The Wellcome Trust vows to pull grants if researchers or institutions do not abide by its new misconduct policy.
One of the world’s largest research-funding charities is cracking down on harassment and bullying. Scientists who have been sanctioned by their institutions could lose out on funding from the Wellcome Trust, under rules announced on 3 May.
It is the first major UK research funder to institute such a policy; the US National Science Foundation introduced a similar rules earlier this year.
Wellcome’s policy will come into force for new grant applications on 1 June, and will apply to anyone already associated with a grant, including those whose projects are already under way. It gives Wellcome, a biomedical-research charity in London, the right to withhold funding from a researcher or bar them from applying for future grants.