Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026

If you want to pursue your postdoctoral education in the UK via a scholarship or fellowship award, here is the great news coming your way. Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026 are now open for national and international students.

Below is brief information about this fellowship, its requirements, and the application procedure.

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Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026

The Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellowship is a fully funded program for 4 years, provided by Wellcome for both national and international students. This special fellowship program enables researchers to conduct their independent research projects in the best research environment.

Sir Henry Wellcome’s postdoctoral fellowship program is open to students from all parts of the world who want to do their postdoctoral research projects with Wellcome. It provides a total value of £300,000 to each student, including their basic salary, research expenses, and fellowship supplements.

It is a special fellowship program for recently graduated and qualified postdoctoral researchers to conduct their independent research and get the opportunity to carry out their research projects in some of the world’s best research environments.

What is Wellcome?

Wellcome Trust is a non-profit and charitable foundation in the UK that provides financial support to researchers and scientists from all parts of the world. Another aim of this foundation is to improve human health facilities in the country.

Specifications of the Fellowship

1. Degree: Post Doctoral

2. Course: Public Health

3. University: Wellcome

4. Country: UK, Ireland

5. Duration: 4 years

6. Funding Value: £ 300,000

What This Fellowship Offered

• Funding up to £300,000 over four years to cover salary, research costs, travel, and other necessary expenses.

• Opportunity for researchers to grow scientific independence, lead their research, and build a strong publication and leadership profile.

• Support required from a host organisation (university or research institute) in the UK or Ireland.

What is not offered?

Here are a few things that are not offered by Sir Henry Wellcome’s postdoctoral fellowship program.

1. Research assistance is not provided.
2. The necessary equipment required for your research is not provided. So, choose a place that already has your required equipment.

Eligibility Criteria

The candidates who want to benefit from Sir Henry Wellcome’s postdoctoral fellowship program must strictly fulfill the following requirements.

1. The required language for this fellowship program is English.
2. This fellowship program is open to candidates of all nationalities.
3. This fellowship program is aimed at researchers who want a guided period for their research and want to lead their independent research.
4. The candidate must be a researcher of an early career with some basic postdoctoral experience or a final year student with a Ph.D.
5. The candidate must have an eligible host organization in the UK or Ireland to administer the fellowship expenses for the entire period.
6. The candidate must have initiated making contributions in the areas of research publications and software development, etc.
7. The candidate must be a UK national or a Ph.D. student if not fulfill any of the above requirements to qualify for this fellowship.

Expectations of The Fellowship Program

1. The researcher should expand the horizon of their research and develop scientific abilities to become a future leader.
2. The researcher should work on his specific idea. The researcher can seek the assistance of a mentor to help select a topic or develop a proposal.
3. Select a research topic with a broader scope than the usual postdoctoral research. The research topic should help you stand out from previous researchers.

Application & Admission Procedure

1. Submission of preliminary application.
2. Applications review.
3. Full application submission to the host organization.
4. Review of the full application by the host organization.
5. Review of application by external peer.
6. Shortlisting and admissions.

Official Website

FAQs

Q1: Is the Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellowship open in 2026?
No. The scheme is currently closed, and the last round was in 2021.

Q2: What kind of funding did it provide?
It provided about £300,000 over four years, covering salary, research expenses, travel, equipment, etc.

Q3: Who could apply?
Final year PhD students or early career postdocs with research track record, in the UK or Republic of Ireland, with a host institution for administering the fellowship.

Q4: What is a host organisation in this context?
A university or a research institute in the UK or Ireland that agrees to host your project and provide resources, mentorship, lab space, etc.

Q5: What should I prepare if this scheme re-opens or for similar fellowships?

• Strong publication record or evidence of research contributions

• Clear, original research proposal with good impact potential

• Identification of a host organisation and sponsor

• Letters of recommendation and mentorship plan