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Wellcome
Global charitable foundation for science research
- 1001+ employees
- Healthcare
- B2B
- Mental health
- Wellbeing
- Science
- 215 Euston Road, London NW1 2BE, UK
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Company mission
Wellcome's mission is to support science to solve the urgent health challenges facing everyone.
Insights
Otta's take
Xav Kearney
CTO of Otta
The Wellcome Trust was originally founded in 1936 to fund medical research and has since grown into the UK’s largest private scientific research fund, and one of the wealthiest charities in the world. Disbursing over £1 billion in funds a year, it has provided funding to numerous medical research projects in its focus areas of mental health, climate & health and infectious diseases. These include the Cancer Genome Project and the Ebola Emergency Initiative.
Wellcome's recent decision to divest itself of its shares in fossil fuels has also relieved it of a persistent source of controversy, as this was potentially hindering the credibility of its climate change research. Wellcome has since partnered with the World Economic Forum to collect data on how climate change is affecting health worldwide.
The company is also moving to adjust to a more global role. The majority of its funding has historically been allocated to UK firms, but as climate change and infectious diseases know no borders, neither does research into solutions to these problems. lt has recently established an office in Berlin to strengthen its scientific links in the EU and to allow it to more easily fund important research outside of the UK.
Benefits
- Holiday – 25 days’ holiday a year plus bank holidays (and we usually close between Christmas and New Year)
- Pension (defined contribution plan) – you contribute at least 3% and we pay in 15% of your salary
- Income protection – to maintain your income if you have a prolonged illness or disability
- Life assurance – four to six times your basic salary if you’re a member of our pension plan
- Interest-free travel season ticket loan
- Private medical insurance – we pay the cover, you pay the tax (and you can pay to add dependants)
- Gym and fitness classes – free membership to on-site gym and subsidised fitness classes and treatments
- Employee assistance programme – free, independent 24/7 help and advice for work-related issues as well as problems affecting your home life
- Mental health support – our network of mental health first aiders can be a first point of contact, or help while you're receiving professional help
- Health assessments (free and voluntary) – after you’ve been here for one year, then every two years after that
- Occupational health – annual eye tests and flu jabs, as well as job-related vaccinations
- Flexible working – we make every effort to support flexible working, including flexible working hours and remote working (we respect people's different working preferences and the need for a healthy work-life balance)
- Flexi-leave scheme – you can buy or sell up to five days of your holiday entitlement a year
- Staff social club – a range of sports teams and fun events throughout the year
- Volunteering – we give you up to four days' paid leave a year to contribute to our local community
- Give As You Earn – allows you to make tax-free donations to the charities you care about
- Cycle-to-work scheme – we offer at least 25% discount on bikes and cycling equipment and we have secure cycle storage, lockers and showers
- Subsidised restaurant and cafe
- Wellcome Collection discounts – 20% off food, drink and gifts from our cafe, restaurant and shop
- Discounts through Perkbox – shopping, restaurants, cinema tickets, phone insurance and gift cards
Company values
- We make it count
- We act boldly
- We stretch ourselves
- We pull together
Founders
Jeremy Farrar
(Director, not founder)Has been Director of the Wellcome Trust since 2013. Before that was Director of Oxford Clinical Research Unit, working on research and clinical trials for diseases in Vietnam.