# Mental Health Award: Integrating Sleep and Circadian Science

**Funder:** Wellcome
**Budget:** Up to £3 million
**Duration:** Up to 5 years
**Consortium:** Required — multi-disciplinary team with coapplicants; coapplicants required in each country where research takes place
**Official call:** https://wellcome.org/research-funding/schemes/mental-health-award-integrating-sleep-and-circadian-science-our
**Last verified:** 18 June 2026

## Eligibility & scope

Open to multidisciplinary teams worldwide (excluding mainland China and sanctioned territories) from eligible organisations. Lead applicant must contribute ≥20% research time and hold a permanent/long-term contract. Must involve people with lived experience of anxiety, depression and/or psychosis. UK/Republic of Ireland leads cannot request salary. Overheads capped at 15–20% of direct costs.

## Summary

Wellcome's Mental Health Award: Integrating Sleep and Circadian Science funds multidisciplinary teams up to £3 million over five years to investigate the links between sleep, circadian rhythms, anxiety, depression, and psychosis. The call requires a consortium model with coapplicants in each country where research occurs and mandatory involvement of people with lived experience of the conditions under study. This is a global opportunity (excluding mainland China and sanctioned territories) for researchers committed to co-design and translational mental health outcomes.

## Who should apply

- Multidisciplinary research teams with coapplicants across neuroscience, psychology, psychiatry, sleep medicine, and/or chronobiology
- Lead applicants with permanent or long-term contracts at eligible organisations, able to commit ≥20% research time
- Consortia spanning multiple countries, with at least one coapplicant per country involved
- Teams with demonstrated commitment to involving people with lived experience of anxiety, depression, or psychosis in study design and interpretation
- Researchers based outside mainland China and non-sanctioned territories

## Key dates

- Listed 17 June 2026; verify full deadline on the Wellcome website
- Multidisciplinary consortium required across countries
- Five-year project duration

## Tips for applicants

- Lived experience involvement is not optional, detail how service users will shape research questions, methods and outputs, not just provide feedback at the end.
- Consortium costs money to coordinate; build realistic workplan timelines for meetings, co-design cycles and alignment across multiple coapplicants.
- UK/Republic of Ireland leads cannot request salary; factor this into your budget and role assignments early. Overheads are capped at 15-20%, leaving less flex than some Wellcome schemes.

## Frequently asked questions

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

Up to £3 million over five years per project.

### Is a consortium required for the Wellcome Mental Health Award?

Yes, you must have coapplicants, and at least one coapplicant must be present in each country where research takes place.

### Can I apply from mainland China?

No, this award is not open to applicants or research conducted in mainland China or sanctioned territories.

### Do I have to involve people with lived experience?

Yes, the award requires meaningful involvement of people with lived experience of anxiety, depression, and/or psychosis in the research team and design process.

### Can UK/Ireland lead applicants request salary costs?

No, lead applicants based in the UK or Republic of Ireland cannot include salary in their budget.

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