2025

Our Research Funding

Our annual funding round is designed to support bright young researchers, as well as established institutions, as they strive to make the kind of life-changing breakthrough our diabetes community is hoping for.

Our first research award was made in 1999 for a small equipment grant and since that time, we have committed more than £13.5 million to diabetes research in the UK and as part of the International Diabetes Wellness Network, around the world.

To read more about our research strategy, click here.

To return to our funded research homepage, click here .

Sutherland-Earl Clinical Fellowship

Fully closed-loop insulin delivery in young-onset type 2 diabetes: Assessing impacts on glycaemic outcomes and quality-of-life in a diverse population

Recipient: Dr Rama Gnanakumar
Institution: University of Cambridge
City: Cambridge
Amount: £248,410.24

Description - click here to read: Increasing numbers of people under the age of 40 are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (T2D), especially those from ethnic minority and/or more disadvantaged backgrounds. Keeping blood sugar (glucose) levels in the target range reduces the risk of serious health problems but can be challenging. This research will look at whether an automated insulin delivery system, which includes an insulin pump and a glucose sensor, can help people with T2D requiring insulin treatment to better control their glucose levels.

We will study how this technology affects people aged 18 to 39 with T2D, making sure to include people from ethnic minority and more deprived backgrounds. Those taking part will spend three months using the automated insulin delivery system and three months using their usual insulin with a glucose sensor, in a random order. In addition to comparing glucose outcomes we will look at whether the technology can improve quality-of-life.

Read more here