The iDIA initiative – a submitted proposal to build a Center for Excellence Research, iDIA has advanced to the second phase!
Out of 176 applications, only 36 finalists were selected for the next phase of selection. From these, five are proposed by research groups at UiB which will develop full applications with a deadline of November 11, 2026.
Read more about the iDIA proposal here:
https://www.uib.no/en/med/181428/new-proposed-center-aims-hack-diabetes-code
Center for Early-Life Diabetes Mechanisms
Leadership Team: Pål Njølstad and Marc Vaudel are identified as the centre directors, while Simona Chera joins as the co-director.
Key Personnel: The team is supported by additional principal investigators, including professors Thomas Arnesen, Stefan Johansson, and Anette Wolff.
Goal: The initiative aims to leverage multidisciplinary expertise to address complex questions in diabetes research:
- Identify and validate risk and protective factors for diabetes and related conditions by integrating large biobanks and clinical registries with detailed genetic and protein data.
- Unravel the biological mechanisms that predispose individuals to diabetes or drive disease progression during early life.
- Develop actionable biological and computational models of diabetes and its complications to enable innovative, personalised treatment strategies early in life.
Why This Research Matters
Diabetes affects roughly 10% of the global population. The fastest-growing challenge within this field is the rapid rise of diabetes and early complications in young people. By focusing heavily on “early-life” mechanisms, the iDIA team aims to intervene before irreversible damage to nerves, blood vessels, and organs occurs.