Funding Opportunities at Wellcome

1. Funding Opportunitiesat Wellcome Fiona MacLaughlin Heather Chaffey

2. The Wellcome Trust • independent research-funding charity • largest charity in UK • established 1936 • founder of company that developed AZT, FMD and Rubella • funded from private endowment valued at £15 billion (March 2008) • managed for long-term stability and growth • interests range from science to history of medicine

3. Mission and strategy “To foster and promote research with the aim of improving human and animal health”

4. Basic Organisational Structure Science Funding Technology Transfer Investments Capital growth of endowment Programme related investment Creative Research Equity & Equity Long/Short Absolute Return & Buyout Healthcare & Venture Property & Infrastructure Private Equity ‘To foster and promote research with the aim of improving human and animal health’

5. Wellcome Trust Philosophy • spend up to £4bn over next 5 years • how we work: • people & ideas - focus on individuals • programmes - big & brave grants • places - fund where we can make a difference • partnership - strategic partnerships • a committed funder of translational research • public engagement that aims to create an informed climate within which biomedical science can flourish

6. Improving innovation Translational medicine Key to an innovative healthcare and pharmaceutical industry we must: • develop bench to bedside – bedside to bench approaches • optimize academia & industry links • develop innovative public private partnerships • reinvigorate undergraduate medical curriculum • provide flexible training routes • streamline approval processes

7. Dr Heather Chaffey Grants Adviser, Neuroscience & Mental Health Grants Management Department (t) +44 (0)20 7611 8786 (e) h.chaffey@wellcome.ac.uk

8. Overview What we fund Funding schemes General information The application process - background & tips

9. What do we fund? Biomedical and Veterinary Research Technology Transfer Activities History of Medicine Research Biomedical Ethics Research Public Engagement Activity Direct Activities (e.g. Sanger Institute)

10. Financial Expenditure 2007/08

11. Expenditure in Ireland Dublin City University £626,051 Other Institutions £121,500 University College Dublin £2,912,892 National University of Ireland £150,169 University College Cork £1,202,081 Royal College Surgeons £1,830,699 Total £16,325,739 Trinity College Dublin £9,479,227

12. Funding Schemes Response - Mode Funding Strategic Award Funding Fellowships

13. Response - Mode Funding

14. Hold a research post in an eligible organisation Have 5 years postdoctoral research experience Must be able to sign up to the Trust’s grant conditions Eligibility Requirements

15. Project Grants High-quality, hypothesis-driven research Salaries for 1-2 posts plus equipment, travel and materials for up to 3 years Awards in the region of £150-£400k. Support for pilot studies and international collaborations

16. Programme Grants • Internationally competitive research programmes • Proven track record of research and funding. • Salaries for 3-4 posts for 5years plus equipment, travel & materials • Awards typically in the region of £900k-£1.5m Internationally competitive research programmes Broader aims - flexibility Principal Applicant needs proven track record of research and funding Salaries for 3-4 posts, plus equipment, travel and materials, for five years. Awards typically in the region of £750k-£1.5m

17. Other Schemes • Equipment, Biomedical Resources & Technology Development Grants • Flexible Travel Awards: Sabbaticals

18. Strategic Awards • Flexible forms of support to facilitate research &/or training. • To 'add value' to excellent research groups. • Must involve a partnership with the host institution. • Normally for 5 years. • Open rolling call for proposals but the Trust may highlight particular areas of research.

19. Strategic & Themed Initiatives African Institutions Initiative Medical Engineering Genome-wide Association Studies in Disease Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases Capital Awards in Biomedical Science

20. Fellowships

21. Personal Support Schemes BIOMEDICAL SCIENTISTS CLINICAL SCIENTISTS Principal Research Fellowships Senior Senior Research Fellowships Senior Research Fellowships University Awards Flexible Travel Awards Research Career Re-Entry Fellowships Intermediate Research Career Development Fellowships Intermediate Clinical Fellowships Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellowships Research Training Fellowships Training 4 Year PhD Programmes PhD Programmes

22. Schemes for non-clinical scientists

23. Personal Support Schemes – Biomedical Scientists Senior Research Fellowships Research Career Development Fellowships Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellowships

24. Schemes for clinically and veterinary qualified scientists

25. Personal Support Schemes – Clinical Scientists Senior Research Fellowships Intermediate Clinical Fellowships Research Training Fellowships

26. Other Personal Support Schemes • Flexible Travel Awards: Fellowships • Research Career Re-entry Fellowships • University Awards

27. Request personal salary support on a project grant Alternatives

28. General Information

29. What funding do we provide? • Directly incurred costs of research. We do not fund on a proportion of fEC • Travel allowances • Flexible funding allowance • We also fund some additional costs, including: • animal house facility fEC charge out rates • open access publishing • national and international resources

30. The Application Process – Background & Tips

31. The Application Process Good idea! Preliminary application Short-listing for full applications Full Application 4 – 6 months Expert peer-review Funding Committee Short-listing for interviews Interview Committee Decision

32. Writing the Application

33. A ‘Good’ Application • A strong and original central hypothesis • Evident knowledge of the area and appropriate expertise • Clear research plan/easy to understand • Convincing preliminary data • Not over- or under- ambitious • All staff, equipment & animals carefully justified • Seek advice!

34. “...it involves techniques with which the applicant appears to have no prior experience and for which no preliminary data are proposed.” “...the work described in this application is over-ambitious, it could not be achieved in the life time of the investigator.” “The poor writing, referencing and proof reading of this application significantly detract from its overall quality.” “I had only one problem with this application, I had no idea what they were trying to do...”

35. Peer Review Assessment • Importance of the problem • Strengths and weaknesses of application • - quality of science, feasibility • Standing of applicants – track record • Resources requested – are they appropriate? • Fellowships: person, project, place

36. Thank you! Dr Heather Chaffey Grants Management Department H.Chaffey@wellcome.ac.uk

37. techtransfer@wellcome Purpose To maximise the impact of research innovations on health by facilitating their route to the ‘market’ • early-stage R&D funder • focused on funding gaps • motivated by public good

38. Translational Funding Creative research Applied Research Development Sales / Marketing Government / Philanthropic grants Translational Funding/VP Venture Capital Private equity / public markets Publication / Grants Charitable mission Sustainable advantage Sustainable business RISK IS DEFINED BY SECTOR DRIVER

39. Technology Transfer History • 1995 - Intellectual Property and Industrial Relations worked with Cancer Research Campaign Technology • 1997 – Catalyst BioMedica Limited, wholly owned trading subsidiary with own £20 Million fund • 2003 – Technology Transfer Division with Translation Awards Fund

40. Early stage funding : Bridging the R&D gap

41. Medical Engineering • Joint initiative with the Engineering and Physical Sciences • Research Council • £41 M for four centres of excellence • Leeds University (John Fisher) • Focus on ageing in relation to early diagnosis & improved • prostheses for musculo-skeletal & cardiovascular disease • Oxford University (Lionel Tarassenko) • Focus on personalised treatment in chronic conditions such • as asthma, diabetes & cancer using telemedicine technology • Imperial College (Ross Ethier) • Focus on the management of osteoarthritis through improved • implants and tissue engineering approaches • Kings College, London (Reza Razavi) • Focus on medical imaging in cardiovascular disease and • cancer for improved visualisation to guide targeted therapy

43. Projects that relate to their mission Usually disease-focused Sometimes problem-oriented Always fulfil an unmet need Offer solutions that are ‘fit for purpose’ Projects at the appropriate stage Different charities engage at various stages Fund-raising charities are more patient-oriented Many charities look for leverage of their funds What types of opportunity are charities looking for ?

44. Gradient of unmet need guides where we engage ‘Neglected ‘Orphan ‘Niche ‘Speciality ‘Blockbuster Diseases’ diseases’ market’ medicine’ drug’ $100M <$500M >$500M malaria cystic fibrosis lupus melanoma antidepressants leishmaniasis Gauchers MS osteoporosis pain Chagas Turners syndrome necrolepsy dermatitis cholesterol control

45. Diagnostics Vaccines 11% 6% Therapeutics Enabling 36% Technology 21% Medical Devices Regenerative 21% Medicine 5% Diversity of Translation Award scheme Applications received Awards made

46. Advantages Charity aims don’t keep changing Financial return is not the priority Charities are well informed & well connected Charity backing gives a company good PR Disadvantages Cultural differences may lead to tensions Conflicts of interest can be tricky to manage Shareholders need to understand the implications Venture Philanthropy versus Private Financing?

47. Value of Philanthropic funding? “Increase number of scientists who can translate drug discoveries into effective new medicines” “One proven route to [drug discovery] is innovation forged through synergistic industrial-academic collaborations” “Enhance drug R & D efforts in non-profit institutes”

48. Funding in Europe (inc. R. of Ireland) • Strategic mode • Institutions/registered company • SDDI – follow usual route • Translation award – invite only

49. Strategic Translational funding Ireland • Core to the Trust’s own initiatives and objectives • Exceptional science • Trusts investment is of the order necessary to achieve programme goals thus no financial ceiling (within reason!) • Co-funding is welcome • Invite only (except SDDI) • Funding meetings approximately every 12 weeks • No small-molecule therapeutic programmes • Work in partnership with the Trust to achieve the commercial translation of targeted technologies

50. Key Criteria • Ultimate healthcare benefit and impact • Scientific rationale and evidence • Competitive advantage / differentiation • Downstream feasibility, risks identified • Background assets and new assets for exit • Competencies and skills for implementation