Wellcome is launching £20 million in new funding

To support researchers of Black, Bangladeshi and Pakistani heritage in the UK to stay in research and advance their careers.

Wellcome is launching this funding because they believe that diversity of people and expertise leads to richer understanding and more impactful discoveries.

If they help under-represented groups fulfil their potential in science, it benefits everyone.

Why is Wellcome doing this?

From their data and insight work, they see that researchers of Black, Bangladeshi and Pakistani heritage are under-represented in research in the UK. It gave them an opportunity to help in a practical way.

The targeted funding will help under-represented researchers to progress their careers in research and contribute to life-saving discoveries.

They'll continue to work towards becoming a more inclusive funder because they need people from all backgrounds to contribute and share their insights and expertise if they are to solve the urgent health challenges facing everyone.

There will be one funding round for the awards per year, for an initial four years, with an allocation of approximately £4.5 million per year. The awards will be for up to £200,000 per researcher, for up to two years.

The funding will open in spring 2024. Researchers at a UK higher education institution can apply at any stage of their career from postdoctorate onwards, up to but not including professorship.

The awards cover any discipline, but the research area must align with Wellcome's Discovery Research remit – encompassing research into life, health and well-being – or their Climate and Health, Mental Health, or Infectious Disease research programmes. 

Barriers for racially minoritised communities

Researchers who identify as being from a Black, Bangladeshi or Pakistani heritage background are underrepresented in UK research.

Career paths vary, but key stages can include becoming a postdoctoral researcher, gaining a fellowship to lead a research programme and progressing to an academic post.

The data shows:

• Black or Black British researchers in the UK made up 2.9% of the UK academic research population in 2021/22. By comparison, Black and Black British people made up 4.4% of the working age population of England and Wales in 2021.
• Researchers of Bangladeshi heritage in the UK made up 0.5% of the UK academic research population in 2021/22. By comparison, people of Bangladeshi heritage made up 1.1% of the working age population of England and Wales in 2021.
• Researchers of Pakistani heritage in the UK made up 1.1% of the UK academic research population in 2021/22. By comparison, people of Pakistani heritage made up 2.7% of the working age population of England and Wales in 2021.
• White researchers made up 79.5% of the UK academic research population in 2021/22. By comparison, White people made up 80.7% of the working age population of England and Wales in 2021.

Source: Wellcome analysis of HESA data (academic year 2021/22) and reported ethnicity of the working age population (16 to 64 years old) of England and Wales (2021 Census of England and Wales).

“The world of academia is precarious. The ‘hidden’ requirements for connections and support in order to get ahead have a greater impact on racially minoritised researchers,” says Shomari Lewis-Wilson, Senior Manager, Research Culture and Communities at Wellcome.

“Researchers of Black, Bangladeshi and Pakistani heritage are not adequately represented in scientific research in the UK,” he adds. “If we are to solve the urgent health challenges facing everyone, we need the creativity and expertise of people from all backgrounds.”

In the initial consultations with Wellcome, researchers spoke about a lack of access to connections and support. They said this made it difficult to build up the track record in research which is needed to gain positions and funding.

“Talented researchers are being locked out of progressing their career, or being forced to leave," Shomari says. "They are not progressing to the stages where they would lead teams and set the research agenda. This means that we are missing out on their ideas which could transform our understanding of how to improve health for everyone.”

How will this targeted funding help?

The awards are designed to provide researchers with flexible funding. This will put them in a stronger position to build up their track record and make their next career transition.

The funding can be used for research or research-adjacent activities. This might include, for example, writing books or articles, or taking up research skills opportunities. At the end of their awards, researchers should be in a better position to attract more funding, gain promotion and recognition, and develop their professional profiles.

“We need the brightest ideas from everyone to make scientific breakthroughs and change lives,” says Dan O’Connor, Head of Research Environment at Wellcome. “We hope these awards will help talented researchers break through barriers in the system and fulfil their potential.”

Find out more information on the Wellcome website and receive updates about this funding.