Dear partners and colleagues,
We are excited to share our latest newsletter with you, highlighting ICARS’ recent achievements and collaborative efforts in our mission to address antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs).
We are pleased to announce a significant milestone for ICARS: as of March 2024, Wellcome has joined us as a Strategic Funding Partner, further enhancing our efforts to address AMR, particularly in African countries. This collaboration, alongside ReAct Africa, underscores our commitment to developing sustainable solutions tailored to the unique contexts of LMICs. Wellcome's support of 57.5 million DKK (USD 8.2 million) over five years will strongly contribute to amplifying ICARS’ impact across the African region.
In the last quarter, our Science team has been actively exploring potential projects. Their recent trip to Cambodia in late January 2024 was instrumental in evaluating prospective initiatives spanning both animal and human health sectors. Additionally, engagements in Zimbabwe and Colombia have facilitated further collaborations aimed at addressing AMR in agriculture and the animal sector and advancing the progress of ICARS-supported projects.
Moreover, ICARS joined a meeting organised by the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (EMRO) in Cairo to discuss scaling up hospital Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) programmes in the region. At the meeting, EMRO, WHO Country Office (WCO) staff, regional experts, AMS and AMR organisations discussed developing a plan of action that supports AMS. That includes optimising antimicrobial use to improve patient outcomes, reduce adverse events, and potentially reduce the long-term cost of AMR.
In December, ICARS advisors hosted two webinar sessions targeted at LMIC ministries and researchers to facilitate the submission of Expressions of Interest (EoIs) ahead of the 15 Feb 2024 deadline. These interactive sessions were attended by over 100 people and aimed to help participants craft strong applications for collaborative research projects with ICARS. Among other based on this process, ICARS received 20 EoIs for the February deadline. These are now under review.
In addition, we released several resources on our online Knowledge Hub, including a recording of a webinar on integrating gender and equity considerations in AMR research and a presentation on measuring farm level antimicrobial use LMICs as part of implementation research projects.
Finally, the participation of ICARS’ Executive Director, Dr Sujith J Chandy, in the Inaugural Evidence for Action Dialogue in Malta further highlighted our commitment to driving political action on AMR at a global level. Similarly, ICARS’ presence at events like the Dubai International Food Safety Conference was the opportunity to share insights and best practices on ICARS’ model aimed at AMR mitigation.
As we look ahead to the rest of 2024, we remain steadfast in our mission of addressing AMR in LMICs and building strong partnerships with regional, national, and global stakeholders. We extend our sincere gratitude to all our partners, supporters, and colleagues for their continued collaboration and dedication.
Warm regards,
ICARS
Interested in collaborating with ICARS?
Our upcoming deadline for submitting Expressions of Interest is June 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.
