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JDRF has now rebranded to Breakthrough T1D.
Our name has changed, our mission has not.

International Breakthrough T1D funding opportunities

We are the leading charitable funder of type 1 diabetes research worldwide having funded more than £2 billion in type 1 research.
Content last reviewed and updated: 10.10.2024

A type 1 diabetes researcher on Dr Rocio Sancho's team, working in the lab

We offer a wide range of funding schemes for researchers in the field of type 1 diabetes and its associated complications, including Strategic Research Agreements, Industry Discovery and Development Partnerships, Innovative Grants and conference grants. We also offer training grants including postdoctoral fellowships, advanced postdoctoral fellowships, career development awards, early-career patient-orientated diabetes research awards and psychology fellowship awards.

The following Breakthrough T1D funding opportunities are administered by our central office in New York. Read our guidance on applying for Breakthrough T1D funding for more information about the application process.

Open funding calls

FY25 Diabetes Psychology Fellowship Programme

This funding opportunity aims to increase capacity in type 1 diabetes related clinical psychology and type 1 diabetes related psychology research. The applicant is required to work with a mentor who can provide a training environment conducive to a career in type 1 diabetes-relevant psychosocial research. At the time of award activation, the applicant must have a doctoral degree (PhD, PsyD, MD), or an equivalent from an accredited institution and must not be simultaneously serving an internship or residency.

Read more about the FY25 Breakthrough T1D Diabetes Psychology Fellowship Programme call and how to apply.

  • Application deadline: 23 October 2024
  • Notification of outcome: 14 February 2025
  • Earliest start date: 1 April 2025

FY25 Innovative Award

This award provides seed funding for highly innovative, high-risk-high-reward research with significant potential to accelerate the mission of Breakthrough T1D. Proposals should address key outstanding questions and have the potential to lead to a challenge or a change in the current paradigm or conventional wisdom and/or lead to a groundbreaking discovery. Preliminary data is not required in the proposal, but the underlying concept, premise or hypothesis must be plausible and testable, and the proposal must be focused with a well-defined goal that is achievable within the timeframe and amount of the award.

Read more about the FY25 Innovative Award call and how to apply.

  • Application deadline: 24 October 2024
  • Notification of outcome: January 2025
  • Earliest start date: 1st March 2025

Clinical Trials Advancing Metabolic Therapies for T1D

The goal of this funding opportunity is to target metabolic imbalances to improve glucometabolic outcomes in people with established type 1 diabetes (T1D). This funding opportunity will prioritise T1D clinical trials evaluating therapies either approved or in development for metabolic diseases such as T2D, obesity, and MAFLD. This program will award grants for clinical studies of up to $2,000,000 over 3 years.

Read more about the Clinical Trials Advancing Metabolic Therapies for T1D call and how to apply.

  • LOI deadline: 31 October 2024
  • LOI outcome notification: 21 November 2024
  • Full proposal deadline: 7 January 2025
  • Notification of outcome: May 2025
  • Earliest start date: July 2025

Project Concepts for Strategic Research Agreements

Funding for single or multiple investigators to address critical gaps and challenges and potential breakthroughs in type 1 diabetes research. The Strategic Research Agreement (SRA) is a partnership between researchers and Breakthrough T1D scientists to help address roadblocks and accelerate Breakthrough T1D’s mission through support of cutting-edge scientific investigation.

  • You must first submit a project concept
  • Letter of Intent deadline is 6 November 2024
  • You must hold a PhD, MD, DMD, DVM, or equivalent
  • You must be in a faculty position or equivalent
  • The amount and length of funding is variable
  • Successful project concept applicants will be contacted by Breakthrough T1D staff for further project development by 20 December 2024.

Read more about the Strategic Research Agreement and how to submit your project Concept in the Breakthrough T1D Grant Handbook.

The next SRA deadline after this will be 6 May 2025 with a LOI status notification (contact by Breakthrough T1D staff for further project development) of 17 June 2025.

Rolling funding calls

We accept and review applications for funding opportunities in this section throughout the year.

Industry Discovery and Development Partnerships

Our industry partnerships aim to promote for-profit interest in Breakthrough T1D’s mission to find a cure for type 1 diabetes and its complications, focusing on a priority area within  our mission. IDDP provides a mechanism and opportunity for Breakthrough T1D to foster long-term collaborative relationships with industry, taking promising type 1 diabetes research through discovery and development and toward commercialisation.

This funding opportunity is aimed at biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies or other public or private for-profit organisations. We encourage applications from companies proposing collaboration with academic researchers.

For more information about this opportunity, including current and past partnerships, please visit our Industry Research Partnerships page.

Conference grants

We offer financial support for scientific meetings, conferences, and workshops relevant to our mission of eradicating type 1 diabetes and its effects on people. Funding is provided for organisation and delivery of an event and does not provide individual support to an applicant for conference attendance.

You should submit your conference grant application three to six months prior to your proposed meeting date. Read more about our conference grants including eligibility criteria and how to apply in the Breakthrough T1D Grant Handbook.

Past funding calls

These funding opportunities below have now closed but give you an idea of the type of research topics Breakthrough T1D funds. You can also find details of key dates for when you will hear whether your application has been approved and when we expect the funded projects to start.

Accelerating clinical trials evaluating disease-modifying therapies for T1D

The goal of this call is to invite applications that propose clinical trials to test small molecules, biologics, and combination therapies to delay, halt, or reverse the progression of T1D.

The proposals should be aimed at the clinical assessment of novel or untested disease-modifying therapies, or combinations of molecules that have shown preliminary clinical efficacy as single agents, with the potential to delay, halt, or reverse the progression of disease in individuals in Stage 3 of disease.

LOI’s can be submitted to Breakthrough T1D’s Strategic Research Agreement (SRA) or Industry Discovery and Development Partnership (IDDP) grant mechanisms. Please note that for IDDP LOI’s, applicants are required to contact the Breakthrough T1D scientific contact below prior to submitting an LOI. For more information on these mechanisms, please refer to the Breakthrough T1D Grant Handbook.

Applicants may request budgets of up to $1.5M per year, for up to 4 years. Consideration of budgets or timelines that exceed these guidelines must be discussed with Breakthrough T1D staff prior to LOI submission.

An informational webinar will be held on Wednesday August 28, 2024 at 7:00pm BST to provide
further information on this opportunity.

Read more about the Accelerating clinical trials evaluating disease-modifying therapies for T1D call

  • LOI deadline: Thursday 10 October 10 2024
  • Notification of LOI Outcome: Thursday 31 October 2024
  • Full proposal deadline: Monday 13 January 2025
  • Response to applicants: June 2025
  • Earliest anticipated start date: August 2025

Artificial Intelligence Powered Approaches for T1D Cell Therapy

The goal of this funding opportunity is to accelerate research and development of next generation beta cell replacement therapies for type 1 diabetes (T1D) by leveraging advancements in artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Letters of Intent (LOI) aimed at addressing one or more of the following gaps in T1D cell therapy research using AI/ML:

  • Improving the function and/or survival of renewable sources of insulin-producing cells (e.g., stem cell-derived islets).
  • Developing immune protection strategies to prevent rejection of transplanted cells that do not rely on chronic systemic immunosuppression.
  • Establishing methods of predicting transplanted cell survival and function prior to decline in c-peptide levels or glycemic control.
  • Implications of a specific therapeutic approach (cell type and protection strategy, site of implantation) for efficacy, safety and patient selection.

Proposals coming from multi-disciplinary teams comprised of both data scientists and expert T1D researchers will be prioritised.

Proposed budgets for projects should not exceed $750,000.00 USD (including 10% indirect costs) total costs for up to three years. Consideration of budgets or timelines that exceed these guidelines must be discussed with Breakthrough T1D staff prior to LOI submission. For more information on these mechanisms, please refer to the Breakthrough T1D Grant Handbook.

For-profit entities may apply under Breakthrough T1D’s Industry Discovery & Development Partnership (IDDP) funding mechanism. Please contact Dr. Nicholas Mamrak to discuss proposed scope and budget prior to submitting an application. Indirect costs are not permitted on IDDP applications.

Breakthrough T1D will hold an announcement introduction meeting via Zoom on September 10, 2024, from 6 pm BST to which all prospective applicants are invited. Breakthrough T1D scientists will give an overview of the goals of this initiative, explain the application process, and answer initial questions on applications.

Read more about the Artificial intelligence powered approaches for T1D cell therapy call.

  • LOI deadline: Monday 23 September 2024
  • Notification of LOI Outcome: Tuesday 8 October 2024
  • Full proposal deadline: Tuesday 5 November 2024
  • Response to applicants: April 2025
  • Earliest anticipated start date: June 2025

Mechanisms of graft acceptance in clinical islet transplantation

The goal of this funding opportunity is to expand the understanding of mechanisms contributing to long term survival/function and immune tolerance toward islet grafts following transplantation in type 1 diabetes (T1D) using existing clinical datasets.

This initiative will award grants to academic investigators and industry partners of up to $750,000.00 over 2 years.

Breakthrough T1D will consider applications with increased scope (time and/or budget) where there is a strong justification. Interested applicants should discuss with the Breakthrough T1D scientific contact, nmamrak@breakthrought1d.org.

Breakthrough T1D will hold an announcement introduction meeting via Zoom on 20 August 2024, from 6-7 pm BST to which all prospective applicants are invited. Breakthrough T1D scientists will give an overview of the goals of this initiative, explain the application process, and answer initial questions on applications.

Read more about the Mechanisms of graft acceptance in clinical islet transplantation call.

  • Letter of intent deadline was Tuesday 17 September 2024
  • Notification of full application request: 24 September 2024
  • Full application deadline (on invite only): 22 October 2024
  • Response to applicants: March 2025
  • Earliest anticipated start date: June 2025

Development of devices and drugs for fully automated insulin delivery at meals

This RFA is intended to support the development of automated insulin delivery (AID) systems, or components of an AID system, with the following features:

  • No user interactions, even simple meal announcements, required for adequate coverage of typical meals and snacks
  • AID systems must manage mealtime glucose excursions while mitigating the risk of delayed hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia
  • The system must not impose additional burdens on users (for example, additional external wearables), and would ideally improve upon current levels of usability
  • AID systems developed for a target population that includes people not currently achieving recommended glycemic targets, rather than just the most highly engaged users already achieving optimal glucose outcomes, will be prioritized. For example, new systems should be minimally complex, and trials should include people currently achieving suboptimal glycemic outcomes (e.g. high A1c, low time in range), as feasible

Applications proposing clinical trials may request up to a total of $2,000,000 over a maximum of three years; applications proposing nonclinical work may request up to $1,000,000 over a maximum of two years.

For-profit entities may apply under Breakthrough T1D’s Industry Discovery & Development Partnership (IDDP) funding mechanism.

Read more about the Development of devices and drugs for fully automated insulin delivery at meals call.

  • Letter of intent deadline was Tuesday 17 September 2024
  • Notification of full application request: 7 October 2024
  • Full application deadline (on invite only): 18 November 2024
  • Response to applicants: April 2025
  • Earliest anticipated start date: June 2025

Project Concepts for Strategic Research Agreements

Funding for single or multiple investigators to address critical gaps and challenges and potential breakthroughs in type 1 diabetes research. The Strategic Research Agreement is a partnership between researchers and Breakthrough T1D scientists to help address roadblocks and accelerate Breakthrough T1D’s mission through support of cutting-edge scientific investigation.

  • You must first submit a project concept
  • The deadline for your Letter of Intent was 2 May 2024
  • You must hold a PhD, MD, DMD, DVM, or equivalent
  • You must be in a faculty position or equivalent
  • The amount and length of funding is variable
  • Successful project concept applicants will be contacted by Breakthrough T1D staff for further project development by 14 June 2024.

Read more about the Strategic Research Agreement and how to submit your project Concept in the grant handbook.

Postdoctoral Fellowships

  • Open to those at a relatively early stage of their career
  • PhD, MD, DMD, DVM, or equivalent received no more than five years before the application is submitted. Must not be simultaneously serving an internship or residency
  • Maximum budget based on number of year’s experience, for up to 3 years (min $199,500 over three years, max $237,300 over three years)
  • The application deadline was 27 June 2024
  • Award notification 31 January 2025
  • Earliest start 1 March 2025
  • Read more about the Advanced Postdoctoral Fellowships in the grant handbook.

Advanced Postdoctoral Fellowships

  • Open to qualified and promising health scientists, to provide an opportunity to receive full time research training, and to assist these promising individuals in transitioning from a fellowship to an independent (faculty-level) position
  • PhD, MD, DMD, DVM, or equivalent received no more than six years before the application is submitted. Must not be simultaneously serving an internship or residency.
  • $95,000 per year, for up to 3 years
  • The application deadline was 27 June 2024
  • Award notification 31 January 2025
  • Earliest start 1 March 2025
  • Read more about the Advanced Postdoctoral Fellowships in the grant handbook.

Career Development Awards

  • Open to individuals at an early stage of their independent academic career
  • PhD, MD, DMD, DVM, PsyD or equivalent and in an academic faculty-level position since less than 3 years before the submission date
  • The applicant must hold an academic faculty-level position (including assistant professor or equivalent) at the time of submission of the proposal at a university, health science centre, or comparable institution with strong, well-established research and training programs for the chosen area of interest
  • Up to $200,000 per year, for up to 5 years, including up to 10% for indirect costs
  • The application deadline was 27 June 2024
  • Award notification 31 January 2025
  • Earliest start 1 March 2025
  • Read more about the Career Development Awards in the grant handbook.

Kellogg Family Early-Career Patient-Orientated Diabetes Research Awards

  • Open to clinical researchers at a relatively early stage of their independent career
  • MD, MR-PhD or PsyD and in their first faculty-level appointment less than 5 years before the submission date
  • Applicants must hold an appointment or joint appointment in a subspecialty of clinical medicine in a clinical department, and conduct human clinical research.
  • Up to $200,000 per year, for up to 5 years, including up to 10% for indirect costs
  • The application deadline was 27 June 2024
  • Award notification 31 January 2025
  • Earliest start 1 March 2025
  • Read more about the Kellogg Family Early-Career Patient-Orientated Diabetes Research Awards in the grant handbook.

Glycaemic and beta cell monitoring in individuals at risk of type 1 diabetes

The aim of this call is advancing our understanding of glycaemic changes during disease progression in presymptomatic individuals (Stages 1 and 2), with the potential to improve progression biomarkers and monitoring their transition to clinical diagnosis (Stage 3).

The focus of this call is the improvement of current or new metabolic risk assessment tools and their integration into clinically and commercially utilized testing platforms.

Proposed budgets for projects should not exceed $900,000.00 total costs for up to 3 years of duration.

  • Letter of intent deadline was 25 January 2024
  • Notification of full application request: 1 February 2024
  • Full application deadline (on invite only): 8 March 2024
  • Response to applicants: 30 July 2024
  • Earliest start: 1 October 2024

Innovative Awards

Breakthrough T1D provides seed funding for highly innovative, high risk high reward research with significant potential to accelerate the mission of Breakthrough T1D. Proposals should address key outstanding questions and have the potential to lead to a challenge or a change in the current paradigm or conventional wisdom and/or lead to a ground breaking discovery.

Innovative grants provide one year of support for a maximum of $200,000.00 which includes 10% indirect costs.

Read more about the Innovative Awards in the grant handbook.

  • The application deadline was 25 January 2024
  • Award notification 31 July 2024
  • Earliest start 1 September 2024

Development of Interventions to Modulate Immune Cell Trafficking in T1D

The goal of this funding opportunity is to accelerate the identification and validation of reagents that promote immune rebalance and the protection of beta cell function through modulating the trafficking of immune cells to the pancreatic islets.

Proposals submitted for this opportunity should describe the preclinical or clinical development of therapeutic strategies targeting the trafficking of disease-relevant immune cell populations.

This program will award grants of up to $900k over 3 years.

  • Letter of intent deadline was 17 January 2024
  • Notification of full application request: 31 January 2024
  • Full application deadline (on invite only): 28 February 2024
  • Response to applicants: 31 August 2024
  • Earliest start: 1 October 2024

Effectiveness and Implementation Trials to Address Mental Health in Type 1 Diabetes

The funding aims to support the implementation and integration of evidence-based T1D specific behavioural and psychosocial interventions into clinical practice.

This program will award grants up to $1,500,000.00 over 4 years.

  • Letter of intent deadline was 18 December 2023
  • Notification of full application request: 11 January 2024
  • Full application deadline (on invite only): 20 February 2024
  • Response to applicants: 31 July 2024
  • Earliest start: 1 September 2024

JDRF Diabetes Psychology Fellowship Program

  • The fellowship is intended for those at a relatively early stage of their career. Ordinarily, the most recent doctoral degree will have been received no more than 5 years prior to the application submission.
  • A documented research experience.
  • A career interest in type 1 diabetes specialized psychology
  • A PsyD, PhD, MD or an equivalent degree. Must not be simultaneously serving an internship or residency.
  • Fellowship stipends can be requested for up to a maximum of $65,000 USD per year. Funds may only be used towards the fellow’s salary.
  • The application deadline was 7 November 2023
  • Award notification 12 February 2024
  • Earliest start 1 April 2024

Translation of hypoimmunogenic beta/islet cell sources into late preclinical/clinical testing for cell therapies in T1D (Cure programme)

The funding aims to support the advancement of early preclinical stage hypoimmunogenic pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) for beta cell replacement in type 1 diabetes into late preclinical or pilot clinical testing.

The primary objective is to further develop established genetically modified beta/islet cells derived from PSCs with immune evasive properties through late preclinical validation, scaling, and clinical testing which will ultimately lead to type 1 diabetes therapies.

  • Letter of intent deadline was 5 September 2023
  • Notification of full application request: 12 September 2023
  • Full application deadline (on invite only): 10 October 2023
  • Response to applicants: April 2024
  • Latest start date: June 2024

Collaborative research to identify causes of type 1 diabetes

This funding call is titled Accelerating Collaborative Research in Type 1 Diabetes Etiology and Pathogenesis using Biosamples from an Observational Clinical Study. It is open to researchers anywhere in the world.

The funding aims to support collaborations with ENDIA investigators to improve understanding of the etiology and pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes during gestation and early childhood.

This call seeks new collaborators outside of the current network of ENDIA investigators to carry out research using data and biosamples from ENDIA. Relevant proposals led by investigators whose expertise is not type 1 diabetes are also encouraged.

ENDIA will provide biosamples, relevant clinical metadata and additional support. JDRF Australia and Helmsley will provide funding to cover project activities.

  • Letter of intent deadline: 7 April 2023
  • Notification of full application request: 15 May 2023
  • Full application deadline (on invite only): 11 July 2023
  • Response to applicants: September 2023
  • Latest start date: December 2023

Calls for applications under our Cure programme

Collaborative Advancement of Cures for T1D

  • Letter of Intent deadline: 8 December 2022
  • Notification of full application request: 22 December 2022
  • Full application deadline (invite only): 13 February 2023
  • Response to applicants: 31 July 2023
  • Earliest anticipated start date: 30 September 2023

Development and Validation of Noninvasive Immune Imaging Technology to Accelerate the Development

  • Funding details: up to $750,000 over 3 years
  • Letter of Intent Deadline is 30 August 2022
  • Notification of full application request: 14 September 2022
  • Full application deadline (invite only): 12 October 2022
  • Response to applicants: 30 April 2023
  • Earliest anticipated start date: 30 June 2023

Realignment of Established Targets and Mechanisms for Delaying or Reversing T1D

  • Letter of Intent deadline: 23 August 2022
  • Notification of full application request: 7 September 2022
  • Full application deadline (invite only): 4 October 2022
  • Response to applicants: 28 February 2023
  • Earliest anticipated start date: 30 April 2023

Development of Islet-Targeted Drug Delivery Strategies in T1D

  • Letter of Intent deadline: 17 August 2022
  • Notification of full application request: 2 September 2022
  • Full application deadline (invite only): 5 October 2022
  • Response to applicants: 31 March 2023
  • Earliest anticipated start date: 31 May 2023

Calls for applications under our Improving Lives program

Clinical Trials and Mechanistic Clinical Studies to Advance Adjunctive Therapies for Glucometabolic Control in Type 1 Diabetes

  • Letter of Intent deadline: 21 June 2022.
  • Notification of full application request: 12 July 2022.
  • Full application deadline (on invite only): 23 August 2022.
  • Response to applicants: 28 February 2023
  • Earliest anticipated start date: 1 April 2023

User-centric Insulin Pumps

  • Letter of Intent deadline: 10 May 2022
  • Notification of full application request: 31 May 2022
  • Full application deadline (invite only): 13 July 2022
  • Response to applicants: 28 February 2023
  • Earliest anticipated start date: 1 April 2023

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