Wellcome Trust

Wellcome is a global charitable foundation established in 1936. Through our work we support science to solve the urgent health issues facing everyone. We fund curiosity-driven research, and we’re taking on three of the biggest health challenges taking on three of the biggest health challenges facing humanity – climate change, infectious disease and mental health. With a £36.8 billion investment portfolio, we give researchers the time and resources they need to make breakthroughs. We also work with policy makers, run advocacy campaigns, and form partnerships with other organisations to ensure everyone, everywhere benefits from advances in health science. We were founded in 1936 after the death of Sir Henry Wellcome. Sir Henry was a pharmaceutical entrepreneur, whose pioneering approach to drug design later inspired the creation of the first leukaemia drug, immune suppressants for organ transplants, and antivirals such as AZT – the first drug approved to treat HIV. In his will, he left us three important things: his wealth; his collection of historical medical items; and our mission to improve health through research. Our perspective on health and how to improve it spans science, innovation, and society. We foster collaborative and supportive research environments that give researchers across a range of disciplines – including physical and social sciences, and the humanities – the time and resources they need to be creative and make new discoveries. There are hundreds of people from a range of backgrounds who make up our team at Wellcome, each with their own unique perspectives and skills. We want researchers worldwide to engage with us, partner with us, and apply for funding for pioneering projects that will help to solve the most pressing health challenges facing humanity. Activities we have supported include: Supported the formation of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations Supported the discovery of single cell sequencing Funded Cambridge study on same sex parenting Our vision is a healthier future for everyone. To achieve this we support science to solve the urgent health challenges facing everyone. Skip to contents On this page Why are we focusing on three health challenges? What do we want to achieve? Find out more about our work Back to top Share with Facebook Share with X Share with LinkedIn Share with Email Science is essential to solving the world’s health challenges. That’s Wellcome's founding principle and it’s as true today as ever. It’s why we will always support bold research across a wide range of disciplines to discover more about life, health, and wellbeing. In order to achieve our mission and take on the most urgent health issues, we support the scientific community so they can continue to make vital progress. We do this by funding discovery research over a broad range of disciplines – including social sciences and the humanities – giving researchers the freedom to explore life, health, and wellbeing and seek insights that can inspire future improvements in health. And we bring together expertise across science, innovation, and society to develop solutions to address the issues of three urgent health challenges: mental health, infectious diseases, and climate and health. ...view more