Dear partners and colleagues,
We are thrilled to bring you the latest updates, achievements, and collaborations that ICARS has experienced this autumn.
The ICARS team has delivered on a range of new projects in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). We entered into new partnerships, advocated for global cooperation to mitigate antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and welcomed new Mission and Funding Partners.
ICARS is looking forward to kickstart a planning grant in January 2024, supported by the Novo Nordisk Foundation, TANDEM-ABX. Specifically, the Novo Nordisk Foundation grant will enable ICARS to create a replicable roadmap for using novel antibiotics in LMICs. This involves integrating antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programmes into local priorities, ensuring scalability, sustainability, and impactful outcomes for AMR mitigation.
We are delighted to announce the addition of Kosovo to our growing list of Mission Partners. Apart from co-developing a new human health project with local researchers and ministries, the country has joined forces with ICARS in advocating for the mitigation of AMR globally.
November was especially rich in activities and visibility for ICARS. At the beginning of the month, the ICARS Science team travelled to Kenya for a scoping visit and engaged with dairy farmers and officials at the Veterinary Services office in the country.
Later that month, ICARS' Executive Director, Dr Sujith J Chandy, and Director of Operations, Helle Engslund Krarup, participated in the EU Council presidency's One Health High-level Meeting on AMR in Spain and addressed the need to include the perspectives and experiences of LMICs when shaping future AMR action plans.
During this year's World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week, ICARS launched a digital campaign on social media and featured our inspiring partners in the African region at the AMRelay event. The campaign showcased the unique ICARS model at this crucial time. As a result, ICARS' LinkedIn channel passed 9000 followers and produced a new record of total engagements per post.
The ICARS-supported project on AMR and Gender reached yet another milestone with a new resource document released, synthesising evidence on AMR, gender, and equity from both human and animal health perspectives.
An additional highlight of his autumn was the launch of the AMR Multi-Stakeholder Partnership Platform. ICARS attended the official kickoff event at the FAO headquarters in Rome. The platform brings together major global actors to accelerate the mitigation of AMR and inspire other to follow suite.
Plenty of exciting activities are planned for our next period, starting in the new year. Concluding this message, the ICARS team extends warm wishes for a joyful holiday season and a happy New Year!
Interested in collaborating with ICARS?
Our upcoming deadline for submitting Expressions of Interest is February 15th. Accepted proposals will undergo co-development throughout 2024.
Not sure where to start? Learn about our application process in a webinar led by the ICARS Science Team.
Partnering with GASPH
ICARS and the Global Antimicrobial Stewardship Partnership Hub (GASPH) collaborated on the development an antimicrobial stewardship program for surgical antibiotic prophylaxis in Georgia, together with the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (BSAC). GASPH works to facilitate partnerships across the globe to collaborate, support and share best practices and education resources in a single, free-to-access hub to address the challenges of AMR.
