The EASD, as an academic non-profit association, benefits from the possibilities offered by the legal status of its Foundation to advance diabetes research by various methods.Since its inception, EFSD has committed an amount approaching Euro 100 million to diabetes research in Europe by various funding means. In the last five years, the Foundation has become a significant European funding agency for diabetes research, and is continually striving to enhance awareness in Europe of the severity and magnitude of this devastating disease.