Mental Health Award: Integrating sleep and circadian science into our understanding and treatment of anxiety, depression and psychosis

This award will fund teams researching the interdependent roles of sleep and circadian rhythm disruptions in the development and resolution of anxiety, depression and/or psychosis. A more detailed understanding of the relationships between sleep, circadian rhythms and mental health will enable better translation leading to new approaches for early detection and targeted intervention.

Scheme at a glance 

This scheme is now closed

Lead applicant career stage:
Administering organisation location:
Funding amount:

Up to £3 million

Funding duration:

Up to 5 years

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About this call 

As part of our new strategic focus, Wellcome aims to develop new and improved early interventions for anxiety, depression and psychosis, in ways that reflect the priorities and needs of people experiencing these conditions. This work involves advancing scientific understanding of how brain, body and environment interact in the trajectory of these problems; and finding new and useable ways to predict, identify and intervene as early as possible.  

Disturbances in sleep and circadian rhythms can predict the onset and relapse of mental disorder, are common in cases of depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, and have a major bearing on quality of life. Greater severity of insomnia and/or circadian disruption is associated with higher levels of psychopathology and suicidality, increased risk of relapse, and poorer treatment outcomes.  

However, as highlighted in our recent report on the current research landscape relating sleep and circadian rhythms to mental health, significant knowledge gaps remain. This award aims to advance understanding of the roles played by sleep and circadian rhythm disturbance in the development and resolution of anxiety, depression and psychosis - with a view to enabling effective early detection and intervention. Harnessing recent neuroscientific, technological and analytic advances will allow deeper characterisation of the changes occurring in sleep and circadian function, the underlying mechanisms driving these changes and their contributions to the development and maintenance of anxiety, depression and psychosis in diverse populations.

About your proposal 

Eligibility and suitability 

What we offer 

How to apply 

Key dates 

You must submit your application by 17:00 BST on the deadline day. We don’t accept late applications. 

  1. Wednesday 19 October 2022

    Application deadline

  2. December 2022

    Shortlisting

  3. February 2023

    Interviews

  4. April 2023

    Collaborative workshop for successful award holders

Useful documents 

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