Case Study: JDRF achieves centralized, automated research grants management with SmartSimple Cloud

An over 80% approval rating for the entirely centralized SmartSimple solution for JDRF

JDRF, the leading global funder of type 1 diabetes research, was managing roughly 500 active grants and $80 million annually across three disparate systems (ProposalCentral plus two custom-built tools), which left them without a central data repository, limited reporting and analytics, and heavy manual data entry. Seeking a partner with biomedical research expertise, JDRF selected SmartSimple Cloud (SmartSimple Cloud for Research Grants Management with Premium Support) to replace the band‑aid setup.

SmartSimple Cloud delivered a centralized, role‑based grants management platform covering the full lifecycle from letter of intent to post‑award, integrating with JDRF’s financial system and automating workflows. The solution dramatically reduced manual entry and administrative errors, enabled ad‑hoc reporting and permissioned portals for applicants, reviewers and staff, and moved JDRF toward a near‑paperless process — outcomes reflected in an 83% user approval rating and more efficient stewardship of $80M in annual awards. SmartSimple Cloud continues to provide configuration and support to scale with JDRF’s needs.

JDRF

Sydney Yovic

Associate Vice President of Research Operations & Mission