The Wellcome Trust is a biomedical research charity based in London, United
Kingdom. It was established in 1936 with legacies from the pharmaceutical magnate
Sir Henry Wellcome to fund research to improve human and animal health. The aim
of the Trust is to "achieve extraordinary improvements in health by
supporting the brightest minds", and in addition to funding biomedical research
it supports the public understanding of science. It has an endowment of around
£18 billion. The Trust has been described by the
Financial Times as the United Kingdom's largest provider of non-governmental
funding for scientific research and one of the largest providers in the world.
In the field of medical research, it is the world's second-largest private
funder after the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
History The Trust was established to administer
the fortune of the American-born pharmaceutical magnate Sir Henry
Wellcome. Its income was derived from what was originally called Burroughs
Wellcome, later renamed in the UK as the Wellcome Foundation Ltd. In 1986, the
trust sold 25% of Wellcome plc stock to the public. Overseen by incoming
Director of Finance Ian Macgregor, this marked the beginning of a period of
financial growth that saw the Trust's value increase by almost £14bn in 14
years, as their interests moved beyond the bounds of the pharmaceutical
industry. In 1995, the trust divested itself of
any interest in pharmaceuticals by selling all remaining stock to Glaxo
plc, the company's historic British rival, creating GlaxoWellcome plc. In
2000, the Wellcome name disappeared from the drug business altogether when
GlaxoWellcome merged with SmithKline Beecham, to form GlaxoSmithKline plc.
Activities = Biomedical research =
The Trust funds the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, a non-profit, British
genomics and genetics research institute.
= Support for Open Access = The Wellcome Trust plays an important
role in encouraging publication of research in open access repositories
such as UK PubMed Central. The Wellcome Trust believes that maximising the
distribution of these papers - by providing free, online access - is the
most effective way of ensuring that the research can be accessed, read and built
upon. In turn, this will foster a richer research culture.
= Public engagement and the Wellcome Collection =
In June 2007, the Wellcome Building reopened after refurbishment as a public
venue, housing the Wellcome Collection, the Wellcome Trust Centre for the
History of Medicine at University College London and the Wellcome Library.
The aim of the Wellcome Collection is to enhance public understanding of medical
science and history. The building contains gallery spaces, conference
facilities, space for debates, drama and workshops, a café and a bookshop. The
galleries show a small sample of works from Sir Henry Wellcome's collection,
and host a programme of events and exhibitions. The Wellcome Collection and
exhibitions are open to the public free of charge six days a week.
The Wellcome Collection and Wellcome Library are members of The London
Museums of Health & Medicine. = Seeding Drug Discovery Initiative =
Also known as SDDI, this five year initiative started in October 2005 with
the remit "to facilitate the development of drug-like small molecules that
address unmet medical needs." SDDI was based in London and managed by Richard
Davis. Through early 2010, SDDI had provided more than £80 million across 30
projects split between academic institutions and companies. To early
2010, all but one of the company recipients were either start-ups or
spin-outs. In May 2010, an additional £110 million was added to the SDDI fund
with the intent to extend the initiative for an additional 5 years.
= Purchase of the Co-operative Farms Business =
In August 2014, the Wellcome Trust bought the Co-operative Group's farm
business for £249 million. This comprised "15,997 hectares of freehold
and third party owned land, 15 farms, including three pack houses, over 100
residential properties, and 27 commercial properties."
= Membership in the Global Health Innovative Technology Fund =
In the summer of 2015, the Wellcome Trust joined the Japanese government, 7
Japanese pharmaceutical and diagnostics companies, The Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation, and the United Nations Development Program as funding partner
of the Global Health Innovative Technology Fund, which funds scientific
research and development for anti-infectives and diagnostics for
diseases that primarily affect the developing world.
Headquarters The Wellcome Trust's operations are run
from two buildings on Euston Road in London. The Wellcome Building, at 183
Euston Road, built in 1932 in Portland stone houses the Wellcome Collection and
the adjoining glass and steel building at 215 Euston Road is the Gibbs
Building, by Hopkins Architects, which opened in 2004 as the administrative
headquarters of the Wellcome Trust. See also
Heads of International Research Organizations
International Labour Organisation List of wealthiest charitable
foundations References
External links Wellcome Trust main website
Other Wellcome Trust websites Scientific Conferences supported by the
Wellcome Trust Ex Memoria - Wellcome Trust Awarded Film
Surgery Live, a Wellcome Collection collaboration with Channel 4
European Society for Clinical Microbioloy and Infectious Diseases
Federation of European Biochemical Societies
European Federation of Pharmaceutical Societies
International Society for Infectious Diseases