NEW YORK, [December 4, 2019] – JDRF, the leading global organization funding type 1 diabetes (T1D) research, and the Israel Science Foundation (ISF), the leading funding organization that provides governmental and public support for basic research in Israel, announces the launch of a new initiative to invest in local research driving cures for T1D in Israel. The JDRF-ISF partnership will fund up to $6 million in T1D research in Israel over the next five years.

JDRF and ISF are seeking applications from Israeli researchers that propose collaborative, goal-oriented research projects in promising T1D research areas, including beta cell replacement and immune therapies. The JDRF-ISF initiative will fund projects that bring together the diverse expertise required to drive research discoveries closer to cures and clinical advances to benefit people with T1D.

“JDRF-funded researchers in Israel stand at the vanguard of the global T1D research community,” said Andrew Rakeman, Ph.D., JDRF Assistant Vice President of Research. “By partnering with the Israel Science Foundation, JDRF is strengthening its commitment to funding cutting-edge global projects that will drive progress in T1D research and clinical care.”

Prof. Yuval Dor, Head of ISF’s Life Sciences and Medicine division, adds: “There is a thriving community of T1D investigators and clinician-scientists in Israel, and we are extremely excited about the possibility to support this excellent community jointly with JDRF. The ISF, like JDRF, believes that collaborative, investigator-initiated research, evaluated on the basis of scientific excellence, is the best way to make progress towards further understanding and curing diabetes”.

This new collaboration builds upon the groundbreaking work being conducted in Israel and leverages the strong T1D research infrastructure there.

JDRF currently supports T1D research in Israel with projects at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Bar Ilan University, and Schneider Children’s Medical Center. This new collaboration will enhance the considerable expertise and innovation in Israel for the benefit of the global T1D community. Learn more here.

About JDRF

JDRF is the leading global organization funding type 1 diabetes (T1D) research. Our mission is to accelerate life-changing breakthroughs to cure, prevent and treat T1D and its complications. To accomplish this, JDRF has invested more than $2.2 billion in research funding since our inception. We are an organization built on a grassroots model of people connecting in their local communities, collaborating regionally for efficiency and broader fundraising impact, and uniting on a national stage to pool resources, passion, and energy. We collaborate with academic institutions, policymakers, and corporate and industry partners to develop and deliver a pipeline of innovative therapies to people living with T1D. Our staff and volunteers throughout the United States and our six international affiliates are dedicated to advocacy, community engagement and our vision of a world without T1D. For more information, please visit jdrf.org or follow us on Twitter: @JDRF

About Israel Science Foundation

The Israel Science Foundation (ISF) is Israel's predominant source of competitive grants funding basic research. Its mission is to initiate research programs, evaluate, select and support Israeli basic research through competitive grants based on excellence and scientific merit within a wide range of fields, including Life Sciences and Medicine, Exact Sciences and Technology, Social Sciences and Humanities. Most funds are provided by the Government of Israel via the Planning and Budgeting Committee (PBC) of the Israel Council for Higher Education (CHE). The rest comes from donations. Its roughly $200 million annual budget funds more than 2,500 grants a year, in its various programs.