Wellcome Trust

We're a global charitable foundation, both politically and financially independent. We support scientists and researchers, take on big problems, fuel imaginations, and spark debate. We remain true to the vision and values of our founder, Sir Henry Wellcome, a medical entrepreneur, collector and philanthropist. Our work today reflects the amazing breadth of Henry's interests, and his belief that science and research expand knowledge by testing and investigating ideas. Our funding supports over 14,000 people in more than 70 countries. In the next five years, we aim to spend up to £5 billion helping thousands of curious, passionate people all over the world explore ideas in science, population health, medical innovation, the humanities and social sciences and public engagement. We have a £20.9bn investment portfolio, which funds all the work we do. This allows us to plan for the long-term, while having the independence to act flexibly and responsively. We advance ideasSupporting ideas has always been central to our approach. We also stimulate ideas and pursue many of our own, such as understanding health and disease, using innovations to improve health (from new drugs to breakthroughs in medical technology), engaging the public and influencing policy. We seize opportunity and drive reformWe choose priority areas where we want to see, lead and be accountable for change. We work in partnerships and set ambitious targets to bring about improvements in these areas. Some of these priority areas include, Diversity and inclusion, drug-resistant infections, Our planet our health, research ecosystems in Africa and Asia, science education and vaccines.