News

Trust launches Investigator Awards

We have announced a major new scheme to support world-class researchers, providing better support to pursue bold, individual visions without constraints. Wellcome Trust Investigator Awards will provide researchers and their teams with the support and freedom to be creative and innovative in their approach. The scheme will operate at two levels

of experience and seniority: Wellcome Trust Investigator Awards and Wellcome Trust Senior Investigator Awards. Funding will be awarded by interview, giving the opportunity for researchers to present and argue their cases to groups of world-class peer reviewers. In an opinion article in Times Higher Education, Trust Director Sir Mark

Keeping track of your career

annually, helping us to gain a better understanding of award holders’ career choices, and informing how we provide research and career support. A number of award holders from our basic PhD studentship, Research Career Development Fellowship and International Senior Research Fellowship schemes took part in the study. Early findings show that the majority who finished a Trust award went on to find full-time work in academic research: 73 per cent of PhDs, 99 per cent of Research Career Development Fellows and 93 per cent of International Senior Research Fellows. Award holders developed key skills and

In 2009, we launched a longitudinal survey to track the careers of Trust-supported award holders. The survey will run

Making history

A new book charts the history of the Trust, from Sir Henry Wellcome’s interest in medicine and the challenges of establishing a medical research charity, to the shaping of the organisation it is today. Written by former Trust Director Peter Williams, The Story of the Wellcome Trust is published by Quiller Press and priced at

£16.95. www.countrybooksdirect.com

achieved key scientific outputs. The majority of those who had chosen to leave academia had moved into a career that drew on their scientific background. Participants felt positive about an academic career for its intellectual challenge, flexibility and independence, with 81 per cent of award holders saying they would recommend a career in academic research to others.

www.wellcome.ac.uk/careertracker

Walport outlined the benefits of this approach compared with the short- and medium-term grants upon which researchers currently rely. Such project and programme grants can tie researchers into a cycle of focusing on securing funding rather than tackling major research problems. “The watchword of the Awards will be flexibility, in length and scale of funding. The challenge to all research funders is to nurture and support the best scientists and enable them to ask the most important questions,” said Sir Mark. “We intend to provide Wellcome Trust Investigators with the creative opportunities and resources they need to tackle tough problems.”

www.wellcome.ac.uk/investigatorawards

News bites

Fake drug danger

A report published by the Trust and the American Pharmaceutical Group outlines the challenges and urgent action needed in the global fight against counterfeit medicines. It summarises the discussions from an international conference on the subject, hosted by the Trust in October 2009. For the full report and videos of some of the speakers, visit

www.wellcome.ac.uk/counterfeits

Exhibition of the Wellcome Image Awards.

Picture research

In March, Wellcome Images held a networking event for picture researchers working in the history and science media. The event promoted the use of scientific images to picture researchers, and gave existing and potential Wellcome Images users the chance to meet the team behind the service. To view the catalogue and discover how you can use Wellcome Images, visit

images.wellcome.ac.uk

Part of the Big Bang’s human periodic table.

Big Bang

From gadgets to goo, farming to fashion and space to surgery, the annual Big Bang Fair aims to show how much science and engineering affect our lives, world and future. With support from the Trust, the show took place in Manchester in March, welcoming thousands of school and college students to experience experiments, explosions, simulators and shows, including the finals of the National Science & Engineering Competition.

www.thebigbangfair.co.uk

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