Written by Jennifer Poland on September 2, 2015, via Bio Tuesdays. Click here to read original article.

The Diabetes Research Connection (DRC) has created a platform, which connects donors directly with early-career scientists, enabling them to perform research designed to prevent and cure Type 1 diabetes, minimize its complications, and improve the quality of life for those living with the disease.

Currently, 97% of available funding goes to established scientists. Early-career scientists are often the source of radical new ideas but have difficulty finding money to support them, forcing many to leave the field of diabetes research, according to DRC.

Scientists submit their projects to a panel of over 80 leading diabetes experts who review it for innovation, feasibility, value, and achievability. The time from application to funding can be as little as 12 weeks, compared with 18 months for many research grants.

In a statement, Dr. Alberto Hayek, co-founder and president of DRC and a world-renowned diabetes expert, said the lack of funding for early, discovery-stage projects is one of the biggest problems in research.

“With DRC, we are giving scientists the resources to test and validate research that departs from conventional thinking, because the opportunity to pursue new paths is when and where breakthroughs occur,” he added.