Our international affiliates
Global partners in our movement to change life with T1D
Achieving our vision of a world without T1D requires global collaboration.
Approximately 1.45 million Americans live with type 1 diabetes (T1D), and another 7 million around the world are affected by the disease. Our five affiliates—Australia, Canada, Israel, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom—are key partners in funding the research that will reduce the burden of T1D on people’s lives until there are cures.
Our Australia affiliate
- More than 126,000 Australians are currently living with T1D, with 8 more people diagnosed each day.
- Cases of T1D in Australia are growing by 4.3% per year, compared to the general population growth of 1.4% per year.
- Australians with T1D are 5 times more likely to suffer from depression and 1.8 times more likely to suffer from anxiety than someone without T1D.
- T1D costs the Australian economy a total of $2.9 billion annually through a range of direct and indirect costs.
- To date, the organization has invested more than $266 million into research across diverse focus areas including disease-modifying therapies, screening for T1D, closed-loop insulin delivery, and more.
- Our Australia affiliate is currently funding more than 50 active research projects across Australia.
- Our Australia affiliate’s advocacy efforts have been instrumental in producing over half a billion dollars of new investment into type 1 diabetes in Australia in the last 10 years.
- Supported by the Australian Government, the organization established The Australian Type 1 Diabetes Clinical Research Network (T1DCRN) to forge global partnerships and bring together world-class T1D researchers. The T1DCRN is currently funding more than 30 cutting-edge research projects.
Our Canada affiliate
- An estimated 300,000 Canadians are currently living with T1D.
- Cases of T1D in Canada are growing by 4.4% per year, compared to the general population growth of 1.2% per year.
- In 1974, a group of parents determined to find a cure for their children living with T1D came together and established our Canada affiliate, launching the largest funder and advocate for T1D research in Canada.
- Our Canada affiliate works every day to change the reality of this disease for millions of people by funding research advocating for government support of research, new therapies, and devices; and connecting the T1D community.
- In 2023, the organization supported 57 active projects in Canada with a total multi-year grant value of approximately $54 million CDN. Of these projects, 15 were clinical trials, and another six were research trainees—the next generation of Canadian T1D researchers.
Our affiliate in
the Netherlands
- More than 120,000 people in the Netherlands are currently living with T1D.
- Cases of T1D in the Netherlands are growing by 2.8% per year, compared to the general population growth of 0.3% per year.
- Our Netherlands affiliate was founded in 2010 by Maarten de Groot, father of a son with T1D.
- Since 2010, the organization has spent over 9 million euros for scientific research in the Netherlands.
Our affiliate in Israel
- More than 23,000 people in Israel are currently living with T1D.
- Cases of T1D in Israel are growing by 5.4% per year, compared to the general population growth of 1.9% per year.
- Our Israel affiliate is the only nonprofit organization in Israel that is focused solely on people with T1D.
- The organization has partnered with the Israel Science Foundation to establish a $6 million initiative to support T1D research in Israel.
Our affiliate in the United Kingdom
- The UK has one of the highest rates of T1D in the world, with more than 413,000 people living with the condition.
- Cases of T1D in the UK are growing by 3.5% per year, compared to the general population growth of 0.7% per year.
- Various world-leading T1D researchers are based at UK institutions, including Professor Roman Hovorka at the University of Cambridge, who launched the world’s first licensed artificial pancreas app in 2020.
- Former UK Prime Minister Theresa May was announced as an ambassador for our UK affiliate in 2020.
- Our UK affiliate set up the Connect Immune Research initiative, alongside Versus Arthritis, the MS Society, and the British Society for Immunology, to research the links between different autoimmune conditions and accelerate new treatments and cures. The partnership continues to expand as new organizations representing autoimmune conditions join.
- In June 2021, the National Health Service (NHS) announced a pilot to support the wider roll out of artificial pancreas technology across England for people with type 1 diabetes, following our UK affiliate’s advocacy.
- This advocacy operation has also seen all pregnant women with type 1 diabetes in England and Wales provided with continuous glucose monitors via the NHS.
Our global research footprint
Breakthrough T1D’s global footprint includes five international affiliates and research in 21 countries, including research conducted at our Centers of Excellence, located in the United States, Canada, and Australia.
