Institutional Strategic Support Fund

Our Institutional Strategic Support Fund (ISSF) enables universities in the UK and Ireland to invest in areas that are of mutual strategic importance to Wellcome and the individual institutions. These are within and across medical and clinical sciences, public health, social sciences and medical humanities.

How the funds can be used 

The funds can be used in a variety of different ways, for example to support:

  • early-career researchers
  • interdisciplinary research 
  • equality and diversity initiatives 
  • public engagement
  • translational science initiatives 
  • inter-institutional initiatives.

Current award holders 

Thirty universities have been awarded funding from October 2016.

£5 million

Imperial College London
Professor Jonathan Weber

King’s College London
Professor Simon Howell and Professor Tom Foulkes

University College London
Professor Geraint Rees

University of Cambridge
Professor Paul Lehner

University of Oxford
Professor Heidi Johansen-Berg

£3.5 million to £3.75 million

Cardiff University
Professor Kim Graham

Newcastle University
Professor Derek Mann

University of Bristol
Professor Rachael Gooberman-Hill

University of Dundee
Professor Doreen Cantrell

University of Edinburgh
Professor Jonathan Seckl

University of Glasgow
Professor Iain McInnes

£2.5 million

London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Professor Dame Anne Mills

University of Birmingham
Professor Paul Moss

University of Liverpool
Professor Malcolm Jackson

University of Manchester
Professor Mike Dixon

University of York
Professor Deborah Smith and Professor Alex Wade

£1.25 million to £1.5 million

Birkbeck, University of London
Professor Nick Keep

University of Aberdeen
Professor Gary Macfarlane

University of Exeter
Professor Nick Talbot

University of Leeds
Professor Mark Harris

University of Leicester
Professor Andrew Fry and Professor Mark Jobling

University of St Andrews
Professor Malcolm White

University of Sussex
Professor Laurence Pearl

Up to £1 million

Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
Professor Steve Ward

Queen’s University Belfast
Professor Alan Stitt

St George’s University of London
Professor Julian Ma

Trinity College Dublin
Professor Mani Ramaswami (this funding was awarded in partnership with Science Foundation Ireland and the Irish Health Research Board).

University College Dublin
Professor William Gallagher (this funding was awarded in partnership with Science Foundation Ireland and the Irish Health Research Board).

University of Nottingham
Professor David Brook

University of Warwick
Professor Mohan Balasubramanian and Professor Andrew McAinsh

The awards are for up to five years, subject to review during the third year. They are matched by an equal contribution from the university.

Contact us 

If you have any questions, contact Kerry Garfitt

k.garfitt@wellcome.org