FEDERATION INTERNATIONALE DU DIABETE REGION EUROPE AISBL

Their core work

IDF Europe is the European arm of the International Diabetes Federation, an advocacy and patient organization representing people with diabetes across Europe. In H2020 projects, they bring the patient perspective to clinical research, digital health interventions, and community-based prevention programs. Their role spans patient and public involvement (PPI), policy advocacy, health inequalities awareness, and connecting research consortia with real-world diabetes communities. They serve as a bridge between clinical researchers and the millions of Europeans living with diabetes.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their early H2020 period (2014–2019), IDF Europe focused on community-level diabetes prevention (Feel4Diabetes) and patient involvement in connected health and health equity (OPEN). From 2019 onward, their portfolio shifted toward more clinical and biomedical territory — decentralised clinical trials (Trials@Home), diabetes-related neurodegeneration (RECOGNISED), and advanced stem cell therapies (ISLET). This evolution suggests the organization is moving from purely advocacy-oriented roles toward contributing the patient voice in increasingly complex biomedical and digital health research.

IDF Europe is expanding from traditional patient advocacy into digital health tools, remote trials, and advanced therapies — making them increasingly relevant for clinical and translational diabetes research consortia.

How they like to work

IDF Europe operates exclusively as a consortium participant, never as coordinator — consistent with their role as a patient advocacy body that contributes domain expertise rather than managing research programs. With 92 unique partners across 23 countries, they work in large, diverse consortia typical of major RIA projects. Their wide network and non-competing NGO status make them an easy, low-friction partner for any diabetes-related consortium needing genuine patient representation.

IDF Europe has collaborated with 92 distinct partners across 23 countries, giving them one of the broadest networks in the European diabetes research landscape. Their Brussels base and pan-European federation structure naturally connects them to patient organizations and health systems across the continent.

What sets them apart

As the European branch of the world's largest diabetes federation, IDF Europe offers something most research organizations cannot: direct, credible access to the diabetes patient community and established advocacy channels across dozens of European countries. For consortium builders, they solve the increasingly critical requirement of meaningful patient and public involvement (PPI) — not as a checkbox exercise but through an organization with decades of advocacy infrastructure. Their Brussels location also positions them well for EU policy engagement and dissemination.

Highlights from their portfolio

• Trials@Home
  Their largest funded contribution (EUR 217,754) in a flagship project building Europe's Center of Excellence for remote decentralised clinical trials — a major shift in how clinical research is conducted.
• ISLET
  Represents IDF Europe's entry into advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMP) and stem cell research for Type 1 diabetes — the most biomedically ambitious project in their portfolio.
• OPEN
  Directly addresses the DIY artificial pancreas movement with a patient-centered evaluation approach, showcasing IDF Europe's ability to bridge grassroots patient innovation with formal research.