# Mental Health Award: Finding the Right Treatment for the Right People at the Right Time

**Funder:** Wellcome
**Budget:** Up to £5 million
**Duration:** Up to 5 years
**Official call:** https://wellcome.org/research-funding/schemes/mental-health-award-finding-right-treatment-right-people-right-time
**Last verified:** 18 June 2026

## Eligibility & scope

Open to teams from higher education institutions, research institutes, non-academic healthcare organisations, not-for-profits, or companies worldwide (excluding mainland China). Focuses on anxiety and depression treatment research. Lead applicants based in UK or Republic of Ireland cannot claim their own salary. At least 20% research time commitment required from all applicants.

## Summary

The Wellcome Mental Health Award: Finding the Right Treatment for the Right People at the Right Time funds multidisciplinary teams to develop evidence-based approaches for matching patients with anxiety and depression treatments. Teams can be led from higher education institutions, research institutes, non-academic healthcare organisations, not-for-profits, or companies worldwide. Projects receive up to £5 million over five years, with a minimum 20% research time commitment required from all applicants.

## Who should apply

- Multidisciplinary teams from higher education, research institutes, healthcare organisations, not-for-profits, or companies
- Researchers with at least 20% research time commitment to the project
- Projects focused on anxiety and depression treatment selection and matching
- UK and Republic of Ireland-based lead applicants (note: cannot claim salary from the grant)
- Teams with clinical, implementation, and/or data science expertise

## Key dates

- Single-stage competitive evaluation
- Up to 5-year project duration

## Tips for applicants

- This call values implementation science and real-world evidence; proposals grounded in clinical practice or routine data score higher than bench-focused ones.
- Build a genuinely multidisciplinary team, panels expect clinicians, researchers, and ideally patients or people with lived experience; single-discipline applications lag.
- If you are a UK or Ireland-based lead, budget realistically for co-investigators or postdocs instead of your own salary; mentioning this upfront prevents reviewer friction.

## Frequently asked questions

### Who can be the lead applicant on a Wellcome Mental Health Award?

Lead applicants can be based at a higher education institution, research institute, non-academic healthcare organisation, not-for-profit, or company worldwide. However, lead applicants based in the UK or Republic of Ireland cannot claim their own salary from the grant.

### How much does the Wellcome Mental Health Award provide?

Up to £5 million over five years per project.

### What research areas does the Mental Health Award cover?

The award focuses on developing approaches to match patients with anxiety and depression to the most effective treatments for them individually.

### Can international researchers apply to the Mental Health Award?

Yes, teams are eligible worldwide except for those based in mainland China. Team members can be from any location meeting institutional eligibility.

### What is the minimum research time commitment required?

All applicants must commit at least 20% research time to the project.

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Source: [The Great Grantsby](https://grantsby.eu/grants/wellcome-mental-health-award-finding-the-right-treatment-fo-2026) — EU grant monitoring for academic researchers. Always verify details on the funder's website before applying.