Research Bursaries (Closed)

Who can apply

Research Bursaries are for academic researchers, conservators, artists, performers, broadcasters, writers, public engagement practitioners and others working in the creative arts.

If you're an experienced researcher in an established academic post, you should have some publications in an appropriate area.

If you're an experienced or early-career researcher not in an established academic post, you should have a doctorate or clinical qualification. You should also have established a research interest in biomedical science or in the humanities or social sciences (as they relate to medicine).

If you're applying from outside the scholarly community, you'll usually be expected to demonstrate relevant experience and achievements, and to explain the approach you will use to explore your chosen collection.

All projects must:

• focus on one or more collections supported by a current or previous Research Resources Grant or on materials in the Wellcome Library 
• be based in the UK or Republic of Ireland. 

What we're looking for

We want collections supported by us – Research Resources Grants and those in the Wellcome Library – to be the starting point for your idea. Your research might lead to a wide range of findings, such as: 

• symposia or academic meetings
• public lectures
• journal articles or other publications
• broadcasts
• film, TV or radio scripts.

Researchers in the Wellcome Library should be willing to take part in the life of the library and work with library staff as their ideas develop. This may not be the case with collections we support in other organisations. You can discuss your idea with individual organisations. 

Research Bursaries are usually in the range of £5,000 to £25,000.

Awards contribute towards expenses incurred in travelling to, and consulting at, libraries or archives in the UK or Republic of Ireland, such as:

• travel and subsistence

  Travel costs

  You can ask for travel costs to cover essential visits to the Wellcome Library, and archives and libraries that are supported through the Research Resources scheme.

  You’ll need to justify each visit and its duration.

  Subsistence costs

  If you're away for up to one month you can ask for subsistence costs. These include accommodation, meals and incidentals (eg refreshments or newspapers).

  If your administering organisation has a subsistence policy, use their rates.

  If your administering organisation doesn’t have a subsistence policy, please use the HMRC rates.

  If you’re away for more than one month and up to 12 months, we will pay reasonable rental costs only, including aparthotels. You should discuss appropriate rates with your administering and host organisations, or Wellcome, as appropriate. We expect you to choose the most economical options, booked in advance where possible.

  If you’re from a low- or middle- income country and will be working in a high-income country for more than one month and up to 12 months, you can also ask for up to £10 a day to cover extra costs, such as transport and incidentals.

  If you’re away for more than 12 months, we will pay the costs of your housing. You should discuss your needs with your administering and host organisations.

  The allowance we provide will be based on family and business need. We will set the maximum allowance we pay for each location. This will be based on current market data or, where data is unavailable, in consultation with your administering organisation, using equivalent market rates. Please contact us if you need help calculating the costs.

  We will cover the direct expenses you have to pay to find and rent a home. We will not cover the cost of utilities or any refurbishment.

• research expenses

  • salaries

    You can ask for personal support or salary expenses to cover the time you spend on the project. You will need to be able to justify these costs.

  • materials and consumables

    We will pay for the materials and consumables you need to carry out your proposed research, including:

    • archival photocopying
    • printing associated with fieldwork and empirical research
    • other items if they are necessary for the project and you can justify them.

  • inflation allowance

    We will add an inflation allowance to your award.

    How we calculate your inflation allowance

    Your inflation allowance is based on your total eligible costs and the duration of the award. You'll receive the allowance if the costs in your application are in pounds sterling, euros or US dollars.

    Award duration (in months)	Inflation allowance
    0-12	0.0%
    13-24	1.0%
    25-36	2.0%
    37-48	3.0%
    49-60	4.1%
    61-72	5.1%
    73-84	6.2%

    These rates are calculated using compound inflation at 2.0% a year from Year 2 onwards.

    If your costs are in any other currency, we will use an inflation allowance that reflects the inflation rate of the country where the host organisation is based.

    What to include in your application

    The costs in your application must be based on current known costs, excluding inflation.

    You should allow for salary pay awards during Year 1. These should be based on pay awards already agreed; if you don’t know what the pay award is yet then use our inflation rate.

If you request personal support or salary expenses, you should provide an explanation in your application.

You should request a level and duration of funding that's appropriate to your career stage, research experience and proposed research.  

What we don’t offer

• University fees.
• Travel and visa arrangements.

We don't fund overheads.

This scheme is now closed.

Dates

April 2018 round

This was the final round.

• Application deadline

  3 April 2018, 17:00 BST

• Decision

  May 2018