embedding and planning for when the applicant and team member(s) join the organisation and/or start the award.
- Provide you with the status and benefits of other staff of similar seniority.
Collaboration agreements
When entering a collaboration or partnership between multiple organisations, the partners must enter into a suitable collaboration agreement, including provisions that cover:
- confidentiality
- publication rights
- access to background intellectual property
- ownership of outputs arising from the award including foreground intellectual property
- arrangements for protecting, managing and exploiting outputs including foreground intellectual property
Your research environment
What is a research environment?
Wellcome believes that involvement of a diversity of people and expertise leads to richer understanding and more impactful discoveries. Excellent research happens in environments where people from all backgrounds are treated with respect, supported and enabled to thrive.
Our definition of a research environment is not restricted to the quality of the infrastructure, but also considers the culture and behaviours that create excellent research practice. This includes research that is inclusive in design and practice, ethical and engaged with relevant community stakeholders as well as open and transparent.
Applicants should frame their approach to ethical and equitable partnerships as it applies to their research.
Resources on ethical and equitable partnerships:
- Morton B, Vercueil A, Masekela R, Heinz E, Reime, L, Saleh S, et al. (2021). Consensus statement on measures to promote equitable authorship in the publication of research from international partnerships. Anaesthesia, 3(77): 264-276.
Applications must:
- evaluate and further develop new or improved digital mental health interventions which are designed for large-scale implementation for early intervention in anxiety, depression or psychosis and
- create or further develop collaborative partnerships between researchers, lived experience experts and organisations that can take the interventions to scale (whether a company or not-for-profit)
Interventions this funding will support
This funding call will support the evaluation and further development of software and/or artificial intelligence intended to be used for the treatment of symptoms of anxiety, depression or psychosis or for the reduction of functional impairment. This includes but is not limited to web-based programmes, mobile applications, applications of generative AI, chatbots, extended reality, wearable devices or video games.
In scope are interventions which:
- Are designed to lead to reductions in symptom(s) and/or functional impairments.
- Can be new or improved. “Improved” examples include, but are not limited to, an intervention that has been adapted (for example, language or cultural) to improve reach or accessibility; can be better targeted (due to better understanding of mechanism or aetiology); is more sustainable; is more cost-effective; and/or has fewer side effects.
- May range from provider-administered used with intermittent/regular practitioner guidance, self-guided with human support to self-guided and fully automated.
- Are standalone or integrated (blended) with other treatments (such as with psychological or pharmacological therapy).
- Have the individual with mental health problems as the end user.
- Are intended to be implemented in healthcare settings, workplaces, schools, homes or other settings.
- Are designed for large scale delivery.
- May be designed for children, adolescents and/or adults. Interventions may also target at-risk groups including but not limited to clinical-high-risk for psychosis or perinatal populations
- Offer a competitive advantage in relation to existing options or developments in the field.
We define “early intervention” as an intervention designed to be used as early as possible in the treatment of mental health problems, in a way that reflects the priorities and needs of those who experience these problems. We recognise that ‘as early as possible’ will be context specific. It may be at the first presentation of symptoms or, in some contexts, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), people may be at the earliest point of accessing care so there is no age cut-off.
Mental health conditions that proposals can address
This funding call is focused on proposals that target symptoms of anxiety, depression and psychotic disorders. This includes:
- all types of anxiety and depressive disorders (including obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder)
- all forms of psychotic disorders (including schizophrenia, postpartum psychosis and bipolar disorder)
We recognise that the current diagnostic categories are imperfect but removing all categories or creating new ones also presents difficulties. Whilst we do not specify any particular diagnostic or classification system, we expect applicants to use a framework and measurement approach that fits their research aim and to provide a clear rationale for doing so.
What your research proposal must include
Your research proposal must include:
1. Collaboration between researchers and a company or not-for-profit organisation
Proposals must comprise a team with the research expertise required to drive the proposed research, an organisation which can take the intervention to scale (whether a company or not-for-profit) and lived experience experts. This is to accelerate the development of scalable evidence-based digital mental health interventions, including in low-resource settings, with a focus on implementation from the start of the project. A researcher is someone with the expertise to develop and evaluate the intervention.
The collaboration between researchers and the company or not-for-profit may be new or existing.
We are open to different collaboration models but expect:
- Researchers to serve as the analytical leads and have the necessary expertise to design and deliver robust evaluations of the interventions.
- Researchers may be embedded within the company or not-for-profit organisation they are collaborating with, or a separate entity such as a higher education institution, research institute, non-academic healthcare organisation, not-for-profit or non-governmental research organisation.
- Intellectual property ownership and sharing plans to be agreed upon at the outset and be in line with the terms of the grant conditions.
- The company or not-for-profit organisation to serve as the downstream or implementation lead, at least initially. If this is not the case, then clear plans for engaging with downstream or implementation partners should be outlined as part of the proposal.
Teams can propose to evaluate interventions which have been developed in any setting including a higher education institution, research institute, non-academic healthcare organisation, not-for-profit or non-governmental research organisation, or company.
2. Ability to scale and be sustainable
In this call, we refer to scalability as the potential or ability of an intervention, which has been shown to work on a small scale or under controlled conditions, to be expanded to reach a greater proportion of the eligible population while retaining effectiveness. This will be assessed relative to the stage of development the intervention is currently at.
Proposals should demonstrate or plan to advance the potential for the intervention to be delivered at scale by (as appropriate):
- Considering scalability factors and assessing implementation outcomes such as acceptability, adoption, affordability, costs, engagement, integration with existing infrastructure, feasibility and sustainability (even for pilot studies).
- Having evidence of or plans to assess the feasibility of scalability of the intervention based on costs, workforce requirements, time required and infrastructure requirements. Interventions should be tested as close to routine operating conditions and resource constraints to the setting in which the intervention will be scaled up.
- Outlining the regulatory classification, regulatory status and path to approval for the context in which they intend to scale up (at least initially).
- Having already engaged, or a plan to engage, with key stakeholders such as policy makers, technical experts, service providers, national and commercial health providers/systems, school systems, clinicians, community organisations, patient or consumer advocacy groups and faith-based organisations.
- Outlining whether the intervention is consistent with national, state or regional policy directions.
- Outlining whether the intervention has the potential to be applicable and acceptable in settings beyond the context of the research.
- Considering the necessary technical resources or infrastructure (for example, compute power or cloud computing) required during the research, during scale up and during post-market suveillance.
Proposals should demonstrate or plan to advance the potential for the intervention to be delivered sustainably by (as appropriate):
- demonstrating the competitive advantage of the intervention in relation to existing options or developments, particularly in the context in which the intervention is being tested
- outlining the subsequent development steps required before the technology could be submitted to regulatory bodies
- considering any known clinical, manufacturing, technical regulatory or marketing issues that may affect the ability to deliver the product to market
- developing a proposed implementation strategy, including delivery and market penetration, required partners and proposed financial commitment
- considering equitable access plans for the assets developed through this research
3. A minimum viable product and feasibility data
Proposals should propose to progress the development of the intervention to the next translational stage, such as: generating safety, efficacy, effectiveness or real-world evidence data, generating evidence for regulation, or adapting existing interventions (for example, language or cultural adaptation) for new settings or populations.
We expect teams to have both a minimum viable product and feasibility data before applying. The feasibility data should extend beyond data solely focused on how to optimise the digital tool (for example, user experience testing). The feasibility data should be relevant to, and inform, how the proposed research will be undertaken. We expect the feasibility data to be from the intervention you plan to evaluate on the same condition, symptom(s) and population you are proposing as part of your research. For low- and middle-income country (LMIC) based research we will accept feasibility data generated in a different setting (but must be from the same intervention, condition and symptoms).
Research feasibility data includes but is not limited to:
- exploring the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention
- feasibility and acceptability of the recruitment and retention process or randomisation of the intervention
- the suitability of the outcome measures and patients’ experiences
- the calculation of appropriate sample sizes
- testing of the intervention in small sample sizes
If feasibility data are unpublished, they should be briefly outlined in the proposal.
If you are unclear about whether your feasibility data is sufficient or fits this award, please get in touch with us through the scope check.
4. Plans for evaluating the intervention
Proposals must plan rigorous evaluations of the interventions. The potential for the research to have a significant and measurable impact on early intervention for anxiety, depression or psychosis must be made clear.
You may employ a range of designs, including but not limited to:
- clinical trials (for example, randomised controlled trials, pragmatic trials, cluster randomised trials, stepped wedge designs, factorial trials, adaptive or just in time interventions)
- case control studies
- quasi-experimental designs
- real-world evidence generation studies
- hybrid effectiveness-implementation studies
We will fund proposals where the mechanism(s) of action has been identified or a plan to investigate this is proposed. These may be biological, social, psychological or other. The proposal must include the appropriate measures to assess changes in the mechanism(s) of action (for example, pre- and post-intervention).
Proposals must consider appropriate comparators for the translational stage of the intervention and the study design employed. A clear justification for and description of the comparator arm should be provided, including in the cases where no comparator arm or a placebo arm is proposed. The justification should take into consideration the context in which the intervention will be implemented and the treatments available to end users within that context. Your proposed research is encouraged to include diverse and underrepresented populations and to employ a mixed-methods approach.
5. Involvement of people with lived experience
Proposals must involve lived experience expertise. We recognise that there is a range of ways that research teams can involve and collaborate with lived experience experts. This may include, but is not limited to:
- expert advisors
- coapplicants
- collaborators
- advisory group members
We are open to any methods of involvement that teams choose, but we require that lived experience experts are involved in the most appropriate and ethical ways to inform multiple aspects and stages of the proposed research. Lived experience experts should be based out of or be familiar with the local context where the research is taking place.
Lived experience experts are not research participants and their input should not be limited to user testing. Lived experience experts should be engaged as colleagues who use their personal knowledge and expertise to inform the strategic direction, governance, design and delivery of the research.
You should budget for and compensate people who provide lived experience expertise. The budget should reflect the scale and ambition of the proposed research.
6. Inclusive and safe interventions
We want to fund proposals testing user-centred, ethical and safe interventions where the benefits of the intervention outweigh any risks. The intervention and research design should address (as appropriate):
- Data privacy and confidentiality.
- Appropriate safeguards, with clear plans for how safety will be monitored and addressed, including how adverse events such as suicide risk and symptom increases will be identified, managed and reported. This applies to both the proposed research and once the tool is implemented at scale.
- Wherever possible, acknowledging in-built biases with respect to AI and detailing any mitigation strategies, including how they will be communicated to participants.
- Ethical considerations, such as accessibility of the intervention to different groups.
- Possible unintended consequences of the intervention.
- Plans for how engagement with the intervention will be measured and reported (for example, uptake, usage, adherence, completion and satisfaction). Plans for measuring challenges with sustained engagement should also be included, including an assessment of reasons for lack of engagement or dropout.
- How to build trust between the end user and digital tool in a responsible and inclusive manner throughout the development and evaluation of the intervention.
7. One or more of our recommended common measures
Proposals must use, as a minimum, one or more of our recommended common measures in the collection of new data. You may also collect data using any other measure(s). This work must also comply with our policy on research involving human participants.
Kinds of research that are not right for this call
Research that is not right for this call includes proposals that:
- Have a primary focus on symptoms of neurodevelopmental conditions, neurodegenerative diseases, or mental health problems outside of the broad categories of anxiety, depression and/or psychosis (for example, eating disorders or substance abuse).
- Involve participants without mental health problems as the sole focus of the proposal.
- Lack a hypothesised mechanistic understanding/mechanism of action.
- Are not focused on reducing symptom severity and/or functional impairments.
- Involve teletherapy as the sole focus of the intervention.
- The sole focus of the intervention is on diagnosis, prognosis or monitoring of symptoms. These may be an additional focus where the primary focus of the intervention is treatment.
- Consist of one-way information-sharing interventions.
- Do not demonstrate the potential for scalability.
- Are intended for prevention whether universal/primary prevention.
- Are descriptive studies, including epidemiological.
- Involve health systems research around the distribution and uptake of interventions as the sole focus of the proposal.
- Focus on direct service provision or support for access to current services (for instance, the delivery of existing services rather than the generation of evidence).
- Are related to healthcare reorganisation.
- Have implementation science research as the sole focus of the proposal.
- Concentrate on exploratory or curiosity-driven mechanistic research that is not directly relevant to the scope of the call.
- Only include qualitative work.
- Do not comply with Wellcome’s research environment principles of open science and relevant diverse inputs.
- Do not propose inclusive and safe interventions.
Digital interventions offer immense potential for mental health. They can provide scalable and accessible solutions to mental health problems, offering personalised and convenient care while widening access to treatments. However, availability of evidence-based digital mental health interventions at scale are still limited.
In preparation for this funding call, Wellcome commissioned a series of scoping activities to explore the landscape of digital mental health interventions and how we can help to advance progress in this field.
These scoping activities identified several barriers which might contribute to the lack of interventions delivered at scale.
- Limited collaboration: There is a lack of collaboration between researchers and organisations who can take interventions to scale such as companies and not-for-profit organisations. Bringing these stakeholders together is necessary to:
- Deliver evidence-based scalable interventions by bringing together the necessary expertise and skills that each party possesses. This includes robust scientific development and evaluation by researchers and consideration of sustainable uptake and commercialisation by scale-up partners.
- Find a sustainable business model: The pathway to market for a digital mental health intervention is unclear, with few solutions overcoming regulatory hurdles and achieving wide-scale delivery. Market uncertainties including fluctuating investment levels, economic conditions and technological advancements further hinder the development and reach of interventions. These challenges are even greater in low-resource settings, where intermittent access to digital technologies, stigma and affordability lead to an even more fragmented ecosystem for developers. Read our report on how to create better research environments to drive progress in digital mental health.
- Support uptake and implementation within healthcare or other systems: Understanding the needs of the relevant systems and how a solution will meet these needs, navigating procurement processes integrating solutions with existing care and IT systems and ensuring uptake by healthcare professionals and end-users poses significant challenges. Read our report on how to create better research environments to drive progress in digital mental health.
- Insufficient involvement of lived experience: Many interventions lack meaningful engagement with individuals with lived experience, resulting in reduced acceptability and uptake of their interventions. Read our report on involving lived experience in the research and development of digital mental health interventions.
- Limited development of tools in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs): Despite the opportunity that digital technology presents to provide care in low-resource contexts, there is a scarcity of digital tools being developed and implemented in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Most tools in these contexts are still in the early stages of development (for example, pilot or feasibility trials). Read our landscaping report on digital mental health in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
To overcome these barriers and advance progress towards evidence-based, scalable digital interventions, collaboration between stakeholders across the ecosystem is crucial.
With this funding call, Wellcome aims to:
- facilitate long-term collaboration between researchers, organisations (companies and not-for-profits) that can bring these products to scale and lived experience experts
- support more widespread involvement of individuals with lived experience in the evaluation of mental health interventions
- foster the development of scalable interventions, including those suitable for low-resource settings or populations with reduced, shared or intermittent access to digital technologies
- support robust evaluations to build a stronger evidence base of effective interventions
- assist developers and researchers in establishing the necessary relationships for wide-scale implementation, navigating regulatory pathways and creating sustainability plans for their interventions
You can ask Wellcome to pay for:
Lead applicant
If you are based in the UK or Republic of Ireland at a higher education institute (HEI), research institute or non-academic healthcare organisation, you cannot ask for your salary.
If you are based at a charity, non-governmental organisation (NGO), social enterprise, not-for-profit or a company, you can ask for a contribution to your salary, equal to the time you will spend on the award.
If you are based outside of the UK or Republic of Ireland, you can ask for a contribution to your salary if you hold a permanent, open-ended or long-term rolling contract that states that you have to get your salary from external grant funding.
The amount we pay will be proportionate to the time you contribute to the award, for example if you contribute 30% of your time to the award we will fund 30% of your salary.
You will have to contribute at least 20% of your research time to this award.
Your administering organisation must confirm:
- that your employment contract states you must get salary recovery from external grant funding
- that they will underwrite the salary and post for the period of time that you will be working on the grant
Coapplicants
Coapplicants must contribute at least 20% of their research time to this programme.
If any coapplicant employed on your grant holds a permanent, open-ended or long-term rolling contract that states that they have to get their salary from external grant funding, you can ask us for a contribution to their salary in your application.
The amount we pay will be proportionate to the time they contribute to the award, for example if they contribute 30% of their time to the award we will fund 30% of their salary.
Your host organisation must confirm:
- that the coapplicant’s employment contract states they must get salary recovery from external grant funding
- that they will underwrite the post, including any salary costs not covered by Wellcome, for the period of time that the person will be working on the grant
Coapplicants can also ask for salary where they:
- Are employed by a charity, non-governmental organisation (NGO), not-for-profit social enterprise or commercial organisation. The amount they request must be proportionate to the time they will spend on the grant.
- Don’t have a permanent, open ended or long-term rolling contract and they:
- Will spend 80% of their time on this grant. In this case, they can ask for their full salary. Their post does not need to be underwritten and can be contingent on the application being successful.
- Will spend less than 80% of their time on the grant. In this case, they can request salary proportionate to the time they will spend on the grant. The host organisation must guarantee space and salary support if they cannot get it from other sources for the period of time they are working on the grant. Their post cannot be contingent on the application being successful.
- Are employed on the award as post graduate research assistants. If they are to spend 100% of their time on the award, their post does not need to be underwritten by the host organisation and can be contingent on the application being successful.
Alternatively, coapplicants may get their salary through employment on another grant.
Staff working on your programme
We will cover the salary costs of all staff, full or part-time, who will work on your award. This includes support if you or a member of staff employed on your grant is disabled or has a long-term health condition.
Staff members may include:
- research assistants or technicians employed on your grant
- experts with lived experience
- specialist service staff (for example, data analysis, fieldwork and clinical studies)
- project manager, if you have multiple applicants on your programme
Teaching buyout
If you’re a humanities and social science researcher, you can ask for funds for research or teaching replacement to cover the cost of a temporary replacement lecturer. You must retain at least a 10% commitment to teaching.
Costs:
- can cover up to 33% FTE of your contracted time
- are usually for a person at a more junior level than the postholder
- can be spread across the full period of the grant
If you already get buyout costs from another grant (funded by Wellcome or elsewhere), you can ask us for this cost, but only for the period of time on your Mental Health Award when you won't receive buyout costs from another grant.
You must provide a letter from your employing organisation, confirming that your contract includes a teaching commitment. You should include this in your grant application.
PhD/Research Masters fees
We do not provide studentships on this award. But if applicants employ a research assistant or a technician on the grant, they can ask for the costs to cover their PhD/Research Masters fees. Each applicant can ask for fees for up to two research assistants or technicians in total on the grant, to a maximum of eight per team. Early-career applicants (up to and including holders of early-career fellowships) may not supervise a PhD student alone but can be a co-supervisor with a mid-career or established colleague.
Research assistants/technicians should be defined as staff members and incur a lower fee than the student rate. Where organisations do not have a staff rate, they may request fees at the home student rate. If no other rate is available, they may request the international student rate.
Staff salaries should be appropriate to skills, responsibilities and expertise. You should ask your host organisation to use their salary scales to calculate these costs, which should include:
- basic salary
- employer’s contributions, including any statutory obligations (for example, National Insurance contributions if you’re based in the UK) and pension scheme costs
- Apprentice Levy charges for UK-based salaries
- any incremental progression up the salary scale
- locally recognised allowances such as London allowance
You should allow for salary pay awards during Year 1. If the pay award is not yet known, applicants should use the International Monetary Fund inflation rate, selecting the ‘inflation, average consumer price’ option as indicator.
From Year 2 onwards, you should use your organisation’s current pay rates. We’ll provide a separate inflation allowance for salary inflation costs.
If you have named people on your grant whose salaries will be funded by Wellcome, you can ask for visa or work permit costs to help them take up their posts at the host organisation. You can also ask for:
- visa costs for the person's partner and dependent children
- essential associated costs, such as travel to attend appointments at a visa application centre or embassy, and essential English language tests
- Immigration Health Surcharge costs for the person, their partner and dependent children if they will be in the UK for six months or more
If you or a member of staff working on your grant is disabled or has a long-term health condition, you can ask for adjustment support to help you carry out your project.
Costs can include, but are not limited to:
- additional costs for staff to help with day-to-day activities related to your project
- assistive technology to help use computers, research equipment or materials – for example, text to audio software
- care costs for assistance animals if you need to travel
We will not pay for capital or building costs, such as access ramps.
You can ask for these costs if your government and/or employer:
- does not cover any of the costs
- only covers some of the costs (if they do, we will only meet the shortfall)
The costs we provide must not replace the support you may get from the government or your organisation, who are responsible for providing these costs.
If you don't know what these costs are now, you can ask for them after we've awarded your grant.
We will pay for the materials and consumables you need to carry out your project, including:
- laboratory chemicals and materials (for example, reagents, isotopes, peptides, enzymes, antibodies, gases, proteins, cell/tissue/bacterial culture, plasticware and glassware)
- project-specific personal protective equipment (PPE) that is above the standard expected for the setting
- printing associated with fieldwork and empirical research
- associated charges for shipping, delivery and freight
You can ask for the cost of access to shared equipment, facilities or services if they’re essential to your project.
These may include materials and consumables, plus a proportion of:
- maintenance and service contracts
- staff time costs for dedicated technical staff employed to operate the equipment or facility.
We don’t cover the costs of:
- estates and utilities
- depreciation or insurance
- other staff, for example, contributions towards departmental technical, administrative and management staff time.
We do cover these costs if related to animal housing facilities.
If the facilities or equipment were paid for by a Wellcome grant, you can only ask for access charges if:
- the grant has ended
- any support for running costs and maintenance contracts has ended.
Equipment purchase
You can ask for basic items of equipment that are essential to your research project.
Costs may include purchase, delivery, installation, maintenance and training, where necessary.
We will cover VAT and import duties if:
- the usual UK exemptions on equipment used for medical research don’t apply
- you’re applying from a non-UK organisation, and you can show these costs can’t be recovered
You can also ask for specialised equipment if:
- it is essential to the success of the proposed research project
- it is not available at your host organisation or through collaboration and you’ll be the main user and have priority access to the equipment.
If a complete piece of specialised equipment costs £100,000 or more, we expect a contribution of at least 25% of the total costs, including maintenance, from the host organisation or another source. In some cases, we may expect a larger contribution. We’ll discuss this with you after we’ve assessed your application. Contributions can include benefits in kind, such as refurbishment or the underwriting of a key support post.
Multi-component items must not be broken down into component parts to avoid this contribution.
Equipment maintenance
We will cover maintenance costs for equipment if:
- you are requesting it in your application
- it is existing equipment that is:
- funded by us or another source
- essential to the proposed research project
- more than five years old
- cost effective to keep maintaining it
We won’t cover maintenance costs for equipment if there is a mechanism in place to recoup these costs through access charges.
Computer equipment
We will cover the cost of one personal computer or laptop per person up to £1,500.
We won't pay for:
- more expensive items, unless you can justify them
- installation or training costs
You can ask for funds to buy animals if they are essential to your project. We will also fund the charge-out rates for animal house facilities if your organisation uses full economic costing methodology. These costs include:
- running costs (including animal maintenance, any experimental procedures, licences and relevant staff training)
- appropriate estates costs
- cage and equipment depreciation costs, but not building depreciation costs
We may not pay the full charge-out rate for an animal house facility if we've provided significant funding towards the infrastructure and/or core support of the facility.
If your organisation does not use full economic costing methodology to establish charge-out rates for animal house facilities, you can ask for funds to cover:
- the cost of buying animals
- running costs (including animal maintenance, any experimental procedures, licences and relevant staff training)
- staff costs, for example, contributions towards the salaries of animal house technicians.
We will not provide estates or depreciation costs.
We will provide funds if you need to outsource project work to:
- contract research organisations
- other fee-for-service providers
If you need to carry out clinical research using NHS patients or facilities, we will cover some of the research costs.
Annex A of the guidelines for attributing the costs of health and social care research and development (AcoRD) sets out the costs we cover, and which costs should be funded through the Department of Health and Social Care in England, or its equivalent in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. If you're based in the Republic of Ireland, we would expect you to adhere to the spirit of these principles.
If your proposal involves clinical research using NHS resources, check if you need to upload a SoECAT form with your full application.
We cover fieldwork costs if they’re essential and you can justify them. Costs can include:
- survey and data collection, including communication and data collection services and any associated costs such as essential field materials, travel costs and language translation services
- the purchase, hire and running costs of vehicles dedicated to your project
- expenses for subjects and volunteers, including the recruitment of participants, their participatory fees and travel costs
- statistical analysis
You can ask for other fieldwork costs that aren’t listed here, but you’ll need to justify them.
You can ask for these costs if you are applying from a higher education institution, a research institute, a non-academic healthcare organisation, a not-for-profit or non-governmental research organisation or a small company.
Travel costs
Conference attendance
You can ask for a contribution towards the costs of attending scientific and academic meetings and conferences, including registration fees and the costs to offset the carbon emissions of your travel. The limits are:
- lead applicant – £2,000 a year
- coapplicants – £2,000 each a year
- staff employed on the grant – £1,000 each a year
We provide costs to cover caring responsibilities for any staff employed on your grant to attend a conference. This includes childcare and any other caring responsibility they have. We will pay these if:
- Wellcome is providing the salary
- the conference is directly related to the research
- the caring costs are over and above what they would normally pay for care
- the conference organiser and their employing organisation are unable to cover the costs
You can ask for up to £1,000 per person for each conference.
Collaborative travel
You can ask for travel and subsistence costs for collaborative visits for you and any staff employed on your grant. You’ll need to justify each visit and its duration.
Other travel
We will pay for other essential visits, for example to facilities, libraries, archives, sample collection and for fieldwork. You can include subsistence costs.
Carbon offset costs
This applies to all types of travel costs Wellcome provides.
You can ask for:
- the cost of low carbon travel where practical, even if it's more expensive (for example, travelling by train instead of flying)
- project-related resources or activities that provide an alternative to travel, such as video conferencing, communication and file-sharing software
- costs to offset the carbon emissions of the journeys you make
We won't pay for the core infrastructure that your host organisation should provide, unless you're eligible to ask for these costs under our overheads policy. Examples of these costs include:
- organisation-wide video conferencing packages
- high-speed broadband
- HD screens
See our carbon offset policy for travel for information on what you and your organisation need to do.
Subsistence costs
If you’re away for up to one month you can ask for subsistence costs. These include accommodation, meals and incidentals (for example, refreshments or newspapers).
If your administering organisation has a subsistence policy, use their rates.
If your administering organisation doesn’t have a subsistence policy, please use the HMRC rates.
If you’re away for more than one month and up to 12 months, we will pay reasonable rental costs only, including aparthotels. You should discuss appropriate rates with your administering and host organisations, or Wellcome, as appropriate. We expect you to choose the most economical options, booked in advance where possible.
If you’re from a low- or middle- income country and will be working in a high-income country for more than one month and up to 12 months, you can also ask for up to £10 a day to cover extra costs, such as transport and incidentals.
If you’re away for more than 12 months, we will pay the costs of your housing. You should discuss your needs with your administering and host organisations.
The allowance we provide will be based on family and business need. We will set the maximum allowance we pay for each location. This will be based on current market data or, where data is unavailable, in consultation with your administering organisation, using equivalent market rates. Please contact us if you need help calculating the costs.
We will cover the direct expenses you have to pay to find and rent a home. We will not cover the cost of utilities or any refurbishment.
Overseas research
If you or any research staff employed on your grant will be doing research away from your home laboratory, we'll help with the additional costs of working on the project overseas. Please see the 'Overseas allowances' section for details.
You can ask for these costs if you are applying from a higher education institution, a research institute, a non-academic healthcare organisation, a not-for-profit or non-governmental research organisation or a small company.
If you or any staff employed on your grant will be spending time in another country, we’ll help you with the additional costs of working on the project overseas.
Our overseas allowances are:
- a contribution towards the personal cost of carrying out research overseas, to ensure that you are not disadvantaged
- provided on the assumption that you’ll be paying income tax, either in your home country, or the country you will be working in (your personal tax is your responsibility)
- provided on the understanding that you or your partner will not receive equivalent allowances from elsewhere
- determined by the amount of time you will spend away from your home country
Carbon offset costs
We expect the people we fund to choose travel that has a lower carbon impact, even if it’s more expensive (for example travelling by train instead of flying). We will not pay for business class flights.
You can ask for costs to offset the carbon generated by the travel as part of your overseas allowances. If carbon offsetting for travel is not part of your organisational sustainability strategy, you can ask us for a similar level of support for other sustainability initiatives. Your organisation must get our approval for other sustainability initiatives to be included in applications.
See our environmental sustainability policy for information on what you and your organisation need to do.
If you will be away more than 12 months, we will provide overseas allowances for your partner and any dependants if they are travelling with you.
If you will be away for 12 months or less and can justify why your partner and dependants must travel with you, we may provide overseas allowances for them.
We define your partner as the person:
- you’re married to
- you’re not married to but with whom you’ve been in a relationship for at least a year
and
- you live with at the same permanent address and share some form of joint financial commitment with, such as a mortgage.
See a list of low- and middle-income countries, as defined by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
You can ask for the following allowances. You need to provide estimated costs as accurately as possible.
We will pay your travel costs at the beginning and end of your overseas work. Costs can be for air, ferry, train or coach fares.
All fares should be:
- in line with our environmental sustainability policy.
- booked in advance where possible.
If you are away for up to 12 months, you can ask for up to 80kg of additional baggage or unaccompanied airline freight for your outward and return journeys.
If you are away for more than 12 months, you can ask for the costs of shipping your personal items at the beginning and end of your overseas work.
We will pay the full cost of transporting:
- half a standard shipping container if you’re travelling alone
- a whole standard shipping container (20ft) if you’re travelling with a partner and/or dependants.
We will pay the cost of your medical insurance and travel insurance.
If you will be working in a low- or middle-income country we will also cover the cost of emergency evacuation cover.
We won’t pay for medical insurance if you will be based in the UK or Republic of Ireland.
We will pay the costs of visas, vaccinations and anti-malaria treatment.
You can ask for this if you’ll be based in a low- or middle-income country and it is necessary.
Costs can include guards, panic buttons and alarms. You should ask your employing organisation for advice on the level of security you need.
If you’re away for up to one month you can ask for subsistence costs. These include accommodation, meals and incidentals (for example, refreshments or newspapers).
If your administering organisation has a subsistence policy, use their rates.
If your administering organisation doesn’t have a subsistence policy, please use the HMRC rates.
If you’re away for more than one month and up to 12 months, we will pay reasonable rental costs only, including aparthotels. You should discuss appropriate rates with your administering and host organisations, or Wellcome, as appropriate. We expect you to choose the most economical options, booked in advance where possible.
If you’re from a low- or middle- income country and will be working in a high-income country for more than one month and up to 12 months, you can also ask for up to £10 a day to cover extra costs, such as transport and incidentals.
If you’re away for more than 12 months, we will pay the costs of your housing. You should discuss your needs with your administering and host organisations.
The allowance we provide will be based on family and business need. We will set the maximum allowance we pay for each location. This will be based on current market data or, where data is unavailable, in consultation with your administering organisation, using equivalent market rates. If you need help calculating the costs please contact us.
We will cover the direct expenses you have to pay to find and rent a home. We will not cover the cost of utilities or any refurbishment.
If you’re away for more than 12 months we will pay:
Local nursery or school fees
You can ask for these costs if you are in a location where there isn’t free local education of the same standard as in your home country.
Costs include:
- local nursery school fees up to a maximum of 570 hours a year for 3 to 4 year olds
- local junior or secondary school fees, up to the end of secondary school education.
Local international school fees
You can ask for these costs if local schools do not provide the same standard of education as in your home country. We will only pay the published termly school fees.
We will not cover the costs of:
- extracurricular activities, including field trips
- other extras including, but not limited to, uniforms, sports kit and equipment, transport, meals, books and electronic equipment.
Boarding school fees
We will consider paying the cost of boarding school fees in your home country if:
- a local international school is not available
- both parents, guardians or the sole care giver live outside the home country.
The allowance covers:
- up to a maximum of £30,000 a year for each child for the published termly fees only
- the cost of return airfares at the start and end of each school term, in line with our carbon offset policy for travel.
We will not cover the costs of:
- additional annual leave airfares
- extracurricular activities, including field trips
- other extras including, but not limited to, uniforms, sports kit and equipment, transport, meals, books and electronic equipment.
We will cover the cost of providing special needs education as far as possible. Please contact us to discuss your needs.
We would not usually expect to provide an education allowance if you will be working in a high-income country.
If you will be away for more than 12 months, we’ll pay for you to travel back to your home country for annual leave. This is in addition to your outward and return travel costs and depends on how long you will be away:
- 12-24 months – 1 annual leave trip
- 25-36 months – 2 annual leave trips
- 37-48 months – 3 annual leave trips
- 49-60 months – 4 annual leave trips
- 61-72 months – 5 annual leave trips
- 73-84 months – 6 annual leave trips
- 85-96 months – 7 annual leave trips.
All fares should be:
- in line with our environmental sustainability policy
- booked in advance where possible.
If you will be away for more than 12 months, you can ask for up to 100 hours of lessons in the local language for you and/or your partner during the first 12 months of your visit.
We will cover 100% of the costs for local language school classes or up to 50% of the costs of individual tuition.
We will not cover the cost of examinations or personal learning materials such as DVDs and books.
You can ask for costs that are essential to the project. These can include:
- materials, including printing and publishing
- other costs relating to engagement activities that are essential to carry out your research, such as collaborating with people with lived experience, patient involvement (including under-served groups) and community engagement
- dissemination of research results and findings arising from Wellcome-funded research and workshops
If you are involving people with lived experience at the application design stage, you cannot include a consultation charge for this work. Wellcome will not be held responsible for any costs associated with the production of a response to this funding call.
We expect people with lived experience involved in approved applications to be appropriately compensated or paid for their time. The budget that must be requested during the application process should include appropriate remuneration for lived experience experts and costs for involvement.
We cannot advise on ways to appropriately compensate or pay people with lived experience, as approaches differ between organisations and contexts. However, when thinking about appropriate compensation or payment, we would encourage you to think about the experience, knowledge, and skills that someone will be bringing to the project, as well as their responsibility within the process. Make sure that you have appropriately budgeted for the costs needed to support meaningful involvement, as set out in your proposal. For example, this could include (but not be limited to):
- consultant fees for lived experience experts on the project
- travel costs
- salary costs for lived experience researchers embedded in a team
- expenses to support meetings or workshops
It is not possible for us to advise on social security, in terms of people with lived experience being paid for their involvement, as the arrangements will be different in different countries. It is the responsibility of the research team to ensure that they are abiding by any relevant regulations in their context, and we would encourage you to seek advice from relevant local organisations if needed.
You can ask for 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 ask for overheads on any part of your grant that is sub-contracted to any of the organisations listed above.
If you’re based at a UK university you can’t ask for overheads for sub-contracted activity if your university will include the sub-contracted funding in its annual report to the UK Charity Research Support Fund.
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:
- 20% of the direct research costs if you’re based in a low- or middle-income country
- 15% of the direct research costs if you’re based anywhere else
These costs must directly support the activity funded by the grant.
How to apply for these costs
In your grant application you must:
- give a full breakdown of costs (you can't ask for a percentage of the research costs)
- explain why these costs are necessary for your research
- include a letter from the finance director of your host organisation, or the sub-contracted organisation, confirming that the breakdown is a true representation of the costs incurred
You can ask for these costs if you are applying from a higher education institution, a research institute, a non-academic healthcare organisation, a not-for-profit or non-governmental research organisation or a small company.
Continuing professional development and professional skills training
You can ask for a contribution towards these costs.
Types of training can include:
- research leadership, professional and people management skills
- career development support
- responsible conduct of research
- diversity and inclusion
- promotion of a healthy research culture
We expect your host organisation to provide and fund this training. However, if these types of training are not available, or the quality is inadequate, you can ask for up to £500 a year for you and each member of staff employed on your grant who will be:
- in a post of 12 months duration or more only and
- working on Wellcome funded awards for at least 50% full time equivalent
You will need to justify these costs in your application.
Research skills training
You can ask for costs to cover training for the technical and research skills you need to deliver your proposed research.
You can ask for whatever research skills training you need for you, and each member of staff employed on your grant, who will be:
- in a post of 12 months duration or more only and
- working on Wellcome funded awards for at least 50% full time equivalent
You will need to justify these costs in your application.
If your organisation receives open access block grant funding, you can ask them to cover your open access article processing charges.
If you're at an organisation that does not receive block grant funding, we’ll supplement your grant when your paper has been accepted for publication.
You cannot ask for these charges in your grant application.
We will add an inflation allowance to your award. Your inflation allowance is based on your total eligible costs and the duration of the award.
You'll receive the following allowance if the costs in your application are in pounds sterling.
| Award duration (in months) | Inflation allowance |
|---|---|
| 0-12 | 0.0% |
| 13-24 | 1.2% |
| 25-36 | 2.4% |
| 37-48 | 3.6% |
| 49-60 | 4.9% |
| 61-72 | 6.2% |
| 73-84 | 7.5% |
| 85-96 | 8.8% |
The costs in your application must be based on current known costs, excluding inflation.
You should allow for salary pay awards during Year 1. These should be based on pay awards already agreed; if you don’t know what the pay award is yet then use the IMF rate for the currency your award will be made in.
Allowed costs
You may ask for the following costs (you will have to justify them in your application):
- specialist publications that are relevant to the research and not available in institutional libraries
- consultancy fees, including for lived experience experts
- expenses for subjects and volunteers – includes recruitment of participants, their participatory fees and travel, as well as interviewee expenses
- reasonable research-associated costs related to the feedback of health-related findings but not any healthcare-associated costs
- costs associated with developing an outputs management plan including protecting Intellectual Property arising from your award
- costs associated with obtaining regulatory approval for your innovation
- questionnaires, recruitment material, newsletters etc for clinical, epidemiological and qualitative research studies
- public engagement materials where dissemination (including printing and publishing) is a key activity of the project
- recruitment, advertising and interviewee travel costs for staff to be employed on the grant
- purchase, hire and running costs of project-dedicated vehicles
- project-specific personal protective equipment (PPE) that is above the standard expected for the setting
- costs to host/a contribution towards hosting:
- a conference
- a session within a conference
- a symposium
- a seminar series
- advisory board meetings, if appropriate
- the meeting should either be:
- for research purposes, for example data gathering
- to disseminate your research findings, for example to policy makers
- costs can include:
- travel and accommodation for keynote speakers
- external room hire and catering
- event publicity and conference materials
- childcare and other caring responsibility costs for delegates
- any costs related to accessibility and inclusion
Disallowed costs
We will not pay for:
- estates costs – such as building and premises costs, basic services and utilities*
- phone, postage, photocopying and stationery, unless you can justify these within a clinical or epidemiological study
- page charges and the cost of colour prints
- research, technical and administrative staff whose time is shared across several projects and isn’t supported by an audit record*
- PhD stipends
- cleaning, waste and other disposal costs*
- indirect costs – this includes general administration costs such as personnel, finance, library, room hire and some departmental services
- office furniture, such as chairs, desks and filing cabinets
- clothing such as lab coats and shoes
- non-research related activities such as catering, room and venue hire for staff parties, team-building events and social activities
- indemnity insurance (insurance cover against claims made by subjects or patients associated with a research programme)
- ethics reviews, unless you are in a low- or middle-income country
- radiation protection costs
- contingency funds
- organisation insurance
- clinical examination or course fees
- working capital costs of commercial organisations
*We will fund these costs in the case of animal-related research
1. Before you apply
- Make sure you read everything on this page, our guidance on involving lived experience experts and attend or watch our funding webinar on 10 September 2024. Register here for our funding webinar. Ask questions for our team and upvote other questions ahead of the webinar on Slido using the code #DigitalMentalHealth. We will add the recording of the webinar to this page.
- You can contact us if you are unsure if your proposal is within the scope of this call through our scope check.
- You do not need to contact us before you write and submit your application.
- If this is the first time your organisation is applying for Wellcome funding, please contact us at least three days before the deadline to add your organisation to the system.
2. Submit your application to your administering organisation for approval
- Complete your application form on Wellcome Funding.
- Submit the application to your administering organisation for approval.
- Make sure you leave enough time for the approver to review and submit your application before the deadline. The approver may ask you to make changes to your application before submitting.
If this is your organisation’s first time applying for Wellcome funding
- If this is your organisation’s first time applying for Wellcome funding, they will need to contact us to request an organisation account. Email fundingsupport@wellcome.org with your organisation’s:
- name
- address
- country
- team email address for the people who will approve and submit your application (this is usually a research management team)
- We will create the organisation account and provide access to the approvers. Review our guidance for research offices.
3. Administering organisation approves and submits it to Wellcome
- Your application must be submitted by 17:00 (GMT) on the deadline day (5 December 2024).
4. Shortlisting
- We will check your eligibility for the call and that your application fits the call scope. If your application is not eligible or is not within the funding call scope, we will withdraw your application and contact you to explain why.
- A committee will assess eligible and in remit applications against the assessment criteria outlined below, to make shortlisting recommendations to Wellcome.
- Committee membership will be comprised of a diverse range of international experts in digital mental health and will take into account Wellcome’s diversity and inclusion priorities.
- If your application is shortlisted, we will invite the lead applicant accompanied by up to three coapplicants for a virtual interview.
5. Interview
- The committee will interview shortlisted applicants online and make funding recommendations to Wellcome.
- Accessibility requirements will be accommodated.
- You will be asked to give a presentation at the start of your interview. Details of the requirements for this presentation, and the date when slides need to be submitted to Wellcome, will be shared in advance.
- We will provide further information on the structure of the interview, room layout and committee membership before the interview.
- The focus of the interview will be on questions and answers. The committee will assess the application against the full set of assessment criteria, rather than one specific aspect of the proposal.
- The committee will consider your application and interview responses when making funding recommendations to Wellcome.
6. Funding decision
- Final funding decisions will be made by Wellcome’s Mental Health team.
- You will receive an email notification of the funding decision soon after the decision has been made in April 2025.
- The reasons for a decision will be provided to unsuccessful interview applicants in writing.
How long it takes to apply
You must leave enough time to make sure:
- you read everything on this page before applying
- you and your coapplicants have time to complete the application
- your administering organisation has time to review, offer feedback and for you to apply any amendments suggested
- your administering organisation has time to approve and submit your application to Wellcome by 17:00 GMT on 5 December 2024.
Getting support with your application
We offer disability-related support for applicants. Read the disability-related support guidance if you:
- are disabled or have a long-term health condition and you need help applying for funding
- need help completing your proposal, for example costs for assistive technology.
If you need help with anything else, contact our Funding Information Advisors.
We will evaluate all applications using the same weighted assessment criteria.
Essential criteria and weightings
There are four weighted assessment criteria for applications:
- the proposed methodology, the potential for scalability and sustainable impact (40%)
- suitability and expertise of the team (20%)
- lived experience involvement (20%)
- suitability of research location, research environment and research culture (20%)
In making the final selection of awards we will consider diversity of projects to try and achieve a breadth of digital interventions and a range of interventions in high- and in low-resource settings.
Wellcome seeks to fund impactful projects that will move the field forward and drive a step change in early intervention for anxiety, depression and psychosis. We are prepared to take risks with the research we fund. We fully anticipate some of the projects we fund will fail. If none do, we are not taking enough risks. We encourage applicants to be brave and be willing to take risks if they feel their research has the potential to be transformative.
You may provide up to three A4 pages of additional information to accompany your proposal. This must be uploaded under the ‘Additional Information’ question within the application form. Additional information can include Gantt charts, figures graphs or unpublished data. If the additional information exceeds the three A4 pages, we will return your application to you and ask that you reduce the amount of information.
The proposed methodology, the potential for scalability and sustainable impact (40%)
The potential for sustainable impact
The proposal must demonstrate the potential for the intervention to be delivered sustainably. To ensure projects have impact we will consider:
- the competitive advantage of the intervention in relation to existing options or developments, particularly in the context the intervention is being tested in
- the potential for the research to have a significant and measurable impact on early intervention for anxiety, depression or psychosis
- the subsequent development steps that would need to take place before the technology could be submitted to regulatory bodies and plans to follow the appropriate regulatory pathways (where relevant)
- any clinical, manufacturing, technical, regulatory or marketing issues known that may affect the ability to deliver the product to market
- the proposed implementation strategy, including delivery and market penetration, required partners and proposed financial commitment
- plans to ensure equitable access to the assets developed through this research
- an access plan to ensure that those participating in the research project can access the intervention post-research if found to be effective
The potential for scalability
The proposal demonstrates the potential for the intervention to be delivered at scale. This is proven through:
- Evidence of (or plans to assess):
- The potential for uptake and scalability of the intervention by assessing implementation outcomes.
- The potential scalability of the intervention based on costs, workforce, time and infrastructure requirements. Where appropriate the intervention is being tested as close as possible to routine operating and resource constraints as in the setting in which it will be scaled up.
- Engagement in participatory processes involving key stakeholders as appropriate.
- The research has the potential to be applicable and acceptable in settings beyond the specific context of the research, including in low resource settings.
- The intervention is consistent with national, state or regional policy directions.
- The proposal includes feedback mechanisms within the intervention to monitor the effects and safety of its implementation, both during the research phase and when used in real-world settings.
Strength of the methodology
The proposed methodological approach is appropriate, well-designed, feasible, and supported by relevant evidence or expertise. The proposal includes:
- A clear articulation of the need for the research, sample justification and location rationale.
- Evidence demonstrating mechanistic understanding of the intervention or, where that is lacking, plans to investigate the proposed mechanism(s) of action.
- Justification of the proposed research and detailed methodology plans, including:
- details on the intervention, research design (including trial design), target population and sample size
- measures of the symptom(s)/functional impairment being targeted as the primary outcome, using tools with demonstrated validity and reliability in the target sample and setting, or plans to establish these
- a clear description of and sound justification for the selected comparator and/or control arms or lack thereof
- plans for how engagement with the intervention will be measured and reported (for example uptake, usage, adherence, completion and satisfaction)
- plans for how side effects or harms (for example, adverse events, worsening of symptoms) of participating in the study or of using the intervention will be measured
- a clear timeline
- The key risks to delivering the proposal and risk-reducing steps to overcome these.
- Evidence of the feasibility or acceptability of the intervention and proposed research. If further feasibility work is planned as part of the proposal, the sample size estimates are calculated from effect sizes of comparable, appropriate, and relevant interventions and comparators tested in similar samples, where possible.
- If the proposal includes work on diverse or underrepresented populations, the study design includes a plan to mitigate biases that might disproportionately impact these populations (for example, through sampling approaches, study site selection, inclusion/exclusion criteria or sub-group analyses).
Suitability and expertise of the team (20%)
The proposal features an integrated, collaborative plan of work that includes an organisation that can take the intervention to scale (whether a company or not-for-profit), researchers, and individuals with lived experience.
The lead applicant has (appropriate to their career stage):
- research experience relevant to the proposal, as shown through research outputs and/or preliminary data
- the experience needed to lead and drive a collaborative, large-scale research proposal and/or the necessary support structures in place to enable this
- experience in people and research management
Coapplicant(s) have:
- the expertise needed to deliver the proposal, with their contribution to the proposal being significant and justified
- the appropriate time and necessary resources available to deliver the proposal
The team:
- Is composed of an appropriate combination of individuals and organisations with the capacity, expertise and technical skills to deliver the proposal and its intended outcomes.
- Demonstrates that their company/not-for-profit partners have the expertise and ability to develop and/or take interventions to scale. Indicators include but are not limited to:
- previous track record of the company/not-for-profit, or of key personnel (this does not need to be in the field of mental health)
- successful fundraising (appropriate to the aims, stage and size of company/not-for-profit)
- business plan of the company/not-for-profit (including a sustainability plan for the product) with links to suitable development partners and relevant networks
- Includes lived experience experts and the team have the necessary skills to effectively involve and collaborate with people with lived experience of mental health problems in the proposed research.
- Consists of members who are all necessary to deliver the proposed research.
- Has a plan to manage the collaboration between researchers and the company/not-for-profit, and management plans that describe how the collaboration will be equitably organised and managed day-to-day.
- Has contributed towards and is committed to fostering a positive and inclusive research environment, which demonstrates a commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion.
Lived experience involvement (20%)
- People with lived experience are meaningfully involved at multiple stages, including the conception, planning, design, delivery and dissemination of the proposal. There is a clear rationale for their inclusion (or exclusion) at each stage.
- Lived experience perspectives are represented across the proposal, including in the team’s leadership and governance roles.
- Lived experience experts have relevant experience and expertise applicable to the research, including being representative of the research location.
- People with lived experience are compensated appropriately for their time and labour.
Access our guidance on embedding lived experience expertise in your research.
Suitability of research location, research environment and research culture (20%)
Research location:
- The administering organisation is supportive of the proposal. For example, it aligns with the organisation’s strategy, and it provides in-kind or financial support including but not limited to administrative or technical support and training opportunities.
- The team have access to the necessary research infrastructure.
Research environment:
The proposal includes a detailed description of how the team will foster a positive and inclusive research culture. This could include, but is not limited to, information about:
- career development
- research practices
- leadership
- team composition and partnership
- appropriate safeguarding measures for team members and collaborators, including people with lived experience
- evidence of a commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion (for example, the team’s approach to recruiting a diverse team and how they will promote) inclusion of members in the research and outputs produced
Ethical, open, equitable and engaged research conduct:
The team:
- demonstrates commitment to developing inclusive and safe interventions by outlining appropriate plans to generate the relevant evidence and/or putting measures in place to mitigate identified risks, both in the conduct and oversight of the study and in the communication of its findings
- demonstrates how they will ensure ethical and equitable partnerships between companies/not-for-profits and researchers, as well as between low- or middle-income country (LMICs) partners and high-income country partners
- includes a plan with details about appropriate oversight, governance, monitoring, standard operating procedures and methods for course correction (as needed)
- provides details about the relevant ethical, social and cultural implications of the proposed work and how the study team plans to manage these issues, both in the conduct and oversight of the study and in the communication of its findings
Output management plans:
The proposal:
- includes a detailed description of a suitable outputs management plan (for example, depositing, sharing and storing data and open access publishing)
- provides information about how the research outputs will be made available to those who need them (for example, policymakers, communities and industry) and in which formats
- details how applicants will manage their research outputs in a way that will achieve the greatest health benefit
- outlines a data management plan to protect data integrity and reduce data loss
- provides details about the relevant ethical, social and cultural implications of the proposed work and how the study team plans to manage these issues, both in the conduct and oversight of the study and in the communication of its findings
We plan to convene successful award holders ahead of the award start date in order to explore potential opportunities for collaboration and harmonisation across awards.
We plan to work with award holders to explore whether they can embed small methodological sub-studies in their awards to test strategies to improve recruitment and retention of participants in their evaluations to grow the evidence base (called Studies Within a Trial or SWaTs).
Discussion and networking events on digital mental health (July to October 2024)
We are hosting a series of thought-provoking events and discussions on digital mental health in partnership with Zinc. Attendees will gain insights from industry and research leaders and connect with fellow researchers, companies and not-for-profits working in this dynamic field. These will be hybrid events. Attendees will have the option of joining in-person at Wellcome’s offices or joining online through a live-stream. We will make the recordings available on this page after each event.
- Partnering for Progress: Building Industry-Academic Partnerships in Digital Mental Health on Thursday 18 July 2024, 17:00 - 19:30 BST. Watch the recording.
- Spinning Out: Overcoming Challenges at the Intersection of Industry and Academia on Monday 16 September, 12:00 - 14:30 BST. Watch the recording.
- Success in Scaling: Lessons from Leaders in Digital Mental Health on Wednesday 2 October, 17:00 - 19:30 BST. Register for this event.
- Different Avenues for Funding Digital Mental Health Innovation on Tuesday 29 October, 09:00 - 11:00 GMT. Register for this event.
Matchmaking events for companies and researchers (September 2024)
To discover potential collaborators for this funding call, you can take part in free matchmaking sessions hosted by Neuromatch. These sessions will connect researchers and organisations (companies and not-for-profits). You will have the opportunity to engage in conversations with your matches one-on-one. Learn more about Neuromatch.
Registration for matchmaking closes 12 September 2024.
Funding webinar (10 September, 15:30 - 16:30 BST 2024)
Wellcome’s Mental Health team will explain the rationale, objectives and eligibility for this funding call. Attendees will also have the opportunity to ask questions about the award and applying.
You must submit your application by 17:00 GMT on the deadline day. We don’t accept late applications.
Partnering for Progress: Building Industry-Academic Partnerships in Digital Mental Health
Spinning Out: Overcoming Challenges at the Intersection of Industry and Academia
Success in Scaling: Lessons from Leaders in Digital Mental Health
Different Avenues for Funding Digital Mental Health Innovation
Report
Report
Report
If you are unclear about whether your proposal would be in scope for this call, you can send a very brief summary (no more than 200 words) by Friday 15 November 2024. Based on the information provided, we will aim to reply to your email within one week, with an 'in scope' or 'out of scope' response.
Email Wellcome’s Mental Health team including the title of the call in the subject line (Mental Health Award: Accelerating scalable digital mental health interventions).
Please note that completing a scope check is not a requirement and will not impact your likelihood of being funded. Any confirmation that a proposed idea is in scope does not constitute an active invitation to apply for the call.
We do not answer questions on the competitiveness of proposals.
If you have a question about eligibility, what we offer or about completing the application form using Wellcome Funding, send our funding information advisers a message.
£3 to 7 million per project
up to 5 years