Explore the milestones, momentum, and impact that defined our year.
We are pleased to present our latest Impact Report, highlighting key achievements from the past year across ICARS-supported projects, strategic partnerships, capacity strengthening initiatives, and organisational development. Scroll down to explore the report highlights and use the link below to download the full publication.
One of ICARS’ first intervention and implementation research projects was completed in August 2025, following four years of addressing the widespread inappropriate use of surgical antibiotic prophylaxis (SAP) in Georgian hospitals. The project implemented a multimodal antimicrobial stewardship strategy, including the development and approval of national guidelines, training of clinical teams, strengthened surveillance for surgical site infections and antimicrobial use, and the introduction of audit-and-feedback cycles. Across ten hospitals, the project achieved substantial and sustained improvements in SAP practice.
In September 2025, a national dissemination event in Lusaka marked the completion of a three-year antimicrobial stewardship project implemented across three tertiary, two secondary, and four primary health facilities in Zambia. Led by the University Teaching Hospital, Levy Mwanawasa University Teaching Hospital, and the Zambia National Public Health Institute, the project ran from January 2022 and aimed to address the challenges of bloodstream infections and urinary tract infections, both of which place a significant burden on Zambia’s healthcare system.
One of ICARS’ first intervention and implementation research projects reached completion in August 2025, following four years of addressing the widespread inappropriate use of surgical antibiotic prophylaxis (SAP) in Georgian hospitals. The project implemented a multimodal antimicrobial stewardship strategy, including the development and approval of national guidelines, training of clinical teams, strengthened surveillance for surgical site infections and antimicrobial use, and the introduction of audit-and-feedback cycles. Across ten hospitals, the project achieved substantial and sustained improvements in SAP practice.
In September 2025, a national dissemination event in Lusaka marked the completion of a three-year AMS project implemented across three tertiary, two secondary and four primary health facilities in Zambia. Led by the University Teaching Hospital, Levy Mwanawasa University Teaching Hospital, and the Zambia National Public Health Institute, the project ran from January 2022 and aimed to address the challenges of bloodstream infections and urinary tract infections, both of which place a significant burden on Zambia’s healthcare system.
“The findings are not just academic outputs. They provide practical evidence that we can use to refine our policies, allocate resources more efficiently, and strengthen stewardship programmes in real-world settings.”
ICARS partners with countries to co-develop tailored research projects addressing their specific AMR challenges, providing funding and technical support to advance solutions and the implementation of National Action Plans. Projects are led by local, multidisciplinary teams with engagement from ministries and stakeholders to ensure feasibility, effectiveness, and long-term impact.
Since 2021, ICARS has supported over 65 projects across 30 countries, spanning the One Health spectrum. Explore our project map and the following case studies to see these collaborations in action.
In Kyrgyzstan, a project launched in 2022 has delivered promising results, demonstrating that C-reactive protein (CRP) point-of-care testing can reduce inappropriate antibiotic use, with a 24-percentage-point reduction among children with respiratory tract infections. The results, published in 2025, informed national policy, contributing to the Ministry of Health’s decision to procure 50 CRP devices for primary care with World Bank support. Building on this success, a second project phase is underway, targeting adults and testing broader implementation strategies.
An initiative launched in 2024 to integrate AMR into global challenges, funded by the UK Department of Health and Social Care’s Global AMR Innovation Fund through the International Development Research Centre, with support from ICARS, led to the launch of five new projects in 2025 in Bangladesh, Malaysia, Nepal, the Philippines, and Vietnam. These projects aim to address the interconnected challenges of AMR and climate change in livestock and aquaculture systems by testing interventions which dually address AMR and climate change, and can be adapted for use in diverse LMIC contexts.
In 2024, ICARS strengthened its partnership with the International Vaccine Institute by launching a joint request for proposals to identify key strategies and recommendations for aligning the AMR and vaccine agendas in South and Southeast Asia. This led to the selection of an 18-month project, beginning in April 2025, to develop a comprehensive action plan for leveraging vaccines to mitigate AMR, led by the Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health in collaboration with IQVIA Asia Pacific.
A project launched in 2022 has delivered promising results, demonstrating that C-reactive protein (CRP) point-of-care testing can reduce inappropriate antibiotic use, showing a 24-percentage-point reduction among children with respiratory tract infections. The results, published in 2025, informed national policy, contributing to the Ministry of Health’s decision to 50 CRP devices for primary care with World bank support. Building on this success, a second project phase is underway targeting adults and testing broader implementation strategies.
An initiative to integrate AMR into global challenges, funded by the UK Department of Health and Social Care’s Global AMR Innovation Fund through the International Development Research Centre, with support from ICARS, led to the launch of five new projects in 2025 in Bangladesh, Malaysia, Nepal, the Philippines, and Vietnam. These projects aim to address the interconnected challenges of AMR and climate change in livestock and aquaculture systems by testing interventions which dually address AMR and climate change, and can be adapted for use in diverse LMIC contexts.
In 2024, ICARS strengthened its partnership with the International Vaccine Institute by launching a joint request for proposals to identify key strategies and recommendations for aligning the AMR and vaccine agendas in South and Southeast Asia. This led to the selection of an 18-month project, beginning in April 2025 to develop a comprehensive action plan for leveraging vaccines to mitigate AMR, led by the Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health in collaboration with IQVIA Asia Pacific.
“Strengthening vaccine uptake in LMICs is an essential step toward safeguarding global health security. This collaboration with ICARS and our partners in the Philippines underscores the pivotal role of vaccines in a comprehensive AMR strategy.”
Partnerships are at the core of ICARS’ mission. Throughout the year, we have deepened our work with dedicated partners, as well as welcomed new partnerships and initiatives, and facilitated knowledge exchange among our regional networks.
In 2025, Denmark launched its National Action Plan on AMR which includes continued funding to ICARS from 2027-2030. Cameroon and Tunisia joined ICARS’ growing network of Mission Partners. We launched the One Health AMR Challenge in collaboration with C-CAMP in India, secured funding from the UK Department of Health and Social Care’s Fleming Fund to lead the People Centred AMR Research Initiative, and joined the Team Europe Initiative for Africa as an implementation partner.
Over the year, ICARS participated in multiple global policy dialogues to amplify LMIC voices. This included co-hosting a high-level roundtable at the Hamburg Sustainability Conference with ReAct Africa, engaging in the ASLM Special Convention on Diagnostics and hosting a regional workshop in Kenya, as well as contributing to the revision of the Global Action Plan on AMR and the establishment of the Independent Panel for Evidence for Action against AMR.
ICARS co-hosted several regional workshops and “ICARS Days” alongside the ReAct Asia and Africa conferences, creating spaces for project teams to share learning, and inform new tools such as a Resource Guide for Sustainable AMR Solutions. In partnership with FAO, ICARS co-hosted two regional workshops in Thailand and Colombia. In addition, 24 project teams presented their projects on more than 35 occasions at 12 national and international conferences and three international partner meetings.
In 2025, Denmark launched its National Action Plan on AMR which includes continued funding to ICARS from 2027-2030. Cameroon and Tunisia joined ICARS’ growing network of Mission Partners. We launched the One Health AMR Challenge in collaboration with C-CAMP in India, secured funding from the UK Department of Health and Social Care’s Fleming Fund to lead the People-Centred AMR Research Initiative, and joined the Team Europe Initiative for Africa as an implementation partner.
Over the year, ICARS participated in multiple global policy dialogues to amplify LMIC voices, including co-hosting a high-level roundtable at the Hamburg Sustainability Conference together with ReAct Africa, engaging in the ASLM Special Convention on Diagnostics and hosting a regional workshop in Kenya, and contributing to the revision of the Global Action Plan on AMR as well as the establishment of the Independent Panel for Evidence for Action against AMR.
ICARS co-hosted several regional workshops and “ICARS Days” alongside the ReAct Asia and Africa conferences, creating spaces for project teams to share learning, and inform new tools such as a Resource Guide for Sustainable AMR Solutions. In partnership with FAO, we co-hosted two regional workshops in Thailand and Colombia. In addition, 24 project teams gave presentations about their projects on more than 35 occasions at 12 national and international conferences and three international partner meetings.
"Becoming an ICARS Mission Partner marks an important step forward in our AMR strategy…With ICARS’ collaboration, we aim to strengthen our national systems and share our experiences to support other countries in the region."
"The time to act is now, decisively and together, to prevent the profound human, economic, and developmental consequences of unchecked antimicrobial resistance."
Capacity and capability strengthening are essential to building a critical mass of professionals who can implement effective AMR solutions and advance National Action Plans. ICARS supports this by equipping policymakers, prescribers, dispensers, consumers, and other antimicrobial users with targeted training, engagement, and system-level strengthening across human, animal, and environmental health sectors. We also convene project teams to share lessons across borders and apply new skills in their own settings.
In April, experts from all ICARS-supported projects were invited to participate in a hybrid behaviour change training programme developed through a collaboration between Makerere University, the University of Manchester, University College London, and the University of Surrey. Funded by ICARS, the programme combined virtual sessions with an in-person component in Entebbe, Uganda, and was designed to strengthen the capacity of project teams in LMICs and ICARS staff.
In June, ICARS, the University of the West Indies, and Radboudumc co-hosted the first-ever drive-AMS masterclass in the Caribbean. The course marked the launch of the drive-AMS approach in 10 countries of the Caribbean Community. The three-day course provided an interactive learning experience focused on three key steps: defining a hospital-specific AMS or IPC problem, designing a data-driven measurement plan, and preparing for in-hospital implementation.
The International Livestock Research Institute with ICARS and the EUCAST Development Laboratory, has completed a multi-year project establishing a Centre of Excellence for Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (AST) in Nairobi, Kenya. The centre serves as a regional hub supporting AST for human, livestock, and aquaculture pathogens across Africa, and since its launch has tested around 4,000 bacterial isolates from Kenya, Ethiopia, Benin, Uganda, and Burkina Faso.
In April, experts from all ICARS-supported projects were invited to participate in a hybrid behaviour change training programme developed through a collaboration between Makerere University, the University of Manchester, University College London, and the University of Surrey. Funded by ICARS, the programme combined virtual sessions with an in-person component in Entebbe, Uganda, and was designed to strengthen the capacity of project teams in LMICs and ICARS staff.
In June, ICARS, the University of the West Indies and Radboudumc co-hosted the first-ever drive-AMS masterclass in the Caribbean. The course marked the launch of the drive-AMS approach in 10 countries of the Caribbean Community. The three-day course provided an interactive learning experience focused on three key steps: defining a hospital-specific AMS or IPC problem, designing a data-driven measurement plan, and preparing for in-hospital implementation.
The International Livestock Research Institute with ICARS and the EUCAST Development Laboratory, has completed a multi-year project establishing a Centre of Excellence for Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (AST) in Nairobi, Kenya. The centre serves as a regional hub supporting AST for human, livestock, and aquaculture pathogens across Africa, and since its launch has tested around 4,000 bacterial isolates from Kenya, Ethiopia, Benin, Uganda, and Burkina Faso.
"One of the most valuable aspects of the training was meeting participants from other ICARS-supported countries around the world and learning from their experiences. These in-person sessions were helpful for building connections, creating new ideas together and contributing to more effective AMR solutions on a global level."
"The training at the EUCAST Development Laboratory was a transformative experience that not only broadened my skills in AST but also renewed my commitment to sharing this knowledge with my colleagues and peers across the region. I deeply value the friendships formed with colleagues and the professional network created during this time. These connections mean a lot to me both personally and professionally and continue to inspire my commitment to strengthen capacity and advance the fight against antimicrobial resistance."
We are committed to continuing to operate as a performance driven, self-governing organisation, attracting global talent, maintaining a dynamic structure, and building partnerships across diverse stakeholders. We have worked to cement ICARS’ niche in AMR mitigation to ensure continued donor confidence, while strengthening governance and positioning ICARS as a trusted implementation partner delivering in AMR mitigation.
In 2025, we were excited to announce the establishment of a regional presence in Africa. Funded through our partnership with Wellcome, ICARS Africa will be hosted by Amref Health Africa at its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. Establishing a regional presence will enable ICARS to ground its interventions more deeply in local settings, whilst also improving coordination, partnering, capacity-strengthening and knowledge sharing across African countries, as they face shared challenges.
As ICARS’ profile, output, and ambition have grown, so too has our core team, with each staff member bringing unique skills, experience, and perspectives that enrich the diversity of our organisation. In 2025, both the Operations and Science departments were restructured into smaller teams led by coordinators, enhancing the transfer of specialist knowledge and improving internal communication across our expanding organisation. We also welcomed two new members to the ICARS Board of Directors, including our first representative from an LMIC Mission Partner, Zambia, and a new representative from the World Bank.
In 2025, we were excited to announce the establishment of a regional presence in Africa. Funded through our partnership with Wellcome, ICARS Africa will be hosted by Amref Health Africa at its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. Establishing a regional presence will enable ICARS to ground its interventions more deeply in local realities, whilst also improving coordination, partnering, capacity-strengthening and knowledge sharing across African countries, which have shared challenges.
As ICARS’ profile, output, and ambition have grown, so too has our core team, with each staff member bringing unique skills, experience, and perspectives that enrich the diversity of our organisation. In 2025, both the Operations and Science departments were restructured into smaller teams led by coordinators, enhancing the transfer of specialist knowledge and improving internal communication. We also welcomed two new members to the ICARS Board of Directors, including our first representative from an LMIC Mission Partner, Zambia, and a new representative from the World Bank.
"This partnership with ICARS presents a timely opportunity to expand our footprint by bringing together like-minded institutions committed to African-led and evidence-informed solutions that can curb the AMR threat and deliver better health outcomes for the communities most at risk."
"Being part of the ICARS core team is truly inspiring. What stands out most is how the rich diversity of our cultural and professional backgrounds is not a barrier to working toward a common goal, but our greatest asset. We are always ready to lift each other up and feel that our contributions genuinely make an impact."
As we move from 2025 to 2026, ICARS remains focused on turning evidence into practical, country-led action on antimicrobial resistance. The progress highlighted in this report reflects the strength of our partnerships, the commitment of national stakeholders, and the value of implementation research grounded in local priorities. With an expanding project portfolio, a new regional presence in Africa, and a refreshed strategy for 2026– 2030, we are well positioned to build on the lessons of the past five years. Together with our partners, we will continue supporting sustainable, context-specific solutions that strengthen systems, inform policy, and contribute to healthier communities worldwide.
“2025 has shown that strong systems and dedicated teams are key to delivering ICARS’ global mission. With the launch of our African hub and the commitment of our core staff and project teams, we are better equipped than ever to drive meaningful change in addressing antimicrobial resistance.”
