There’s no quick fix. Creating an inclusive culture where people feel they can participate and contribute means making lots of small changes that add up to more than the sum of their parts. That's why we’re calling for change in three areas.
We’re funding research to understand more about the causes of inequality within science, and making our grants more flexible to accommodate diverse needs, like providing adjustments for disabled applicants.
We’ll also introduce innovative ways to measure, evaluate, incentivise and embed good practice in diversity and inclusion, and share what we learn with others.
With the Francis Crick Institute and GlaxoSmithKline, we’ve launched a network called EDIS (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Science and Health Research) which aims to inspire and encourage the UK scientific community to make equality and diversity a top priority.
We’ll continue to engage people from all walks of life through our work in education and public engagement. We’re planning to build on the great work Wellcome Collection has already done to make its exhibition space more accessible to different audiences.
We’ll partner with organisations like BBC Children in Need and the Brilliant Club to spark young people’s curiosity in science, and inspire more of them to see themselves as scientists in future.
As one of the biggest funders of science and research in the UK, we want to lead by example. We know we’re not as inclusive as we could be. We’re enhancing our recruitment process, introducing bias awareness training, and investing in a seed fund to support people to develop their own ideas for making Wellcome more inclusive.
Sources: The Royal Society, King's College London
If we’re successful, leaders across UK science and research, including those from funding organisations and universities, will support and drive commitment to diversity and inclusion.
We’ll know more about what causes inequality in UK science and health research, and we’ll be working with others to measure, monitor and remove it. There’ll be a greater diversity of people doing or interested in science.
At Wellcome, we’ll have broadened the diversity of people we employ. Diversity and inclusion will be embedded in our culture and the way we work, and having a range of voices will help us make better decisions. We’ll begin to see a ripple effect across other organisations.
In the long-term, this work will lay the foundations for a research culture in which everyone feels able to contribute their ideas. And as a result, more great ideas will help us realise our goal of improving health.
We support Wellcome grantholders to identify and tackle barriers to diversity and inclusion in their work.
Find out more about our Research Enrichment – Diversity and Inclusion scheme.
The findings of our survey of more than 4,000 researchers expose the stark pressures that many face. But together, we can learn from one another’s good practice and come up with new ways to improve research culture.
Read more articles on diversity and inclusion.
A review by a team from the University of Sheffield looking at the evidence for the benefits of a more diverse and inclusive biomedical and health research community.
Read the report [PDF 1.8MB] and briefing paper [PDF 4.1MB].
Commissioned by Wellcome and the Royal Society, RAND's literature review explores the mental health needs of researchers and the interventions that can be used to support them.
Read the literature review [PDF 3.4MB].
A summary of research by the Bridge Group on diversity in grant awarding and recruitment at Wellcome, and recommendations for how to turn our vision of diversity into reality.
Read the report [PDF 1.4MB].
Our steering group gives strategic advice to shape our work in this area.
If you have any questions, contact the team: inclusion@wellcome.ac.uk
We want to help build a better research culture – one that is creative, inclusive and honest.

