Wellcome
Mental Health Award: Improving cognitive and functional outcomes for people at risk of or experiencing psychosis
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The Wellcome Mental Health Award funds research on early intervention for cognitive and functional outcomes in people experiencing or at risk of psychosis, with up to £3 million over five years for intervention studies and up to £1 million over three years for cognitive biomarker research. The call is open globally (excluding mainland China) to universities, research institutes, healthcare organisations, NGOs, and companies; mandatory lived experience involvement and a lead applicant time commitment of ≥20% are required. Phase III pharmacological trials and animal models are excluded, focusing the remit on translational and implementation science.
Details
| Funder | Wellcome |
| Budget | Up to £3M for intervention development/evaluation projects (up to 5 years); up to £1M for research on markers of cognitive functioning (up to 3 years) |
| Duration | Up to 5 years (up to 3 years for markers of cognitive functioning research) |
| Consortium | Optional — multidisciplinary collaborations/partnerships permitted, requiring a collaboration agreement between partners; single applicants also eligible |
| Application | 2-stage: preliminary application → full application |
Eligibility & scope
Funds research on early intervention for cognitive and functional outcomes in people experiencing or at risk of psychosis; excludes blue-skies research, animal-only studies, phase III pharmacological trials, and implementation science as sole focus. Requires lived experience involvement in the research design and delivery. Host organisations can be universities, research institutes, non-profits, or companies (excluding mainland China).
Who Should Apply
- •Researchers with expertise in early intervention, cognitive remediation, or functional recovery in psychosis
- •Teams based at universities, research institutes, healthcare organisations, NGOs, or commercial entities worldwide (except mainland China)
- •Applicants able to embed lived experience researchers and service users as genuine co-investigators
- •Lead applicants committing ≥20% research time to the project
- •Intervention or biomarker-discovery projects; not Phase III pharmacological trials or animal-model research
Key Dates
- •Two-stage evaluation: preliminary application followed by full application for shortlisted teams
- •Up to five years for intervention studies; up to three years for cognitive biomarker research
Tips for Applicants
- ✓Lived experience co-investigator involvement is mandatory, not optional, structure this partnership explicitly in the proposal, naming contributors and their role in design and dissemination.
- ✓The award prioritises functional and cognitive outcomes over symptom reduction alone; articulate how your intervention or biomarker will translate to real-world functioning.
- ✓Lead applicant time commitment must be ≥20% and defensible; reviewers flag undercommitted leads, so specify your protected research time.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does the Wellcome Mental Health Award pay?
Up to £3 million over five years for intervention studies, or up to £1 million over three years for research on cognitive biomarkers and markers of cognitive functioning.
Who can apply to the Mental Health Award for psychosis research?
Researchers at universities, research institutes, healthcare organisations, NGOs, or companies worldwide (excluding mainland China) studying early intervention or cognitive outcomes in psychosis; lead applicants must commit ≥20% research time.
Is lived experience involvement required for the Mental Health Award?
Yes, mandatory involvement of lived experience researchers and service users as co-investigators is a requirement of this call.
What types of research are excluded from the Mental Health Award?
Phase III pharmacological trials and animal-model research are explicitly excluded; the call focuses on early intervention and translational approaches in human populations.
What is the application process for the Mental Health Award?
The call uses a two-stage process: a preliminary application followed by a full application for shortlisted teams.
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