Boehringer Ingelheim and EFSD announce diabetes partnership

Boehringer Ingelheim is to ally with the European Foundation for the Study of Diabetes (EFSD) in a new partnership that aims to support diabetes research across the region.

The partnership will involve the creation of a 2.5 million euro (2.18 million pounds) research grant programme that will accelerate European studies of the disease, while encouraging the creation of new projects.

It will focus on two main areas of interest, namely the function of non-insulin peptides secreted by the endocrine pancreas, as well as mechanisms relating renal dysfunction to cardiovascular disease among type 2 diabetes patients.

The scheme will welcome applications from single non-profit organisations or groups of institutions in Europe beginning in January 2012, with the deadline for submission following in April.

Professor Klaus Dugi, corporate senior vice-president at Boehringer Ingelheim, said: "As part of our commitment to diabetes patients, we support research that will aid our understanding of the disease and ultimately help to improve therapeutic options for patients."

This comes after the firm agreed a major diabetes-focused collaborative partnership with fellow pharmaceutical company Lilly at the start of the year.