Modelling released this week by the Association of Australian Medical Research Institutes (AAMRI) Victorian branch shows the financial viability of the sector is at a crisis point. For every dollar received in government funding, institutes have to find an additional 64 cents to cover the full cost of research, and 50 percent of institutes expect to reduce their workforce in 2025.

This dire state of research funding in Australia unfortunately extends to diabetes research.

Over the past decade, the number of Australians living with type 2 diabetes has increased by 33 percent, yet funding for diabetes research has declined by more than 36 percent over the same period.

Diabetes Australia, Australian Diabetes Society and Australian Diabetes Educators Association are calling on the Federal Government to address this funding crisis in the Federal Budget.

In the past year alone more than 116,000 people registered with the National Diabetes Services Scheme – more than 300 people per day. In reality the number of Australians living with diabetes could be as high as 2 million.

Australian diabetes researchers are working to find a cure for diabetes, learn more about prevention, and ultimately support people with diabetes to live longer, healthier lives enabled by the latest scientific discoveries.  This can only be achieved by increasing investment in research.

In its joint prebudget submission the organisations have demonstrated that investing in research is vital to address the diabetes epidemic. It would take pressure off the health system, reduce inequality, and protect Australia’s world class research workforce.

The Federal prebudget submission calls for:

• $50 million over 5 years To Fund Diabetes Priority Areas To Improve The Lives of People Living With Diabetes for research into the causes of type 2 diabetes, prevention and remission.

• $75 million over 5 years To Fund Diabetes-specific Investigator Grants to Attract and Retain The Best And Brightest Diabetes Researchers.