Wellcome plots path to a kinder research culture

What is afoot at the Wellcome Trust may shape research practice for years to come

In January the Wellcome Trust published a report highlighting the ‘toxic environment’ in which much research is undertaken. Many of its findings pointed the finger at the funding structure that underpins it.

“With the constant pressure to secure grant funding and rolling employment contracts,” the report stated, “respondents often said that rivalry and competition over scarce resources made working environments toxic and led to people stepping on one another to get to the top.