Mental Health Award: Transforming early intervention for anxiety, depression and psychosis in young people

Funding for projects that robustly test the real-world effectiveness and assess implementation strategies of scalable transformative early interventions for anxiety, depression and psychosis in young people.

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Overview 

Lead applicant career stage:
Established researcher
Administering organisation location:
Anywhere in the world (apart from mainland China)
Frequency:
One-off
Funding amount:

£200,000 for the Foundation Phase and £5 million to £8 million for the Impact Phase

Funding duration:

12 months for the Foundation Phase and up to 5 years for the Impact Phase

Coapplicants:
Required

Upcoming application stage

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Application process timeline

This award is structured in two phases:

Foundation Phase (open to applications week commencing 28 July 2025) 

This first phase of the funding call will provide teams with £200,000 to build their teams and develop their detailed proposal for their research study over 12 months. This research proposal must be for a definitive effectiveness study and assessment of strategies for implementation and scaling of a psychological and/or a social intervention. The research must take place in the UK or a low- and middle-income country (LMIC). The proposal must capture multiple outcomes that are relevant to people with lived experience and implementing partners, including mental health outcomes, functional outcomes and full economic evaluation.

Projects will be chosen for the Foundation Phase based on:

  • the existing evidence of efficacy for the intervention

  • potential for being taken to scale, with the cost of the intervention low enough to be sustainable in the proposed context

  • potential for sustainable partnerships between research teams and implementing partners

  • outline plans for real-world testing of the effectiveness and implementation of the intervention

Teams taking part in the Foundation Phase will be invited to be part of a community of practice to participate and share learning in key areas relevant to developing, implementing and scaling psychological and/or social interventions. Wellcome will provide support to teams during the Foundation Phase as they develop their research proposals.

Impact Phase (open to applications February 2027)

In the second phase of the funding call, all funded teams from the Foundation Phase will be invited to apply for the Impact Phase. We expect the award amount for the Impact Phase to be between £5 million and £8 million and the duration to be up to 5 years. The upper limits will be confirmed during the Foundation Phase.

Who can apply 

You can apply to this call if you are a team:

Your experience

Read about the different applicant roles at Wellcome.

If you’ve spent time away from research

Career breaks, parental leave, sick leave

You can apply for this award if you have spent time away from research (for example, for a career break, parental leave or long-term sick leave). We will take this into consideration during the review of your application.

Retirement

 If you have retired, you must contact us before applying. You must have a guarantee of space from your administering organisation for the duration of the award. 

Working part-time

Lead and coapplicants can be part-time. Part-time applicants should still be able to contribute at least 20% of their research time to the project if a lead applicant and 10% if a coapplicant . Applicants who do not have protected research time and implementation partners must be able to contribute at least 20% of their time to the award if a lead applicant and 10% if a coapplicant. Their part-time work should be compatible with delivering the project successfully.

Who can’t apply 

You cannot apply for this call if: 

  • You intend to carry out activities which involve the transfer of funds into mainland China.
  • You cannot demonstrate that you can dedicate enough time and resources to the project, if funded.
  • You are already an applicant on two applications for this funding call:
    • You can only be a lead applicant on one application and a coapplicant on another one.
    • You can be a coapplicant on two applications.
    • You must demonstrate that you have sufficient capacity for both projects if funded. The applications should be for different projects with no overlap of activities.
  • You already have applied for, or hold, the maximum number of Wellcome awards for your career stage. Find out how many Wellcome awards you can apply for, or hold, at one time depending on your career stage.
  • Your proposed research does not fit the aims of this award. Check if your research is right for this call. 

Is your organisation right for this call? 

The administering organisation is where the lead applicant is based. It is the organisation responsible for submitting your final application to Wellcome and managing the finances of the grant if it is awarded.

Where your administering organisation is based

The administering organisation can be based anywhere in the world apart from mainland China. However, the research must take place in the United Kingdom and/or low- or middle-income countries (LMICs).

At the Foundation Phase, the administering organisation must be one of the following: 

  • higher education institution
  • research institute
  • non-academic healthcare organisation
  • not-for-profit or non-governmental organisation 

Commercial organisations cannot be the administering organisation. We recognise the important role commercial partners may play in developing and scaling interventions and welcome them as coapplicants and collaborators. If you are funded through the Foundation Phase and there is a strong rationale for a commercial organisation to be the administering organisation at the Impact Phase, you will have an opportunity to inform us of this at the next phase.

What's expected of lead applicant and coapplicant organisations

We expect organisations based in the UK to meet the responsibilities required by the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers for institutions, managers and researchers.

Any organisation with Wellcome funding that is based outside the UK is expected, as a minimum, to follow the principles of the Concordat.

We also expect organisations to: 

  • Guarantee that the space and resources applicants need have been agreed and will be made available to them from the start date through to the end date of the award.
  • Explain how the application fits with the strategic aims of the organisation.
  • Give applicants, and any staff employed on the grant, 10 days a year (pro rata if part-time) to undertake training and continuing professional development (CPD) in line with the Concordat. This should include the responsible conduct of research, research leadership, people management, diversity and inclusion, and the promotion of a healthy research culture.
  • Provide a system of onboarding, embedding and planning for staff when they join the organisation and/or start the award. 

Collaboration agreements  

If the application involves a collaboration or partnership between multiple organisations, the partners must enter into a suitable collaboration agreement, including provisions that cover:

  • confidentiality
  • publication rights
  • access to background intellectual property
  • ownership of foreground intellectual property
  • arrangements for the protection, management and exploitation of foreground intellectual property

The lead applicant’s administering organisation is required under our grant conditions to own all the foreground intellectual property arising from the project and to take the lead in any commercialisation activity. For guidance, read Wellcome's intellectual property policy.

Your research environment

Wellcome believes that a diversity of people and expertise leads to richer understanding and more impactful discoveries. Excellent research happens in environments where people from all backgrounds are treated with respect, are supported and enabled to thrive.

Our definition of a research environment is not limited to the quality of the infrastructure, but also considers the culture and behaviours that create excellent research practice. This includes research that is inclusive in design and practice, ethical and engaged with relevant community stakeholders, as well as open and transparent.

This is an important requirement for Wellcome funding, and it will be assessed at the Impact Phase but not the Foundation Phase.

Read guidance on how to talk about research environment in your application.

Is your research right for this call? 

There are hundreds of millions of people being held back by mental health challenges across the globe. The majority of mental health problems start in adolescence or early adulthood. We are looking for interventions that can reach large numbers of people in a low-cost and sustainable way.

What your proposal must include

Your Foundation Phase project proposal must:

Type of research that is not right for this call

Research proposals that are not right for this call: 

  1. Include conducting significant primary research during the Foundation Phase. The major primary research component should be reserved for completion during the Impact Phase.
  2. Primarily target neurodevelopmental conditions, neurodegenerative diseases, or mental health disorders and symptoms outside of the broad categories of anxiety, depression, and/or psychosis. For example, proposals with eating disorders or substance abuse as the primary focus of the research are not in scope.
  3. Include research that takes place in countries outside of the United Kingdom or low- or middle- income countries.
  4. Focus solely on general well-being rather than validated mental health outcomes or symptoms of anxiety, depression and psychosis.
  5. Focus solely on exploratory or curiosity-driven mechanistic research that is not directly relevant to the scope of the call.
  6. Include an intervention that:
    • Is not primarily a psychological and/or social intervention.
    • Lacks theory and some understanding of its active ingredients.
    • Does not have efficacy data provided by at least two studies.
    • Is intended for universal/primary prevention.
    • Is not focused on reducing symptom severity and/or functional impairment.
    • Solely focuses on diagnosis, prognosis or monitoring of symptoms. These may be an additional focus where the primary focus of the intervention is treatment.
    • Does not demonstrate the potential for scalability.
    • Relies entirely on artificial intelligence systems to make predictions and provide recommendations, without transparent insight into how those predictions are made.
    • Is solely for tracking and/or supporting self-management of symptoms of mental health conditions with no other psychological or social interventional component.

Read about what research we fund in mental health.

How applications are assessed 

Proposals submitted at the Foundation Phase must include an outline plan for the Impact Phase comprising:

  • plan for assessment of the effectiveness of the intervention
  • completion of a full economic evaluation
  • testing of strategies for implementation and scaling

Funding proposals must detail how the 12-month Foundation Phase funding will be used to build sustainable partnerships and co-develop a full project plan for the Impact Phase.  

Nine months after the start of the Foundation Phase, funded teams will be invited to submit a research proposal with details of the work packages that will be carried out during the Impact Phase. Where relevant, Impact Phase applications should also indicate if initial plans and team have changed or evolved based on the outcomes of the Foundation Phase. Teams will have approximately 3 months to submit their applications for the Impact Phase and more detailed guidance will be provided to assist them in this process.  

All applications for the Foundation Phase will be evaluated using the weighted assessment criteria. Applications will be reviewed by a panel of experts, including lived experience experts and an international youth panel.

Essential criteria and weightings

There are five weighted assessment criteria for applications to the Foundation Phase:

  1. strength, scalability and sustainability of the intervention (30%)

  2. suitability of the proposed methodology (20%)

  3. suitability and expertise of the team (20%)

  4. lived experience involvement (20%)

  5. review by a youth panel (10%) 

1. Strength, scalability and sustainability of the intervention (30%) 

  • Strong justification that the intervention can be taken to scale, with the cost of delivery of the intervention low enough to be sustainable in the proposed context and evidence of acceptability to end users (including young people).
  • Evidence for efficacy of the intervention is rigorous and well-described. There is a demonstrated quantifiable impact of the intervention on a validated measure of mental health or functioning. This will be both statistically significant and clinically meaningful in line with the priorities of those with lived experience.
  • Strong evidence demonstrating the active ingredient(s) of the intervention, the quality of the intervention logic model and articulation of how these will be maintained when delivering the intervention at scale 

2. Suitability of the proposed methodology (20%) 

  • Clear strategies for developing sustainable partnerships with implementation partners ensuring effective co-production of the research and the pathway to impact. A clear rationale is provided for the activities and assurance that they can be delivered effectively within the available resources and timeframe during the Foundation Phase.
  • For the proposed research in the Impact Phase, the plans include outlines of the methodology for:
    • assessing the intervention’s real-world effectiveness with outcomes that are relevant to people with lived experience and implementation partners, including mental health outcomes and functional outcomes
    • evaluating implementation and scaling strategies, using a validated theoretical or conceptual framework, encompassing robust study design and implementation outcomes.
    • a full economic evaluation of the intervention 

3. Suitability and expertise of the team (20%) 

The project features an integrated, collaborative plan of work, developed by a team that includes those with the appropriate research expertise as well as implementation partners. 

The team: 

  • Has clearly identified implementation partners, at least one of whom is a coapplicant, with a rationale and plan for the role of implementation partner(s).
  • Is composed of individuals with the necessary expertise and technical skills, alongside a diversity of disciplines and perspectives. Plans are in place to obtain any missing expertise during the Foundation Phase, where relevant.
  • Provides evidence of existing implementation partner relationships through letters of support, with plans to strengthen, expand and include new partners where relevant.
  • Has appropriate management plans in place, describing the equitable organisation and day-to-day management of the collaboration.
  • Includes lived experience experts or possesses the skills to effectively involve and collaborate with people with lived experience of mental health problems.
  • Includes at least one early-career researcher as a coapplicant on the award 

The lead applicant: 

  • Possesses the necessary experience to deliver both the Foundation and Impact Phases of the project. This will include:
    • the ability to build sustainable, meaningful collaborations across multiple partners
    • evidence of capability to lead a large-scale, collaborative research project, within budget and within time
    • the necessary support structures in place to enable them to have the time and support to deliver the project

The coapplicant(s): 

  • hold(s) the expertise, time and resources essential to make significant contributions to the project 

4. Lived Experience Involvement (20%) 

  • People with lived experience are meaningfully involved at multiple stages, including the conception, planning, design, delivery and dissemination of the proposal. There is a clear rationale for their inclusion (or exclusion) at each stage.
  • Where necessary, the project includes a comprehensive strategy to equip people with lived experience with the essential knowledge and skills needed for meaningful participation.
  • Lived experience perspectives are represented across the proposal, including in the team’s leadership and governance roles. 
  • Lived experience experts have relevant experience and expertise applicable to the research, including being representative of the research location.
  • People with lived experience are compensated appropriately for their time and labour. 

5. Review by a youth panel (10%) 

The final 10% of the weighted assessment will come from an international panel of young people. As the call is focused on interventions for young people, it is important that their perspectives are included in decision making. Young people will be asked to review the plain language summary of the intervention that must be uploaded with your application.  

Young people will be asked to share their assessment of:

  • the clarity of the intervention and its underlying mechanisms
  • acceptability of the intervention to young people
  • barriers that would significantly hinder youth participation in the intervention and how these will be addressed 

Research costs we’ll cover 

Each successful team will receive a grant of £200,000. Please complete the application budget section outlining how you would allocate these funds across the activities proposed. The total must add up to £200,000 (or equivalent if applying in a different currency).

How to apply 

Where to apply

Apply for this funding call on the Wellcome Funding Platform. You must complete this checklist and include it in your application. You can save your application and return to it any time.

View the sample application form.

Get more tips to help you write your grant application.

Start your application

Information you need to provide 

Please outline any coapplicants and collaborators involved in your application in the 'other participants' section of the application form, clearly indicating who will be a coapplicant and who will be a collaborator. Please clearly identify the early-career coapplicant and please provide the month and the year that they passed their viva (or equivalent research experience if applicable) and any career breaks that they have had during that time.

1. Checklist 

You must attach the completed checklist to your application in the ‘Additional information’ section of the form. This will not count towards your two page A4 limit for additional information. Applications that are submitted without a checklist attached, or an incomplete checklist, will be automatically withdrawn.  

Each checklist section corresponds to the five key criteria outlined under 'What your research must include'. 

2. Letters of support from implementation partners 

As part of your application, you will need to provide a letter for each coapplicant/collaborator organisation that has been identified as an implementation partner. Each letter must be a single A4 page that:

  • details any in kind resource, funding and time committed to the project
  • demonstrates the implementation partner's commitment to the work outlined in the funding proposal
  • lists the name, job role, organisation (where applicable) and contact information for the implementation partner

Upload the letter(s) to your application, in the ‘Additional information’ section of the form. These letters will not count towards your two A4 page limit for additional information. Applications that are submitted without the relevant letters attached, will be automatically withdrawn. 

3. Plain language summary of the intervention for the youth panel  

As part of your application, you will need to provide a plain language summary of the intervention. This will be reviewed by an international panel of young people and contribute to the assessment of your proposal as outlined in the assessment criteria. The summary should:

  • be a maximum of 250 words
  • summarise details of the intervention and plans for implementation and scaling
  • not contain any jargon and any technical terms should be explained 

The Plain Language Campaign has produced a series of guides for writing in plain language, which can be downloaded free of charge.   

Include your plain language summary as additional information to support your application. This will not count towards your two A4 page limit for additional information.   

4. Logic model 

You must include a logic model with your application that identifies the active ingredient(s) of your intervention. Include this as additional information to support your application. This will not count towards your two A4 page limit for additional information. 

Getting support with your application

We offer disability-related support for applicants. Read the disability-related support guidance if you:

  • are disabled or have a long-term health condition and you need help applying for funding
  • need help completing your project, for example costs for assistive technology 

If you need further support with completing your application or need to request an extension to the deadline, please contact us. 

If this is your organisation’s first time applying for Wellcome funding

If this is your administering organisation’s first time applying for Wellcome funding, they will need to contact us to request an organisation account.  

Email fundingsupport@wellcome.org with your organisation’s:

  • name
  • address
  • country
  • team email address for the people who will approve and submit your application (this is usually a research management team)

We will create the administering organisation account and provide access to the approvers. Review our guidance for research offices. 

Application process

Before you apply 

  • Make sure you read everything on this page. View the sample application form.
  • You do not need to contact us before you write and submit your application.
  • If you are unsure if your proposal is within the scope of this call, you can request a scope check before submitting your full application.
  • Register to attend out information webinar on 3 September 2025. Registration for this webinar will open shorty and linked to from this page.

Submit your application to your administering organisation for approval 

  • Complete your application form on Wellcome Funding platform.
  • Submit your completed application form to your administering organisation for approval.
  • Make sure you leave enough time for your administering organisation to review and submit your application before the deadline. The approver may ask you to make changes to your application. 

Administering organisation approves and submits it to Wellcome 

  • Your application must be submitted by 15.00 GMT on the deadline day, 11 November. We do not accept late applications.

Shortlisting 

  • We will check your eligibility for the call and that your proposed research is within the call’s scope. If your application is ineligible or your proposed research does not meet the aims of the funding call, we will withdraw your application and notify you of this.
  • Wellcome staff will review eligible and in remit applications against the assessment criteria.
  • If your application is shortlisted, your application will proceed to the next stage.
  • We are unable to provide feedback on applications that are not shortlisted.

Youth Panel review 

  • The plain language summaries of all shortlisted applications will be reviewed by an international panel of young people who have lived experience of anxiety, depression and psychosis. They will use these summaries to rank shortlisted applications according to the assessment criteria described on this page. 

Committee review  

  • A committee will review shortlisted proposals and the rankings provided by the panel of young people to make funding recommendations to Wellcome.
  • Committee members will be chosen based on their expertise within the relevant research field. Committee membership will be comprised of a diverse range of international members and will take into account Wellcome’s diversity and inclusion priorities.
  • Once the committee has been appointed, we will update this webpage to include its details. 

Funding decision 

  • Final funding decisions will be made by Wellcome.
  • You will receive an email notification of the Foundation Phase funding decision soon after the decision has been made in March 2026.
  • The reasons for a decision will be provided to unsuccessful applicants in writing.

Application process timeline 

You must submit your application by 15:00 GMT on the deadline day. We don’t accept late applications.

  1. Week commencing 28 July 2025

    Call opens to applications

  2. 3 September 2025, 10:30-11:30 BST

    Information webinar

    Registration opens soon

  3. 11 November 2025

    Foundation Phase application deadline

  4. January 2026

    Foundation Phase shortlisting

  5. March 2026

    Foundation Phase interview committee

  6. March 2026

    Foundation Phase funding decision

  7. February 2027

    Impact Phase opens to applications

    Successful applications from the Foundation Phase will be invited to apply to the Impact Phase.

  8. May 2027

    Impact Phase application deadline

Contact us 

Eligibility, what we offer and application questions

If you have a question about eligibility, what we offer or about completing the application form using Wellcome Funding, send our funding information advisers a message.

Scope questions

If you are unclear about whether your proposed idea would be in scope for this call, you can send a brief summary of your idea (no more than 200 words) by 14 October 2025 17:00 BST to ScopeChecksMH@wellcome.org. 

Please include the title of the call - Mental Health Award: Transforming early intervention for anxiety, depression and psychosis in young people - in the subject line. 

Use the following format when emailing us your scope question:

  • country where the Impact Phase research will take place (no more than a sentence)
  • the intervention (no more than a sentence)
  • population - age range and mental health condition(s)/symptoms(s) (no more than a sentence)
  • existing efficacy data for the intervention (no more than a sentence)
  • summary of your project proposal for the Impact Phase (no more than 200 words)

Based on the information provided, we will aim to reply to your email within one week, with an 'in scope' or 'out of scope' response.   

Please note that submitting a scope check is not a requirement and will not impact your likelihood of being funded. The confirmation that a proposed idea is in scope does not constitute an active invitation to apply for the call. 

We do not answer questions on the competitiveness of proposals.

scopechecksMH@wellcome.org