Boehringer Ingelheim and the European Foundation for the Study of Diabetes (EFSD) announced a new partnership to establish a €2.5 million research grant programme, encouraging diabetes research over the next three years.

The EFSD/Boehringer Ingelheim European Research Programme is intended to stimulate and accelerate research in Europe and encourage new projects aimed at advancing current knowledge in diabetes.

Diabetes is a condition that affects more and more people. “Therefore Boehringer Ingelheim is delighted to partner with the ESFD on this initiative, bringing together two organisations dedicated to improving the lives of people with diabetes,” said Professor Klaus Dugi, corporate senior vice president, Boehringer Ingelheim. “As part of our commitment to diabetes patients, we support research that will aid our understanding of the disease and ultimately help to improve therapeutic options for patients, and we hope this grant will support research that otherwise may not be possible.”

The grant programme will focus on two areas of interest - pre-clinical research looking into the function of non-insulin peptides secreted by the endocrine pancreas, investigating also the roles, functions and mechanisms of non-ß cells; and clinical research which will investigate the mechanisms relating renal dysfunction to cardiovascular disease in type 2 diabetes.

Prof. Ulf Smith, president of EASD and EFSD, stressed the importance of increasing funding for diabetes research in Europe: “EFSD is proud to establish this valuable cooperation with Boehringer Ingelheim. I hope this partnership will inspire both governments and industry to increase their contributions to research into diabetes.”

Applications are invited from single non-profit institutions or groups of institutions in Europe and will be subject to a scientific review by a specialised and independent committee. Researchers who are interested in applying for a grant can download an application form from www.EuropeanDiabetesFoundation.org. Applications can be submitted from January 2012, with the deadline for submission by April 2012.

Diabetes affects approximately 285 million people worldwide. T2D is the most common type, accounting for an estimated 90 per cent of all diabetes cases. Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs when the body either does not properly produce, or use, the hormone insulin.

The Boehringer Ingelheim group is one of the world’s 20 leading pharmaceutical companies and has been committed to researching, developing, manufacturing and marketing novel products of high therapeutic value for human and veterinary medicine.

The European Foundation for the Study of Diabetes (EFSD) was created by the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) to provide multiple funding initiatives in all areas of diabetes research. The aims of EFSD are to encourage and support research in the field of diabetes, to rapidly diffuse acquired knowledge and to facilitate its application.