$50.1m committed for type 1 diabetes research funding
On November 25, 2024, the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Hon Mark Butler MP, committed $50m to the Type 1 Diabetes Clinical Research Network. This was immediately met with bi-partisan support, with Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care, Senator the Hon Anne Ruston, confirming a matched commitment.
This was announced at Breakthrough T1D’s Kids in the House event, with over 100 advocates – children and families who live with T1D – meeting with MPs and Senators at the Australian Parliament House.
The T1DCRN is one of the key funders of type 1 diabetes (T1D) research in Australia, and has been in operation for over 10 years – leading to countless research advancements.
This was a monumental day for our community, giving hope that research breakthroughs could soon transform their lives.
It was thanks to the amazing efforts of Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF)Â advocates that this outcome was possible, following over 12 months of dedicated campaigning.Â
The funding will be invested in ground-breaking T1D research over the course of 5 years.
Advocating for research funding: Research Holds the Key
The funding previously committed for the T1DCRN had all been invested in research and was about to run out. So, Breakthrough T1D advocates worked to inform politicians about the importance of T1D research and what research breakthroughs would mean for them.
Without a new funding injection, some of the amazing projects already underway and those on the horizon could not be funded. This would have been devastating for T1D researchers and the T1D community, who urgently need breakthroughs.
We were asking for $50m to ensure we could invest in three key areas of research:
- prevention, so that one day nobody will be diagnosed with T1D
- precision medicine, to move away from a ‘one size fits all’ treatment approach
- progress towards cures, to give hope to the 145,000+ Australians already living with T1D.
Our advocates in action
For over 12 months, Breakthrough T1D’s government team, alongside T1D researchers and amazing advocates all over the country, met with MPs and Senators to talk to them about life with T1D and why research holds the key to a different, better future.
There were hundreds of meetings, and thousands of emails, letters, phone calls, and important conversations – raising awareness about T1D, our ask, and the research that it would make possible.
This activity happened in the lead up to Breakthrough T1D’s Kids in the House. Here, they met with their MPs and Senators, played a soccer match against politicians, participated in media, and shared lunch with MPs and Senators in the Great Hall.
This is where Minister Butler addressed the community and made the $50m commitment, which was immediately endorsed by Senator Ruston.
This was an amazing outcome for our community, seeing first-hand how over a year of hard work resulted in a $50m commitment for research that will transform the lives of those with T1D.
