Wellcome Trust International Master’s Fellowship 2026

A fully funded 30-month dual-phase career catalyst providing early-career health scientists from LMICs with high-level taught postgraduate degrees followed by fully resourced, independent home-country clinical epidemiology research.

Funding snapshot

• Funding tier: 100% full tuition fees, includes global travel & visa
• Tax-free stipend: £16,000 – £22,000 / year (adjusted for study location)
• Total duration: 30 months (12 months taught + 18 months research)
• Research grant: up to £20,000 for project lab, fieldwork & compute
• Eligible regions: LMICs including Nepal (DAC list & WHO SEARO)
• Estimated total award value: ~£65,000 GBP
• Deadline: 18 December 2026, 17:00 GMT (institutional endorsement required 10 days prior)

Program scope

The Wellcome Trust International Master’s Fellowship in Public Health and Tropical Medicine provides high-potential, early-stage clinicians, epidemiologists, and public health researchers from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) with the resources to pursue advanced, structured academic training. Fellows complete an accredited 12-month Master’s programme (MSc, MPhil, or MPH) at a world-class academic institution, followed immediately by an 18-month empirical research project based within their home country or another qualified LMIC research station.

• Phase 1 — Taught Master’s (12 months): enrolment in recognized institutions such as the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Oxford, or accredited regional centres in Africa & South Asia. Fully covered tuition and living stipend.
• Phase 2 — In-country research (18 months): direct execution of an independently designed clinical or population health investigation hosted by an accredited research organization or ministry facility in the applicant’s home country.

Strategic health priorities (2026 cycle)

• Vector-borne & neglected tropical diseases (NTDs)
• Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance
• Maternal, neonatal & reproductive health epidemiology
• Climate-induced pathogen transmission & One Health
• Non-communicable disease burden in low-resource urban settings
• Digital health & epidemiological disease modeling

Eligibility framework

• LMIC nationality & residency: applicants must hold citizenship and primary residency in a low- or middle-income nation on the OECD-DAC list (e.g. Nepal, Bangladesh, Kenya, Ghana). Expatriates residing indefinitely in high-income countries are not eligible.
• Academic qualifications & career stage: a recognized bachelor-level qualification in clinical medicine, veterinary sciences, public health, statistics, nursing, or biological sciences, generally with under four years of postdoctoral or post-master’s research experience.
• Host institution & supervisor commitment: a primary research supervisor at an eligible non-profit research institution or accredited university in the home country, supplying laboratory, ethical, and clinical infrastructure during Phase 2.

Selecting Master’s & research hosts

• UK & European Master’s route: full 12-month residency at institutions such as LSHTM, Heidelberg, or the Amsterdam Institute for Global Health — rigorous biostatistical immersion and extensive global faculty networks.
• Regional LMIC centre of excellence route: training within an accredited regional institution such as Mahidol University (Thailand), Wits (South Africa), or ICMR (India) — epidemiological focus on tropical disease conditions directly relevant to home pathology.
• Nepal specific protocol: applicants proposing Phase 2 research within Nepal must ensure their sponsor institution provides an advance letter of intent conforming to the Nepal Health Research Council (NHRC) National Ethical Guidelines for Health Research.

Frequently asked questions

Can I apply if I already hold an MPH? Generally, Wellcome does not fund a second master’s in the exact same discipline. However, if your existing qualification is a general clinical degree (e.g. MBBS, BDS) or a non-research clinical diploma, or if the new MSc provides specialized quantitative competencies (such as health data analytics or genetic epidemiology) not covered previously, you remain fully eligible with proper justification.

Does the stipend cover dependents? The core award includes an individualized stipend for the fellow. Wellcome provides separate supplementary provisions for parental leave, childcare support during overseas conference attendance, and accessibility accommodations; dependent visa fees are typically the applicant’s responsibility.

Can I switch the home research project if fieldwork access changes? Yes. During month 9 of the taught master’s, fellows submit a formalized Phase 2 research protocol confirmation; with supervisor agreement and Wellcome portfolio officer sign-off, methodological and geographical adjustments can be officially ratified.

Is an unconditional university offer required before applying? No. You only need to demonstrate initiated applications or a conditional offer; funding is contingent on securing formal acceptance before course matriculation.

Member-exclusive dossier: the full 18-page proposal framework, funded sample proposal, reviewer scoring matrix, host endorsement template, and officer directory are available to PHU Pro members. Opportunity WT-2026-F09, cross-verified against the Wellcome Trust grants registry (audit ID PHU-REG-8492). Annual intake ~25 fellows globally.