Fundación DiabetesCERO

What Fundación DiabetesCERO does

Fundación DiabetesCERO is a private non-profit foundation (fundación privada) founded in 2017 and registered in Spain under CIF G90329707, with headquarters in Écija, Sevilla. The organization's mission is to fund and promote biomedical research toward a cure for type 1 diabetes (T1D), distinguishing itself from disease-management charities by focusing on curative rather than palliative outcomes. It serves three primary stakeholder groups in Spain: T1D patients and their families (an addressable population of more than 190,000 individuals), individual donors (socios) and members, and corporate partners (Empresas Amigas). Leadership comprises a nine-employee operational team under President Isabel Mérida, Scientific Director Francesc Mitjans, and Catalonia Delegate Ana Fernández Abril.

The foundation's core products are two research-grant instruments — Frontiers in T1D Cure, an international competitive call awarding two €100,000 grants per cycle to consolidated research groups (now in its 2nd edition), and Becas Joven Talento, a youth fellowship program now in its IV edition — supplemented by downloadable educational guides, the "Más allá de la insulina" landscape report on T1D in Spain, the "La asignatura pendiente" clinical-trials report, and the inaugural annual Science & Companies Encounter (I Encuentro Ciencia y Empresas: Juntos por la Cura) launched in Barcelona in 2026. Underlying content is distributed via diabetescero.org (more than 180,000 annual visitors), a newsletter exceeding 90,000 subscribers (Boletín Dt0), social media, and awareness campaigns including #NoEsSoloDiabetes and #SinEnsayosNoHayCura; e-commerce operates through a dedicated solidarity store.

The revenue model is built on four streams: individual membership subscriptions (€15, €25, or €40 per month), corporate partnership subscriptions (Empresas Amigas starting at €200 per month), one-time donations, and e-commerce merchandise; research-grant sponsorship tiers (€10,000 standard Beca, €25,000 named multi-year Beca) overlay the corporate tier. More than 98% of financing comes from private contributions, all eligible for 40-50% tax deductions under Spanish Law 49/2002 on Mecenazgo. The foundation is independent of pharmaceutical industry funding and is an active participant in the European INNODIA research network, supporting translational research areas including immunotherapy, beta-cell replacement, stem-cell therapies, and gene therapy.

Name

Fundación DiabetesCERO

Legal name

Fundación DiabetesCERO

Website

https://diabetescero.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Fundación DiabetesCERO is a Spanish non-profit foundation dedicated to funding biomedical research for a cure of type 1 diabetes, serving patients, families, and corporate partners across Spain through memberships, donations, and research-grant programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Health Research

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

akta.pro primary industry

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI)

Keywords

• Diabetes research funding
• Nonprofit foundation
• Type 1 diabetes
• Biomedical research grants
• Charitable donations

Headquarters

HQ city

Écija

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Membership Fees: Monthly, quarterly, or annual donations from individual members (socios) who support the foundation's mission to find a cure for type 1 diabetes. Members receive communication, invitations to events, and visibility in the foundation's annual report.
2. Corporate Partnerships: Companies (Empresas Amigas) pay monthly or annual contributions starting at 200€ per month. In exchange, they receive visibility on the website, social media, annual report, invitations to events, and blog interviews. Higher-tier corporate partners can sponsor specific research grants (Becas Joven Talento) with naming rights.
3. One-time Donations: Individual and corporate one-time donations to support research projects. All donations qualify for tax deductions under Spanish Law 49/2002 on Mecenazgo (patronage), with deductions of 40-50% depending on continuity.
4. Solidarity Store (Tienda Solidaria): Online merchandise store selling solidarity products, with proceeds supporting the foundation's research funding activities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Fundación DiabetesCERO is a Spanish non-profit foundation that funds and supports biomedical research projects aimed at finding a cure for type 1 diabetes. The foundation mobilizes private donations and operates international competitive grant programs (Frontiers in T1D Cure, Becas Joven Talento) that fund both consolidated research groups and young investigators. It also publishes educational guides and reports for the type 1 diabetes community and engages in advocacy for increased public funding of clinical trials in Spain.

Product overview

Fundación DiabetesCERO is a Spanish non-profit foundation — not a software product company — focused exclusively on funding and promoting research toward a cure for type 1 diabetes. The organization operates a portfolio of research grant programs (Frontiers in T1D Cure, Becas Joven Talento), publishes research reports and educational guides (Guía Gratuita, Memoria Anual, thematic reports), and delivers educational content via its blog and webinars. The foundation does not offer a software platform, SaaS product, or API-based service. Its 'products' are grant programs, publications, and educational resources, all oriented toward advancing scientific research and disseminating knowledge about type 1 diabetes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DiabetesCERO: Primary brand name and abbreviation used across all communications and social media for Fundación DiabetesCERO.

Products and services

• Frontiers in T1D Cure 2026 International competitive research grant program offering two €100,000 awards to established research groups developing translational research aimed at finding a cure for type 1 diabetes, now in its 2nd edition.
• Becas Joven Talento DiabetesCERO Fellowship grants for young researchers and newly established principal investigators conducting preclinical research projects oriented toward advancing toward a cure for type 1 diabetes, now in its IV edition.
• Tienda Solidaria (Online Solidarity Store)

Quantifiable outcome

• Mobilized 300,000€ in strategic research funding through Frontiers in T1D Cure and Becas Joven Talento programs
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Aspect Biosystems and Novo NordiskminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partnership between Canadian biotech Aspect Biosystems (which has a proprietary bioprinting platform for therapeutic tissues with insulin-producing cells) and Novo Nordisk for the development of up to four bioprinted therapeutic tissue products for diabetes and obesity. Aspect Biosystems acquired Novo Nordisk's technologies for generating pancreatic cells from stem cells and hypoimmune engineering. At least two Canadian universities (University of Calgary and University of British Columbia) collaborate with Aspect Biosystems.
• MattelcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMattel has supported Fundación DiabetesCERO with a participation to finance a research fellowship (beca para investigadores) and provided visibility for the foundation within the overall communication plan for the Barbie doll with type 1 diabetes. This collaboration combines corporate social responsibility with product marketing, amplifying the foundation's reach to a global audience.
• Anedia (Asociación de Nenas, Nenos e Xente Nova con Diabetes de Galicia)coreOthersGalician patient association for children, youth, and adults with type 1 diabetes. Anedia is an integral member of Dra. Iria Gómez-Touriño's research project team (CiMUS), providing a realistic perspective on research objectives, realistic administration schedules, dosages, and potential side effects from the patient viewpoint.
• INNODIAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerINNODIA is the largest European network dedicated to type 1 diabetes research, prevention, and cure. Fundación DiabetesCERO is an active member and participant in INNODIA, enabling collaboration with European research centers, access to clinical trials, and participation in the INPACT program that trains patients as clinical trial evaluators.
• IBEC (Instituto de Bioingeniería de Catalunya) - Uniink ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Uniink project, led by ICREA professor Javier Ramón Azcón at IBEC, developed 3D bioprinting to manufacture large quantities of biocompatible microspheres loaded with insulin-secreting cells. This project received a prestigious ERC Proof of Concept Grant from the European Union.
• King's College LondonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKing's College London led the EU-funded Pan3DP project to develop bioprinted pancreatic tissue for analyzing future therapies in type 1 diabetes. The foundation references this institution as a collaborator in the European research ecosystem.
• Duracyte Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBiotechnology company founded by MIT researchers to generate implantable 'living drug factories' capable of administering biological drugs in a controlled and sustained manner. The company is developing the wireless, battery-free islet encapsulation device researched at MIT for type 1 diabetes.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF): Breakthrough T1D is the largest global T1D research funding organization and the dominant funder of cure-focused T1D research. Directly comparable to DiabetesCERO in mission (funding cure research), grants model, and patient community engagement, but operates at vastly greater scale internationally.
• Diabetes Research Institute Foundation: US-based foundation dedicated exclusively to funding cure-focused T1D research, particularly islet cell transplantation and beta cell regeneration. Closely mirrors DiabetesCERO's cure-only positioning and grant-driven model, with shared grant programs for translational research.
• INNODIA: European collaborative network dedicated to T1D prevention, prediction, and cure research; DiabetesCERO is already an active member. Highly comparable as a multi-stakeholder research consortium channeling funding and patient access to T1D projects across Europe.
• Beyond Type 1: US-based T1D nonprofit focused on education, advocacy, and grantmaking for cure research. Directly comparable to DiabetesCERO in T1D-specific scope, community-building via digital content, and donor engagement model, though operating at larger digital scale.

Regional players

• Diabetes UK: UK's leading diabetes charity funding research across all diabetes types. Operates in a different geography than DiabetesCERO but is directly comparable as a national patient-funded foundation supporting cure and management research, with similar donor subscription models.
• Federación Española de Diabetes (FEDE): Spanish national federation of diabetes patient associations, focused on advocacy and patient support rather than cure research. Comparable to DiabetesCERO in Spanish market presence and patient community engagement, but lacks the cure-research grantmaking specialization.

Broad incumbents

• International Diabetes Federation: Global umbrella organization for diabetes advocacy and policy, including T1D. Comparable to DiabetesCERO in advocacy and patient community mobilization, but at global rather than national scope and with broader (all-diabetes) mandate.
• Joslin Diabetes Center: Harvard-affiliated diabetes research and clinical care institution with affiliated foundation raising funds for research. Overlaps with DiabetesCERO on T1D cure research and patient education, but combines direct research operations with fundraising rather than being a pure grantmaker.
• American Diabetes Association: Large US-based nonprofit covering all forms of diabetes (T1D, T2D, gestational). Overlaps with DiabetesCERO on T1D research funding, advocacy, and patient education, but operates a much broader mandate that dilutes T1D-cure-specific focus.

Others

• The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust: Major private foundation with one of the largest T1D cure research portfolios globally, including funding for type 1 diabetes programs across multiple institutions. Comparable to DiabetesCERO as a private philanthropic funder of T1D research, though at orders-of-magnitude greater scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/diabetes_cero
• YouTubeyoutube.com/diabetescerofundacion
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/diabetescero
• Instagraminstagram.com/diabetescero_espana/?hl=es

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fundación DiabetesCERO