Updates from the International Centre for Antimicrobial Resistance Solutions

As ICARS' output and ambition continues to grow, we are pleased to welcome Dr Sujith J Chandy as our incoming Executive Director. Sujith is highly experienced in teaching, research and leading organisational development. His distinguished career and work profile demonstrates his enthusiasm and passion for sustainably mitigating antimicrobial resistance. Sujith will officially join us in Spring 2023.

In November 2022, a delegation from Vietnam led by Dr. Phung Duc Tien, vice minister of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), visited ICARS headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark. During the trip, the vice minister signed the statement of support to join ICARS as a Mission Partner, demonstrating the country’s commitment to advocating for context-specific AMR solutions. The ceremony also provided an opportunity to discuss potential future collaboration initiatives and discuss the progress of an ongoing project currently being implemented in Vietnam.

With shared values regarding sustainability, capacity building, and solutions-focused approaches to global One health challenges, ICARS and Radboudumc have signed a Memorandum of Understanding. The partnership will draw on Radboudumc's expertise in infectious disease management and ICARS' experience in tailoring AMR solutions to LMICs context. Together we hope to add value to existing efforts to sustainably tackle AMR. Our first collaborative project will begin in January 2023.

From 7-11 November, ICARS Scientific Director, Dr. Robert Skov joined key stakeholders in Singapore to attend a five-day hybrid event focusing on One Health. At the congress, Robert spoke on a panel entitled ‘science-based AMR governance and policy implementation’, and attended many productive side meetings to discuss possible collaborations.

An ICARS delegation travelled to Muscat, Oman from 24-25 November, to attend the Third High Level Ministerial Conference on antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The event attracted a range of high-level participants from 45 countries including ministers of health, agriculture, animal health, the environment, and finance, as well as policymakers and representatives from the private sector, civil society, research institutions, and multilateral organisations.

This year’s theme ‘Preventing Antimicrobial Resistance Together’ touched on a central theme at ICARS – Partnership. As one of our core principles, partnership is built into all our efforts and imperative to how we work. Now with more than 20 projects in implementation across four regions, ICARS has built a diverse network of partners. To mark the campaign, teams driving project implementation reflected on how partnership and collaboration adds value to their work.

Next week ICARS will announce a new Request for Proposals to map out AMR interventions that have been developed, tested and/or implemented in the last five years in the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region with a view to prioritising future areas for research development. The deadline for proposals is 31 January 2022 at 22:00 CET. The project has a maximum budget of 50,000 USD and must be led by local institutions, NGO's and civil society organizations, or independent consultants, academic groups or research organisations based in the LAC region.

If you hold a scientific background in agriculture/food systems/animal production or animal health and have experience in AMR-mitigation focusing on interventions in LMICs, you may be our new colleague. Click on the link below to learn more about the Scientific Advisor position and apply to join the ICARS family. Deadline: 27 January 2023.

The Joint Programming Initiative on AMR invites researchers, stakeholders, scientists, policymakers, clinicians, patient groups, AMR-related organisations, and others to provide feedback on the Research and Innovation Objectives.

ICARS' feature in the Microbiologist
For World Antimicrobial Awareness Week, Dr Jyoti Joshi (AMR advisor) and Sephy Valuks, (Communications Officer) co-wrote a feature for the Microbiologist about the ICARS model, working with Low- and Middle-Income Countries to co-develop context-specific AMR solutions across the One Health spectrum. The piece includes case studies from Tanzania, Kyrgyzstan and Colombia, explores the importance of engaging with multiple stakeholders, and maps out ICARS' future steps.

ICARS are proud to be a founding member of GASPH, working together to share educational resources and foster collaboration to meet the needs of learners and partner organisations working on tackling AMR.