The Wellcome Trust population initiative.

This paper describes what the Wellcome Trust has done and aims to do through its population initiative. The Trust is required to spend its funds to improve the physical welfare of mankind, and in this context there can be no more important issue than the rapid changes that are occurring in the human population. The Trust's first involvement was to help fund the New Delhi population summit covered by the world's scientific academics in 1993 and, following discussions with authorities in the field, initiated its funding programme in 1995. Through this programme, the Trust hopes to bring about improved understanding of the relationship between reproductive health, population growth, and sustainable development and create cadres of high quality research scientists in relevant disciplines. Uniquely, funding is available under this programme to suitably qualified applicants from any country other than the USA.