Introduction

Founded in 1936, the Wellcome Trust is an independent foundation that seeks to improve health by supporting researchers, addressing big health challenges, campaigning for better science and encouraging everyone to get involved with science and health research.

Call objectives and options

Wellcome Trust Research Enrichment - Diversity and Inclusion funding is designed to enable Wellcome Trust grantholders to identify and tackle barriers to diversity and inclusion in their work. Proposed activities should include opportunities to:

• Increase knowledge and understanding of diversity and inclusion.
• Tackle the specific diversity and inclusion challenges facing the grantholder's team, department and/or organisation.

Activities supported can take many forms, including ways to:

• Make the work environment more inclusive, eg by producing good practice toolkits and guidance for colleagues, organising diversity and inclusion training, or consulting with a specialist for advice.
• Support under-represented groups, eg by supporting staff networks or providing tailored mentorship and training.
• Consider diversity throughout the lifecycle of the research, eg by looking at how to consult a range of people while planning, carrying out and evaluating the work.
• Organise inclusive and accessible conferences to share research findings, eg by contributing to the costs of hosting diverse speakers and panellists, or paying for a palantypist.

The proposed activities and how they will address diversity and inclusion challenges must be based on relevant evidence (such as published data or the results of an internal survey).

Budget

Applicants can ask for funding of up to £20,000. Funds can be used for a range of costs such as:

• Staff costs
• Consultant costs
• Conference costs to create more diverse and inclusive events
• Dissemination and engagement costs
• Evaluation costs
• Travel costs
• Contingency costs (as long as they are reasonable and justified)
• VAT on fees where the VAT cannot be reclaimed

Applicants cannot use funding for:

• Activities or provisions that the Trust would expect the host organisation to provide, or is required to provide by law.
• Flexible working supplements that Wellcome already funds (eg parental leave).
• A programme of activities to inspire, consult or collaborate with the public about the research (Research Enrichment - Public Engagement funding should be applied for instead).
• Childcare or other caring responsibility costs to attend a conference or research meeting (this should be requested as part of the main Wellcome grant).

General overheads cannot be funded. (Some overhead costs can be covered in certain circumstances if they meet specific criteria.)

Eligibility

Applicants must be a:

• Current Wellcome-funded grantholder from one of the Trust's eligible schemes, or
• Successful applicant to one of the Trust's eligible schemes (ie must have received an award confirmation letter).

All of the Trust's funding schemes are eligible apart from the following:

• Biomedical Vacation Scholarships
• Doctoral Studentships
• Engagement Fellowships
• Four-year PhD Studentships in Science
• International Master's Fellowships
• Master's Studentships in Humanities and Social Science
• PhD Training Fellowships for Clinicians
• Seed Awards in Humanities and Social Science
• Seed Awards in Science
• Small Grants in Humanities and Social Science

Application

Applications are considered four times per year.

Deadline:

• Second 2021 application deadline: 9 April 2021 (17:00 BST).

In case of interest, please contact lnorton(ELIMINAR)@fsjd.org