Organisation and Governance
As the initiator of ICARS, the Danish government led its initial development. In November 2021, ICARS became an independent, self-governing organisation, following the Danish Ministry of Health appointing the inaugural Board of Directors.
The international Board of Directors is the supreme governing body of ICARS. It is the strategic goal of ICARS to become an international organisation uniting countries, foundations and organisations on the fulfilment of ICARS’ mission. This development will be guided by the Board of Directors.
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The Board of Directors gives the strategic direction for ICARS. It is responsible for overseeing the development of the organization and appointing executive staff, such as the Executive Director. Founding Members, the first of which is Denmark, receive a seat on the Board of Directors.
The Executive Management team is represented by the Executive Director (to be hired), the Director of Operations and the Scientific Director. Together, they ensure that ICARS works effectively towards its goals and according to its strategy.
The non-executive ICARS staff is split in the Science Team and the Operations Team. The Science Team contains experts in antimicrobial resistance, One Health and infectious disesases who advise LMICs on project development. The Operations team supports the work of the Science Team by ensuring effective management of grants, documents, administration and hiring, as well as being responsible for communications and partnerships.
The Techincal Advisory Forum (TAF) is an independent expert body that offers impratial views on the Project Proposals, suggesting improvements and ensuring that the projects are feasible and fit within the remit of ICARS.
ICARS Board of Directors
ICARS became a self-governing institution in November 2021, governed by an international Board of Directors. The Board of Directors, as the supreme governing body of ICARS, have both the strategic and financial responsibility for ICARS. The Board of Directors are instrumental to the transformation of ICARS into an independent self-governing institution and one of their first important tasks is to recruit the Executive Director. The inaugural Board consists of renowned individuals with experience and expertise in management and global health including AMR.
It is envisioned that the Board of Directors will establish additional advisory fora in due course, such as an Advisory Donor Forum and a Stakeholder Forum.
Becoming a self-governing institution allows ICARS to act independently and attract countries, foundations and organisations willing to take co-ownership of ICARS’ mission.
The Board of Directors brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to support ICARS’ mission
Governance
Following its inception in Spring 2019, ICARS was embedded in the Danish Ministry of Health and ICARS’ activities were overseen by a Steering Committee formed by representatives of five Danish ministries. Since independence, the Board of Directors hold strategic and financial responsibility for ICARS and oversee all activities.
The daily operations and management of ICARS falls under the responsibility of ICARS’ Executive Management, which consists of the Scientific Director and the Director of Operations.
ICARS has an international staff from over 13 countries, working from the headquarters in Copenhagen or remotely as independent consultants across the globe. ICARS will continue to grow within the next couple of years as the activities and project portfolio expands.
In the fall of 2020, a Technical Advisory Forum (TAF) was established to provide scientific and expert advice to ICARS. The TAF reviews project proposals from potential partner LMICs and advises on the delivery of ICARS’ Intervention and Implementation Research activities.
Become part of our mission
The Danish Government and ICARS invite countries and foundations to join ICARS, alongside Denmark, as Strategic Funding Partners, Funding Partners or Mission Partners.
Partnership is central to achieving the ambitious mission of ICARS. Each partner brings unique capacity and expertise that bring ICARS closer to our goal of tackling drug-resistant infections across the One Health spectrum.
