Unlocking research and innovation in diabetes care
Since the breakthrough discovery of insulin one hundred years ago, there have been remarkable strides in diabetes research and innovation. Many new devices, medicines, technologies and digital solutions are improving the lives of people living with diabetes (PwD) and their carers. Despite these advancements though, diabetes continues to place a huge burden on PwD, health systems and societies, highlighting that the search for more effective treatments, prevention strategies and ultimately a cure, is not over.
There are, nonetheless, promising avenues of research, such as new disease-modifying and cell replacement therapies, and innovative blood glucose monitoring and insulin delivery mechanisms, which hold the promise of a new revolution in diabetes prevention, management and care. Today, most innovative solutions are complemented and supported by the digitalisation of health systems and the increased use of data and Artificial Intelligence, presenting unprecedented opportunities for personalised care and informed decision-making in diabetes self-management.
However, realising these opportunities requires increased investment and political commitment to support and accelerate research and ensure widespread availability and accessibility to innovations for all PwD who need them.
IDF EUROPE YOUTH PLATFORM
Apply to be part of the Youth Leadership Lab 2024!
Are you between 18 and 30 years old and would like to become part of a dynamic community of young diabetes advocates? Join the IDF Europe Youth Leadership Lab (YLL) 2024!
The YLL was launched in 2011 and it is aimed at nurturing a new generation of youth advocates and creating a strong pan-European network of Young Advocates in Diabetes.
This year, the YLL 2024 will consist of an opening session and one online leadership introductory module in June followed by an on-site Youth Leadership Camp in Serbia, from 7 to 13 July 2023. We thank the Diabetes Association of Serbia for hosting it!
Don’t miss this opportunity to engage with people living with diabetes from all over Europe and to collaborate with them to create projects that will have a positive impact on local, national and European diabetes communities.
The deadline for applying is April 7!
Click here to learn more about the programme and how to apply
MEMBER NEWS
IDF Europe at the 20th Portuguese Congress of Diabetes
On March, IDF Europe Board Member, Ms Stella de Sabata, participated in the inaugural conference of the 20th Portuguese Congress of Diabetes, organised by the Portuguese Society of Diabetology (SPD), with a presentation on “European Diabetes Policies in the work of IDF Europe”.
During her address, Ms de Sabata explained the importance of strong policy and advocacy at national and European levels to elevate diabetes on the political agenda in the context of the upcoming EU Elections.
She also described IDF Europe's core activities and programmes as well as the different ways in which Member Associations can engage with the organisation.
IDF Europe’s invitation to the conference testifies the strong commitment of the Portuguese diabetes community and the SPD towards advancing diabetes prevention and care and improving the lives of all PwD across Europe.
IDF Europe’s poster at the European Commission webinar on NCDs prevention
On March 20, IDF Europe Regional Manager, Elisabeth Dupont, participated in the European Commission stakeholder webinar on prevention of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). During the webinar, which aimed to provide an update on the main EU policies and projects on NCDs prevention, Elisabeth Dupont presented a poster on the project “Eat Better, Live Better”, developed in collaboration between IDF Europe and its member associations, APDP, Diabetes Portugal and the French Diabetes Federation.
This initiative is sponsored by the international movement “Healthy Food Healthy Planet” and its goal is to promote the role and uptake of affordable and sustainable plant-based diets in the prevention and management of diabetes.
IDF Europe Communications Toolkit for Member Associations
IDF Europe released a Toolkit for its Member Associations which aims to provide background information on the Resolution on Diabetes adopted in 2022 by the European Parliament, the Declaration co-signed by IDF Europe and WHO Europe at the High-Level Technical Summit on Diabetes last November, and the Pledge on Diabetes developed with other European Diabetes Forum (EUDF) Members. The Toolkit suggests ways of leveraging these documents for policy action at national level. It includes:
An overview of the scope and the content of the Resolution/Declaration/Pledge
IDF Europe’s call to action throughout 2024
A timeline of key initiatives to June 2024
Strategies to get involved and support IDF Europe’s Campaign around the Declaration
Strategies to embed the Resolution/Declaration/Pledge in national advocacy
Resources and key messages to support advocacy and communications activities
Social media strategies and posts to raise awareness of diabetes and promote the calls made in the Resolution/Declaration/Pledge
Template letters for reaching out to national diabetes stakeholders and policymakers
National diabetes associations play a key role in driving change by raising awareness of diabetes and holding national, regional and local governments to account for their commitments on diabetes. The Resolution, Declaration and Pledge can only be impactful if governments are aware of their recommendations and calls to action. Achieving real impact requires the diabetes community to work together across all political levels. We trust that the Toolkit will help coordinate our efforts and those of our members to achieve positive change across the entire Europe Region.
To request the Toolkit, please contact sabine.dupont@idf-europe.org and martina.boccardo@idf-europe.org.
Save the date: IDF Europe Regional Council 2024
We are delighted to announce that the IDF Europe Regional Council 2024 will take place in Rome, Italy, on October 13-14.
Each year, the Regional Council represents a great opportunity to meet all our members in person, provide a review our priority projects and programmes, discuss financial matters and strengthen our network across Europe.
Stay tuned! More detailed information about the Regional Council will be shared with all our members before the summer.
We look forward to meeting all our members in Rome next October!
IDF EUROPE NEWS, ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS
IDF Europe at the ATTD Session on AI-Driven Clinical Decision Support Systems
On March 8, IDF Europe Project Coordinator and Diabetes Advocate, Mia Bajramagic, and IDF Europe Chair Elect, Prof. Tadej Battelino, participated in a session on AI-Driven Clinical Decision Support Systems organised by EUDF at the International Conference on Advanced Technologies and Treatments of Diabetes (ATTD), in Florence.
During the session, Mia Bajramagic shared her views about the potential of AI to help PwD be full partners in their own treatment and achieve not only optimal health outcomes but also improved quality of life. Prof. Battelino, meanwhile, highlighted AI’s potential in supporting personalised diabetes management.
T2D Platform Summit in Brussels
In 2022, IDF Europe launched a platform of people living with Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) interested in representing the voice of PwD in advocacy initiatives as well as through participation in other projects.
On March 16-17, IDF Europe held a Summit in Brussels with the current members of the platform and other people living with T2D who are interested in joining the community. Some 35 people from all over Europe and all walks of life joined the event and showed great enthusiasm for the opportunity to engage and share their personal experience with people living with the same condition.
The T2D Summit was the first of its kind and generated inspiring and insightful discussions on the barriers to T2D engagement in advocacy, on the opportunities for creating synergies at national and European levels and on the skills necessary to become strong diabetes advocates.
IDF Europe will continue to work on expanding and strengthening the T2D Platform and looks forward to continuing engaging with all those who attended the Summit.
Save the date: IDF Europe Symposium at EASD
During the 60th EASD Annual Meeting on September 9-13, IDF Europe will hold a symposium on innovation in diabetes care pathways and care personalisation.
The Symposium, supported by Air Liquide Healthcare, will take place on September 12, from 11:30-13:00 CEST, at the Retiro Hall, IFEMA Convention Center - Feria de Madrid.
Learn more about the EASD programme and how to register here
IDF Europe Country Profiles: Cyprus, Latvia, Luxembourg and the Netherlands
As part of our Centenary of Insulin campaign, we are releasing national factsheets presenting key facts about diabetes care, with the purpose of raising awareness and enabling policymakers to make better decisions when it comes to diabetes care.
IDF Europe Twinning Programme
As part of our Centenary of Insulin campaign, IDF Europe has been facilitating a dedicated knowledge exchange programme for all our member associations.
The objective of the Twinning Programme is to build on national expertise and foster strategic collaboration between member associations to grow their capacity. By doing so, one’s strengths are used to support someone else’s needs.
The Twinning Programme consists of one-on-one collaborations between member associations and a webinar series on key topics of interest for our members.
If your association should like to be considered for the Twinning Programme, please contact martina.boccardo@idf-europe.org.
News from the IDF Europe Team
We are delighted to announce that Adam Gyurcsik, Jessica Nastos, Maxence Prizzi and Izabell Thunström, who joined our team as interns in 2023, have now taken on new roles.
Adam Gyurcsik joined IDF Europe in April 2023 as Youth Programme Coordinator. Adam holds a degree in Communication and Media Studies from the Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest. As leader of a youth movement in Hungary, he gained experience in political communication and the management of projects led by youth and NGOs. Over the past months, he has been leading our projects aimed at supporting a new generation of diabetes advocates.
Jessica Nastos, who joined us in August 2023, will continue to work at IDF Europe as Project and Communication Coordinator. Jessica is currently completing her bachelor’s degree in Science Communication and Bionics at the University of Rhine Waal, where she collaborated with several NGOs on projects ranging from sustainability to healthcare. At IDF Europe, she coordinates various communication work packages within EU-funded projects and contributes to the organisation’s social media management.
Maxence Prizzi, our Junior Policy and Advocacy Officer, has been part of the IDF Europe team since March 2023. Maxence holds several degrees in Public Law, Political Science and International Relations from the Université Jean Moulin Lyon 3 and a Master’s degree in International Relations from the Université Libre de Bruxelles. She has experience in advocacy and in the implementation of awareness campaigns in the non-profit sector.
Izabell Thunström joined us as Project and Communication Intern in August 2023. After completing her internship, she has now joined our Policy and Advocacy team as Policy and Project Coordinator. Izabell holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations and Human Rights and a Master’s in Public Health. She coordinates IDF Europe’s collaboration with WHO Europe as well as the dissemination and communication work package of the EU-funded project DigiCare4You and also acts as project manager on our new Assess-DHT project.
We would also like to take this opportunity to thank Alina Chebes, former Senior Policy Officer and Sophia Demerouti, former Junior Communications Officer, who left our team to pursue other professional opportunities. We are thankful for their precious contribution to the work of IDF Europe and the diabetes community, and we wish them the best of luck in their new endeavours!
IDF EUROPE ADVOCACY AND COMMUNICATION WORK
EPP Electoral Manifesto: a step in the right direction, more needs to be done
IDF Europe welcomes the European People’s Party (EPP)’s electoral manifesto presented at their Congress in Bucharest on March 6-7. In an acknowledgment of the role of diabetes in population health, the Manifesto proposes a European Cardiovascular (CVD) Plan alongside a health screening initiative for CVD and diabetes.
However, this is not enough. A CVD plan can only be transformative if associated with a comprehensive diabetes plan. Integrating both conditions into a unified plan would provide a cost-effective solution to improving prevention and care and building a healthier future not only for those living with diabetes, CVD and other NCDs, but for all Europeans.
International Women’s Day
This year’s International Women's Day theme revolved around inspiring others to understand and value women’s inclusion. On this special day, we shined a light on the heavy toll diabetes takes on women throughout their life course.
Monthly glucose fluctuations due to the menstrual cycle, to pregnancy and menopause can pose a set of unique challenges to PwD.
We need to inspire inclusion within our health system, ensuring that everybody has access to the care, resources and opportunities needed to lead a healthy life. By promoting inclusivity, we hope to create a space where all PwD are heard and supported.
Check out our factsheet to learn more about diabetes in women
Brain Awareness Week
During brain awareness week (March 11-17), we drew attention to two of the brain-related Horizon EU-funded projects to which IDF Europe is currently contributing.
The RECOGNISED project, with the motto “The eye is a window to the brain”, seeks to understand the link between T2D and cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease. Project partners are looking into ways of diagnosing cognitive impairment in people with T2D early and in a non-invasive way by looking at the retina, a brain-derived tissue, directly connected to the brain.
The PRIME study seeks to understand why people with conditions such as T2D often develop brain-related comorbidities such as Alzheimer’s and the role of insulin in brain diseases. The project aims to develop tools for improved diagnosis, clinical care and prevention of insulin-related health issues.
On March 14, on the occasion of World Kidney Day, we raised awareness of the link between chronic kidney disease (CKD) and diabetes and stressed the importance of ensuring equitable access to screening and early diagnosis to prevent and optimally prevent CKD.
Check out our video to learn more about CKD and diabetes
On our website, we provide additional information on life with diabetes, including resources on diabetes-related complications such as CKD, CVD, diabetic foot and eye disease.
IDF Europe video on global diabetes goals and targets
On March 25, we released a video reviewing the global goals and targets on diabetes and other NCDs that world leaders have committed to over the past 15 years, including the Voluntary Targets on NCDs, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Global Diabetes Targets.
The video highlights how, despite these commitments, diabetes prevalence continues to rise and many people living with the condition do not achieve optimal health outcomes and develop life-altering complications.
This is why, last November, IDF Europe and WHO Europe held a High-Level Technical Summit, which led to the signing of a Declaration calling on governing bodies to uphold their commitments and accelerate action on diabetes.
Organisations and individuals, whether they live with diabetes, know someone who does, or would like to stand in solidarity with the community, can endorse the Declaration and become part of a powerful and united voice calling for stronger action on diabetes.
NEWS FROM EUROPE
WHO Europe: “Building a Public Health Innovation Ecosystem”
On March 11-12, IDF President-Elect, Prof. Peter Schwarz and Diabetes Advocate and IDF Europe Advisor to the Board, Cajsa Lindberg, joined WHO Europe's event on "Building a Public Health Innovation Ecosystem", which gathered experts, policymakers and innovation advocates to discuss how innovation can help tackle our greatest public health challenges.
In his speech, Prof. Peter Schwarz shared insights on the role and opportunities of innovations and technologies such as smartphone applications in improving health outcomes for PwD by supporting the availability and accessibility of diabetes care.
Cajsa Lindberg provided the perspective of people living with chronic conditions such as diabetes and stressed the importance of personalised treatment plans and the need for more person-centred and innovative solutions to improve the quality of life of all people living with chronic conditions such as diabetes.
Check out our publication to learn more about innovation in diabetes care delivery
EU Health Coalition’s call to action on investing in health
On March 12, the EU Health Coalition, of which IDF Europe is member, published a call to action for EU Finance and Economy Ministers on investing in health.
At the core of the Coalition's call is the idea that spending on health should not be seen as a cost in the annual budget, but as an investment in the future – no action to improve population health can be successful without adequate financing and resource allocation.
Political agreement on the EU Health Data Space
On March 15, the European Parliament and the Council of the EU reached a political agreement on the European Health Data Space (EHDS) which aims to support European citizens in taking control of their own health data and to advance better healthcare delivery, research, innovation and policy making.
Harmonised, Europe-wide data frameworks have the potential to bring about significant improvements in the prevention, management and care of diabetes and other NCDs and reduce health inequalities across the EU. The EHDS is critical to ensure that the ever-increasing quantity of health data can be leveraged not only to improve health outcomes for PwD but also to inform policymakers of the actions required to address the challenges posed by diabetes and to allow for more research and innovation.
The agreement reached on March 15 sets out clear rules for the use of health data. The new rules will harness the potential offered by the safe and secure exchange, use, and re-use of health data, while ensuring full compliance with the EU's high data protection standards.
Insulin On Board 2024 Football Tournament
The 6th edition of the Insulin on Board Cup (IOB Cup) 2024 will take place in Warsaw, Poland, on June 15-16. Every year, this sporting event sees the participation of nearly 500 players living with diabetes from all over Europe across four age categories.
Since its first edition, the IOB Cup has represented a great opportunity for the international diabetes community to come together, have fun and promote the importance of physical activity for PwD.
IDF Europe is honoured to be a patron of the event.
EU-FUNDED PROJECTS
ASSESS-DHT Call for Experts
IDF Europe is part of the newly launched ASSESS-DHT project, which aims to boost the adoption of trustworthy and effective Digital Health Technologies (DHT) across Europe.
As part of the project, an innovative assessment framework will be developed that goes beyond existing models, ensuring uniform Health Technology Assessment (HTA) adoption throughout Europe. This framework will address new assessment challenges in Digital Therapeutics, AI and telehealth.
As part of its multi-stakeholder approach, ASSESS-DHT is calling for experts from diverse backgrounds to join an expert group, including clinical experts, patients and citizens, digital health developers and industry professionals, policymakers and regulators.
The deadline for applications is April 5, 2024, at 17:00 CET!
Click here to learn more about the call for experts and apply
Get involved in Trials@Home!
Join the RADIAL study as a trial participant!
If you are living with Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) on long-acting insulin, in one of the countries where the trial is taking place – Denmark, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the UK and are interested in helping with the RADIAL proof-of-concept, you can learn more here.
Share your views on clinical trials!
If you are living with T2D in Austria, Germany or The Netherlands, then you can also take the Trials@Home Survey which aims to understand the preferences for participation in clinical trials of people living with T2D! The survey is being conducted among people >18 y/o living with T2D.
UPCOMING EVENTS ACROSS EUROPE
77th World Health Assembly
Geneva, May 27-June 1, 2024 |For more information, click here
17th International Primary Care Diabetes Europe Conference (PCDE) – The Changing Paradigm in Primary Care Diabetes Management
Barcelona, June 6-8, 2024 |For more information, click here
2024 European Parliament Elections
June 6-9, 2024 |For more information, click here
Football Tournament “Insulin on Board Cup” (IOB Cup) 2024
Warsaw, June 15-16, 2024 |For more information, click here
IDF Europe Youth Leadership Camp (YLC) 2024
July 7-13, 2024 |For more information, click here
European Network for the Promotion of Health-Enhancing Physical Activity (HEPA) 15th Conference
August 19-21, 2024 |For more information, click here
European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) 60th Annual Meeting
Madrid, September 10-13, 2024 |For more information, click here
International Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes (ISPAD) 50th Annual Conference
Lisbon, October 16-19, 2024 |For more information, click here
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