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Announcing the MEXA Generative AI for Mental Health Research Accelerator

MEXA is thrilled to announce the Generative AI for Mental Health Research Accelerator, a four-month program designed to support interdisciplinary research teams in preparing foundational research on the application of generative AI to improve measurement of and intervention in anxiety, depression, and psychosis. With generous funding from Wellcome, this accelerator will support teams with the resources, mentorship, and strategic guidance to pilot research or pilot model development, positioning them as strong candidates for an exclusive large-scale funding call (up to £3 million per award) from Wellcome open only to accelerator participants.

Accepted teams into the accelerator will gain critical support, including:

Comprehensive support for research proposal development
Workshops on designing pilot experiments, and project, code, and data management for collaborative research projects
Funding for pilot research and/or pilot model development
Funding to cover contributions of team members that cannot join the accelerator as part of an existing salaried position
Expert-led support for integrating lived experience in research
Ethics support to ensure responsible AI development

Learn more about Wellcome's Funding Call here.

Who Can Apply

Applications to the accelerator must be submitted by teams – individuals are not able to apply alone. However, individuals with relevant expertise who are looking to join a team may apply during the Expression of Interest stage and we’ll do our best to match you with complementary team members!

Applicants must be based at an eligible organization that can sign up to Wellcome’s grant conditions and can be based anywhere in the world apart from mainland China. Further details will be provided when the scheme launches on 24 March 2025.

Key Accelerator Dates

Application Workshop – 7 May 2025 at 3:00 p.m. UTC | Register Here
Application Deadline – 28 May 2025
Accelerator Decision Announcements – Late July/Early August 2025
Wellcome’s Major Funding Call Opens – Late July/Early August 2025
Accelerator In-Person Event – Date & details to be confirmed, likely October 2025
Wellcome Funding Call Closes – 2 December 2025

View the Recording of our Accelerator Launch Webinar

Learn more about the MEXA Generative AI for Mental Health Research Accelerator and Wellcome’s upcoming funding call by viewing the recording of our two launch events.

Want to learn more about MEXA? Visit our About page for details. Sign up for updates by entering your email below.

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently asked questions and their answers from our Launch Webinar are outlined below.

Further information on this funding program can be found on Wellcome’s scheme page: https://wellcome.org/grant-funding/schemes/generative-ai-accelerator.

Accelerator Program (Stage 1)

Q: How much detail is required for proposals to the accelerator stage? Do we need a fully developed research proposal?

A: While a fully developed research proposal is not required for the accelerator stage, your application should clearly define the research question, objectives, and its potential to advance the measurement of and/or intervention in anxiety, depression, or psychosis. Proposals must also outline the feasibility and a clear pathway for applying generative AI in mental health. Please refer to the assessment criteria on the scheme page for full details. Teams accepted into the accelerator will receive support to refine and strengthen their proposals for Stage 2 applications.

Q: Can teams apply for funding (stage 2) without participating in the accelerator?

A: No, Wellcome’s funding call is only open to teams that are selected for the accelerator stage.

Q: What support will be provided during the accelerator stage? How will Neuromatch manage resources and assess the needs for accelerator teams?

A: The accelerator does not provide direct grants but accepted teams will receive comprehensive support, including funding for pilot research or model development (e.g. for compute power), workshops on pilot experiment design, and training in project, code, and data management. The program also provides funding for team members who are not in salaried positions, ethics guidance for responsible AI development, and expert-led support on integrating lived experience in research. Neuromatch will assess team needs through regular check-ins to ensure equitable resource distribution. This structured support will help teams refine their proposals and enhance research feasibility.

Q: What is the time commitment for the accelerator?

A: The accelerator is designed to be flexible but requires a moderate commitment. While exact expectations vary, teams should anticipate dedicating approximately 20% of their time to the 4-month program. The accelerator program will run from August to December 2025, including an in person event in early November 2025 (TBC). Checkpoints and milestones will be communicated at the start.

Q: How many teams will be accepted into the accelerator?

A: We do not have a set number but anticipate accepting 20-30 teams into the accelerator. The final number will depend on the strength and quality of applications, as well as available resources.

Q: Do teams need to be fully formed before applying?

A: While Neuromatch offers matchmaking services before the application deadline, teams can apply and indicate where they are missing expertise and how they plan to address it and recruit into those roles. However, it is worth noting that the assessment criteria has a large component (60%) based on the team composition and expertise, so it is important to be clear about plans to create a fully formed team and apply with at least a partially formed team.

Q: Does the accelerator stage include salaries for people participating?

A: We may provide salary support for team members who cannot participate as part of an existing salaried position. This is not guaranteed and will depend on available resources and demonstrated need.

Q: How does this research accelerator differ from startup accelerator programs?

A: Unlike startup accelerators, this program does not involve equity splits or founder shares. It focuses on research development, industry and academic collaboration, and advancing knowledge and proof of concept approaches in AI and mental health.

Team Composition

Q: What is the ideal team composition?

A: There is no strict requirement, but teams should include expertise in generative AI, mental health research, AI ethics, and lived experience of mental health, as well as clinical applications where relevant. Teams intending to work on measurement problems should have demonstrable expertise in mental health measurement; those intending to work on improving intervention should have demonstrable expertise with developing mental health interventions. A diverse team with complementary skills will be best positioned to develop impactful research. Please refer to the ‘Team, Skills, and Experience’ section of the assessment criteria for more details.

Q: Can I apply as an individual?

A: No, applications must come from teams of 2–8 members with a mix of relevant expertise.

Q: How competitive do you expect this to be? Should teams without world-class experience and expertise consider applying?

A: Teams should reflect on their position in the wider research landscape and whether they have a potentially transformative idea. Applications will be assessed based on the team’s ability to deliver the proposed work based on expertise and the potential impact of that work. Wellcome and MEXA are committed to global inclusion and encourage applications from diverse teams and contexts. If you believe you have a compelling proposal, we strongly encourage you to apply.

Q: Can teams be international?

A: Yes, teams can be composed of members from different countries.

Q: Can two team members come from the same institution?

A: Yes, multiple team members can come from the same institution.

Q: Can all team members come from industry without academic affiliation?

A: No, the administering organisation of the lead applicant must be able to sign up for Wellcome’s grant conditions and be from a non-profit, academic institution, or non-academic healthcare institution.

Q: How should teams incorporate lived experience expertise?

A: There is no fixed percentage, but teams are encouraged to integrate lived experience perspectives meaningfully, whether through individual co-investigators, collaborations with advocacy groups, or both.

Q: What documentation or description is required for lived experience roles in the application?

A: We do not expect anyone to be asked to disclose details of any mental health condition or provide documentation of any diagnosis beyond self-identifying as having the relevant expertise. Lived Experience (LE) experts should have the necessary skills to fulfil their role on the project - e.g. members of a LE focus group may not require any specific expertise outside of their experience of a mental health condition, but an LE co-investigator may need experience in leading LE engagement, and a level of understanding as to the systemic issues around digital mental health technologies.

Q: How should teams incorporate ethics expertise?

A: Teams should work to identify the needed ethics expertise, knowledge and experience that is most relevant for addressing the ethics considerations and complexities specific to their research aims and methods. This will include bringing on board ethics expertise to inform key morally relevant features related to the study condition(s) study, measures, datasets, and design features being used in model development, refinement, evaluation. This could include a mix of ethicists as co-investigators, collaborators, and/or consultants. Teams should seek to incorporate the necessary mix of ethics expertise most relevant to their projects. While we expect all funded research projects to have appropriate ethics oversight from relevant ethics bodies and committees, in line with our funding policies, review and approval by an institutional research ethics committee review will not be seen as sufficiently meeting the criteria for incorporating necessary ethics expertise.

Remit

Q: Can projects focus on mental health conditions other than anxiety, depression, and psychosis?

A: No, proposals must focus on projects that investigate symptoms or experiences relevant to anxiety, depression and psychotic disorders. This includes: all types of anxiety and depressive disorders (including obsessive compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder) and all forms of psychotic disorders (including schizophrenia, postpartum psychosis and bipolar disorder).

Q: Does our research proposal need to address both aims outlined in the scheme page?

A: No, proposals must work towards one or both of these aims. They should do so in a way that leads to a positive impact on how we measure and/or treat anxiety, depression and/or psychosis.

Q: Does generative AI refer only to deep learning models or LLMs?

A: No, other computational approaches (e.g., small language models) may also be considered.

Q: Can projects develop and test therapeutic interventions?

A: Proposals are welcome to test models, measures and interventions with consented research participants who may have been diagnosed with mental health problems, within controlled experiments. But proposals must not deploy their solutions for broader access by the general population within the lifetime of this award.

Q: Can solutions be fully automated?

A: Yes, solutions can be fully automated but need to involve the relevant expertise, for example developing in collaboration with clinicians and/or healthcare professionals where relevant when developing automated solutions.

Eligibility

Q: Can individuals outside the United Kingdom apply?

A: Yes, if they meet the eligibility requirements for the scheme. These can be found on the Wellcome scheme page.

Q: Does the Lead Applicant need to be affiliated with a UK-based university?

A: No. The lead applicant can be from a higher education institution, a research institute, a non-academic healthcare organisation, a not-for-profit organisation or a non-governmental research organisation based anywhere in the world apart from mainland China. The lead applicant’s organisation must be able to comply with Wellcome’s grant conditions.

Q: Can PhD students be participants/co-applicants? Is there a capacity for PhD students to participate?

A: PhD students cannot be applicants or coapplicants on an application. PhD students can participate as collaborators as long as their participation in the award is compatible with the requirements of their PhD. PhD fees and stipends are a disallowed cost.

Q: Does the lead applicant need to be connected to an academic institution?

A: The lead applicant does not need to be affiliated with an academic institution. The lead applicant can be from a higher education institution, a research institute, a non-academic healthcare organisation, a not-for-profit organisation or a non-governmental research organisation based anywhere in the world apart from mainland China. They must be based at an eligible organisation that can sign up to Wellcome’s grant conditions.

Q: Can individuals be part of multiple team applications?

A: No, you can only be part of one team on one application to the Accelerator

Q: Can startups apply with an academic partner?

A: Yes, commercial organisations including startups can be coapplicants and would be able to receive indirect funding from the lead applicant organisation. All organisations receiving funding whether directly or indirectly must be able to comply with Wellcome’s grant conditions. Lead applicants must be from a higher education institution, a research institute, a non-academic healthcare organisation, a not-for-profit organisation or a non-governmental research organisation based anywhere in the world apart from mainland China.

Q: Can commercial organisations as well as not-for-profit organisations receive Wellcome funding through this funding call?

A: Teams who are accepted to the accelerator will receive more information about the funding call including what costs are allowed and disallowed in August 2025. For those awarded funded through the funding call, awards will be made to the lead applicant’s organisation which must be a higher education institution, a research institute, a non-academic healthcare organisation, a not-for-profit organisation or a non-governmental research organisation; commercial organisations including startups can be coapplicants and would be able to receive indirect funding from the lead applicant organisation. All organisations receiving funding whether directly or indirectly must be able to comply with Wellcome’s grant conditions.

Q: Do applicants need to have attended a launch webinar?

A: No. You do not need to have attended one of the launch webinars to apply to the accelerator.

Industry Partnerships

Q: Can teams with an existing industry partner who might benefit from collaboration with a foundation model provider also apply for the Google collaboration?

A: Yes, teams with an existing industry partner can apply for the Google collaboration. However, please note that the support from Google in this collaboration is specifically focused on its own foundational models (i.e. Gemini) and they are unable to provide direct support or resources for the integration or use of other foundation models beyond those developed by Google.

Q: What is Google’s role in the accelerator?

A: Google’s role is to accelerate research for select teams by sharing our expertise around safe and responsible usage of AI for the benefit of humanity. Google will be providing access to Google's subject matter and technical experts (e.g., LLM and AI researchers, clinicians) from Google Health and Google DeepMind, as well as compute resources. Additionally, Google will offer tailored guidance for Google's LLM models given specific needs for select research projects, serving as thought partners for impact, safety and responsibility considerations.

Q: Will Google review accelerator applications?

A: Google will be reviewing and assessing accelerator applications for those that request to work with them. However, the final decisions will be made by Wellcome with the advisory committee.

Intellectual Property

Q: What are the intellectual property terms under Wellcome’s funding?

A: Wellcome’s approach to intellectual property for grant-holders can be found at the following link: Intellectual Property Guidance.