National grant awarded to support international collaboration led by Danish and global partners, including the Danish Diabetes and Endocrine Academy

Funding Awarded to Strengthen Global Data Efforts

We are pleased to announce that funding has been awarded by the Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Science to support a new international collaboration focused on improving Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) data in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

A Global Network Anchored in Denmark

The collaboration brings together the Danish Diabetes and Endocrine Academy (DDEA), the World Diabetes Foundation (WDF), the EAST African Diabetes Study Group, the University of Geneva, and is anchored in Denmark through the Steno Diabetes Center Odense. The initiative includes strong engagement from institutions across Africa and Latin America.

Building on a Landmark Meeting in Copenhagen

The partnership was established following the international conference “Type 1 Diabetes – Advancing a Global Road Map for Improved and Integrated Care in Low-Resource Settings”, held in Copenhagen in February 2025.

The event brought together stakeholders from research, clinical care, policy, and civil society to advance a global strategy for improving T1D care and data in low-resource settings.

A central element of the meeting was a dedicated Early-Career Researcher (ECR) track, involving 25 ECRs from Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America. The track focused on capacity building and on supporting the next generation of researchers in T1D in LMICs to take on leading roles in research, data development, and global collaboration. A shared conclusion from the meeting was the need to sustain this collaboration with a clear and continued focus on T1D data infrastructure and capacity building.

First Step: ECR Track in Tanzania, February 2026

As the first activity supported by the new grant, a second Early-Career Researcher track will take place in Tanzania in February 2026. This marks a direct continuation of the capacity-building focus, now brought closer to local contexts in sub-Saharan Africa.

The Tanzania event will further empower early-career researchers to co-develop data tools, foster collaboration, and engage in global dialogue around scalable T1D data solutions in LMICs.

A Strategic Step Towards Equitable Diabetes Care

This grant marks an important step in keeping global attention on T1D as a neglected area of global health, and in translating strong Danish expertise in health data into meaningful, collaborative action internationally.

Want to Know More about Type 1 Diabetes in Low- and Middle- Income Countries?

The DDEA Global Health Podcast: Type 1 Diabetes Challenges and Actions dives into the challenges in type 1 diabetes care and research in low- and middle-income countries, and meets experts who are paving the way to progress with concrete actions: DDEA Global Health Podcast | Danish Diabetes and Endocrine Academy

Get Insights from Early-Career Researchers who participated in the early-career researcher track at the global meeting in Copenhagen, February 2025 here