MEDICAL HUMANITIES AT THE
WELLCOME TRUST:
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
Liz Shaw
Emma Young
Nils Fietje
“Our mission is to
support the brightest
minds in biomedical
research and the medical
humanities.”
Direct Medical Humanities Activities at the
Trust
Wellcome Library
http://library.wellcome.ac.uk
Wellcome Collection
http://www.wellcomecollection.org
Wellcome Trust Book Prize
http://www.wellcomebookprize.org
Medical Humanities
Funding at the
Wellcome Trust
• 2007: Call for proposals for a
one-off Strategic Award
competition.
• 2008: Two Strategic Awards
funded:
Brian Hurwitz, King’s College
London
Martyn Evans, Durham
University
History of Medicine
Review
• Summer 2008, quinqennial
review led by Joanna Bourke
• Recommended broadening
the remit to include Medical
Humanities
• Encourage bolder, more
expansive research
• Open the scheme up to
international applicants
Change
• Remit: Medical History and
Humanities
• Eligibility: UK/ROI and
International Applicants if
deemed of strategic
importance
• Changes to Grants Scheme:
S&E Award, Project Grants,
and CRIGs have been
discontinued
Change
• Programme Grants are
emphasized
• Interdisciplinarity is
encouraged (but NOT
required!)
• We are interested in the
history of science (as it
relates to medicine)
• Ongoing changes to the
Funding Committee to reflect
the new remit
Change
• Encourage outputs that are
more accessible to the
general public
• Introduce closer monitoring
of ongoing research
• Organised a Frontiers
Meeting to develop the
research agenda
The New Remit
• New title: Medical History and Humanities
• We encourage research applications that address
important questions at the interface of science,
medicine and the humanities.
• We expect that these questions will further develop
our understanding of the impact of medicine and
medical sciences on human and animal health.
• Research must be historically grounded, drawing,
where appropriate, on wider disciplines, in
particular the humanities (e.g.: Arts, Humanities,
Social Sciences, etc.).
Eligibility
• Any department, as long as
the research is ‘historically
grounded’
• Main region of funding: UK
Possibility of overseas
funding, if deemed of
strategic importance
• Focus Areas: India, Major
Overseas Programmes
(MOPS), Developing and
Restructuring Countries
Investigator Awards
(coming soon...ish)
• New grant scheme which will be
phased in over the next 2-3 years
• Provides long-term funding
support: freedom and flexibility
• Based on Fellowships, but
extended to individuals in salaried
posts
• Different application process
Grants
Overview
Programme Grants
• Encourage more expansive
research on important questions
at the interface of science,
medicine and the humanities
• Long-term funding: up to 5 years
support on a focused topic or
theme
• Can include money for Outreach
Officers
• Can have built-in Research Leave
Pilot Grants
• Designed explicitly to develop a competitive Programme
Grant application
• Test research questions, methodology and collaborations
• Should also have its own autonomous outcome (e.g.
journal article, large conference, etc)
• Can include research leave
• Up to 2 years support
University Awards
• Allows universities to attract
outstanding research staff
• The university guarantees a
permanent post at the end of
the award
• Applicants cannot be in an
established academic post
• Up to 5 years support,
providing full salary for three
years, 50% in the fourth year
and 25% in the fifth year
Fellowship Awards
• You CAN apply before you
have finished your PhD
• Only two deadlines: 1st of
August and 1st of
December
• Interviews are held within 2
weeks after the FC meeting
• Up to 3 years support
Research Leave
Awards
• Allows researchers to
undertake an uninterrupted
period of full-time research
• Pays for a replacement
lecturer
• Can be part of a Programme
or Pilot Grant
• Tenable for up to three
years
Research Leave Awards for Health Care
Professionals/Scientists
• Highlighted by the Review as important scheme
• Enables clinicians, scientists, or nurses to undertake fulltime research at a centre or department with academic
expertise in medical history
• Provides the salary of a locum or
replacement lecturer for the
duration of the award
• Up to 6 months
support
PhD Studentships
• Provides a stipend and
research expenses.
• For the full 3 years –
Must apply before you
begin your studies.
• Prelims- 15 March
• Full applications-1 May
• Outcome Mid June
Small Grants
• Research Expenses: assistance for modest
programme of study (up to 2 years, £5,000)
• Research Expenses for Self-funded PhD Students (up
to £3,000)
• Conferences, Symposia, Seminar Series: financial
support for organising academic meetings of all kinds
(up to £5,000)
• Travel Grants to the UK (up to £1,500)
• Applications accepted throughout the year
• No need for preliminary application
• Fast turnaround: decisions are usually
made within 8 weeks
Application Process
• Three deadlines per year:
– 1 March (FC meets in June)
– 1 August (FC meets in November)
– 1 December (FC meets in March)
• Prelims required 6 weeks before deadline
• Programme Grant Prelims:
– Deadlines 1 Sept, 1 Dec, 1 May
• Only 2 deadlines a year for Fellowship
applications and an interview within 2 weeks
of Funding Committee
• How we can help: Grant Outreach and Grant
Management
Top
tips
Common criticisms
• What is the research question?
• Incomplete bibliography
• Sampling methods are poor
• Concepts are not explained
• Poor level of outputs to date
• Why this period/location/sample? Justify.
• Too ambitious or not ambitious enough
Common criticisms
• Clearly had not sought advice
• Not trained in the methodology (e.g. oral history)
• Good project, but wrong academic environment
• It’s not really history of medicine
• The archives will not provide what they need
• Timetable is unrealistic
• Incoherent
So please…
• Read the guidelines
• Use forms flexibly (within reason!)
• Use appropriate methodology
• Use spell check
• Get someone from outside the field to read the
application
• Seek expert advice and collaborate
• Maximise your opportunities
…STAY IN TOUCH!
e.shaw@wellcome.ac.uk
0207 611 8693
e.young@wellcome.ac.uk
0207 611 8736
n.fietje@wellcome.ac.uk
0207 611 7357
www.wellcome.ac.uk/medicalhumanities