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International JDRF 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: 02.02.2024

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

Open funding calls

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 JDRF scientists to help address roadblocks and accelerate JDRF’s mission through support of cutting-edge scientific investigation.

  • You must first submit a project concept
  • Letter of Intent deadline: Thursday 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 JDRF staff for further project development by 15 June 2024.

Read more about the Strategic Research Agreement and how to submit your Project Concept.

The next SRA deadline after this will be 5 November 2024 with a LOI status notification (contact by JDRF staff for further project development) of 13 December 2024.

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 JDRF’s mission to find a cure for type 1 diabetes and its complications, focusing on a priority area within JDRF’s mission. IDDP provides a mechanism and opportunity for JDRF 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 JDRF’s 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.

Past funding calls

These funding opportunities below have now closed but give you an idea of the type of research topics JDRF 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.

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.

Read more about the glycaemic and beta cell monitoring in individuals at risk of type 1 diabetes call for applications.

JDRF will hold an announcement introduction meeting via Zoom on 20 December at 3-4pm GMT. Please register to this webinar using this link.

  • 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

JDRF provides seed funding for highly innovative, high risk high reward research with significant potential to accelerate the mission of JDRF. 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.

  • 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.

Read more about the development of interventions to modulate immune cell trafficking in T1D call for applications.

JDRF held an announcement introduction meeting via Zoom on 13 December at 9-10pm GMT.

  • 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.

Read more about the effectiveness and implementation trials to address mental health in type 1 diabetes.

  • 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
  • Latest start date: June 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
  • Read more about the JDRF Diabetes Psychology Fellowship Program
  • If you are a UK-based researcher who holds a JDRF Postdoctoral Fellowship, you can apply for our   Postdoctoral Fellowship Research Communication stipend. This additional award is intended to provide our UK-based researchers with additional research communication opportunities and a competitive salary rate based on the standard university salary bands in the UK.

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.

Read more about the Translation of hypoimmunogenic beta/islet cell sources into late preclinical/clinical testing for cell therapies in T1D.

  • 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

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 6 July 2023
  • Award notification 31 January 2024
  • Earliest start 1 March 2024
  • Read more about the Postdoctoral Fellowships
  • If you are a UK-based researcher who holds a JDRF Postdoctoral Fellowship, you can apply for our   Postdoctoral Fellowship Research Communication stipend. This additional award is intended to provide our UK-based researchers with additional research communication opportunities and a competitive salary rate based on the standard university salary bands in the UK.

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 6 July 2023
  • Award notification 31 January 2024
  • Earliest start 1 March 2024
  • Read more about the Advanced Postdoctoral Fellowships

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 center, 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 6 July 2023
  • Award notification 31 January 2024
  • Earliest start 1 March 2024
  • Read more about the Career Development Awards

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 6 July 2023
  • Award notification 31 January 2024
  • Earliest start 1 March 2024
  • Read more about the Kellogg Family Early-Career Patient-Orientated Diabetes Research Awards

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

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 JDRF scientists to help address roadblocks and accelerate JDRF’s mission through support of cutting-edge scientific investigation.

  • You must first submit a project concept
  • The deadline for your Letter of Intent is Wednesday 2 November 2023
  • 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 JDRF staff for further project development by 15 December 2023

Read more about the Strategic Research Agreement and how to submit your Project Concept.

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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