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Home > Knowledge & support > Resource hub > Five reasons researchers should apply for the Breakthrough T1D UK Small Grant Awards
Dr James Pearson, who received one of our Small Grant Awards in 2021.
Our Small Grant Awards provide competitive funding to support early career researchers with innovative ideas. We fund projects that have the potential to deliver significant contribution to the understanding or management of type 1 diabetes. This funding opportunity provides researchers with an opportunity for independence within the field of type 1 diabetes research, encourages collaboration, and allows novel research ideas to develop into the basis for further funding.
Below are five reasons you should apply to Breakthrough T1D UK Small Grant Awards, from our 2021 awardees themselves – Dr James Pearson, Dr Martin Eichmann, and Dr Carol Yang.
1) Research independence Becoming independent as a type 1 diabetes researcher can be challenging. However, whether you are a basic researcher, clinician, or healthcare professional, the Small Grant Awards can help you take that leap. Carol said: “With the help of the Small Grant Awards, I was able to start an independent research group”. Martin said: ”The Award helped kick-start my independent research career.”
2) Create data for further funding The Small Grant Awards can give you the funding to gather preliminary data that would allow you to apply for large-scale grants. James said: “The Small Grant Award allowed me to create exciting new data that has led to me being successfully awarded nearly £1 million as part of the Type 1 Diabetes Grand Challenge”.
3) Career progression As well as opening opportunities for further funding, the Small Grant Awards can help accelerate your research career. Martin said: “My Small Grant Award allowed me to set up and establish new research methodology” James said: “This Award provided me with a fantastic opportunity to explore a previously unfunded offshoot of my current research”.
4) Improve your collaboration network Collaborations are at the heart of good research. Such connections can enrich a researchers’ network, among multiple disciplines. James said: “The Small Grant Awards solidified my current collaborations and enabled me to collaborate with new researchers outside of the type 1 diabetes research field”.
5) Pass on the support to other researchers The positive impact of these awards does not stop with the awardees. Carol explained: “This funding has allowed us to support student projects and provide opportunities for young people to gain hands-on experience in my research lab”.
As well as the above awardees, the latest three projects to receive our Small Grant Awards are exploring new ideas from targeting the immune attack causing type 1 diabetes, to growing new insulin-producing beta cells in the lab.
We are pleased to announce an increase in funding for the 2023 Small Grand Awards. In this challenging time of increasing prices, we hope the increased funding of £20,000 for basic research and £30,000 for clinical research will open even more doors for our successful applicants.
Without our supporters, this research and increased funding would not be possible. We couldn’t have put it better than 2021 Small Grant Awardee, Martin, who said: “I am incredibly grateful to all donors and to Breakthrough T1D and their supporters for this award that provided me with a crucial steppingstone to advance my research and to help improve the lives of people living with type 1 diabetes”.
Please visit the Small Grant Awards page for further information, including the application form.
Browse open funding calls from Breakthrough T1D International.
Browse the opportunities we have for research funding in partnership with other organisations.
Find out how to apply for Breakthrough T1D-funded grants.
In 2024, Mason Barnaby was asked by Instagram influencer Zachery Dereniowski if he would like $1,000 or a ticket to a baseball game. His response – to see the baseball – went viral. We caught up with Mason to find out how T1D brought with it a new favourite sport.
Living with T1D since 1971, Sarah has witnessed a revolution in care and technology. But as she gets older, she is concerned about the lack of knowledge and understanding of T1D in care settings.
MJ works full-time as a chef in London and has recently started volunteering as an assistant to our Events and Supporter-Led Fundraising team.
Bob has lived with type 1 diabetes for 10 years and is one of our dedicated Community Connector volunteers.
