Apply to observe a Wellcome funding advisory committee | Prepare to Apply

Why be a committee observer

When you’re a committee observer, you can watch how Wellcome assesses grant applications. This can help give you a better understanding of how Wellcome works before you submit your own application. Observers will gain understanding of:

how committees use our assessment criteria
how different aspects of the application are considered during assessment.

We encourage observers to share their experience with other potential applicants. Observers must not share any sensitive information about the applications they observe.

Being a committee observer doesn’t mean that you will be eligible to apply for a Wellcome grant.

Being a committee observer

Researchers can apply to be ‘committee observers’ who watch shortlisting meetings for the:

Observers will attend shortlisting meetings online for half a day, watching the discussion of applications.

Who can be a committee observer

You can apply to be a committee observer if you are a researcher in the UK, Republic of Ireland, or a low- or middle-income country. You must be planning to apply for a Discovery Research grant within two years. You must not:

have held a Wellcome award for which you had a Wellcome panel interview (this does not include PhD studentships)
have a senior-level award from Wellcome or elsewhere
have been on – or observed – a Wellcome committee before
be a PhD student unless you’re in your final year and you’re considering applying for an Early-Career Award

You won't be able to observe a committee meeting if you are involved in an application being assessed in the same round, but you may be invited to observe a committee at a different time of the year.

How to apply to be a committee observer

Applications are now open. Applications close on 14 April 2025.

Applications to be a committee observer are open once a year for six weeks.

We'll hold applications and select observers for committee over the following 12 months, so it may be some time before you are contacted and invited to observe. Anyone not selected during that year can apply again the following year. We will not hold a waiting list (you must reapply to be considered).

When you apply, you’ll be asked questions, including:

where you’re based
whether you’re from a group that is underrepresented in UK research
whether you’re an active researcher
whether you’re considering applying in the next two years
which scheme you’re most likely to apply to in the next two years
which subject area your research is in

You can express a preference for which committee you'd like to observe. We cannot guarantee to accommodate all preferences.

If your application is successful, we’ll invite you to create a Wellcome Funding account where you can:

agree to the confidentiality statement
check the conflicts of interest policy
read the committee member guidance
read the applications that will be discussed in the meetings you plan to attend

Apply now

How Wellcome uses positive action to decide between committee observer applications

If we have more observer applications than available committee observer spaces, we will prioritise these groups.

A majority of committee observer places will go to:

researchers with Bangladeshi, Black or Pakistani heritage working in the UK
disabled researchers
researchers based in or applying from low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs)
researchers based at less research-intensive universities in the UK (non-Russell Group)

The remaining places will be given to applicants at random using a lottery process.

How Wellcome looks after your personal information

Wellcome is committed to safeguarding your personal information and privacy.

We collect and use your personal data in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The legal basis for processing your data is in our ‘legitimate interests’ and it is line with ‘social protection law’ (including relevant equalities legislation).

For more information about how we use and look after your personal information, read our privacy policy.

We keep the application review process confidential. We will require committee observers to agree to our terms and conditions, including confidentiality and data protection. For more information, read how and why we keep the application review process confidential.

Why Wellcome has committee observers

Having committee observers makes our application process more transparent to researchers. It’s one of the things Wellcome is doing to become a more inclusive funder.

How often we review the committee observer process

We review the committee observer process every year and we send observers a survey after they’ve been to a shortlisting meeting to see if there are any changes we need to make.