New European Partnership on One Health AMR: €253 million for research and innovation against antimicrobial resistance

Today, the European Union has officially launched the Partnership on One Health Antimicrobial Resistance (OHAMR). Co-funded by Horizon Europe with €75 million, this ambitious 10-year programme tackles the urgent global health threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Ekaterina Zaharieva, European Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation said:

"Europe is ready to lead in the global fight against antimicrobial resistance. This partnership embodies our commitment to step up, innovate, and protect the foundations of modern medicine."

Next steps

AMR causes over 35,000 deaths annually in the EU and 1.27 million worldwide (2019), with projections of up to 10 million per year by 2050. It occurs when microbes like bacteria or viruses become resistant to treatments, driven by antimicrobial misuse, poor infection control, and limited diagnostics. AMR is a threat to modern medicine that strains health systems as well as economies.

Coordinated by the Swedish Research Council, OHAMR brings together 53 organisations from 30 countries, and it uses a One Health approach to connect sectors and accelerate solutions reducing antimicrobial use and resistance. Activities planned under the partnership include:

• Joint transnational calls for collaborative research and innovation projects;
• Strengthening research capacity in participating countries;
• Promoting the translation of knowledge into practice and policy;
• Supporting access to and better use of data on AMR;
• Increasing impact through coordination and alignment of national and European efforts.

Background

The EU has supported AMR research through its Framework Programmes. Funding from Horizon Europe and Horizon 2020 , in the period from 2014 until now, amounts to EUR 1.18 billion for 416 projects. It has supported projects, coordination actions, and partnerships to boost knowledge sharing, build capacity, and develop tools to detect, prevent, and treat resistant infections.

Building on the Joint Programming Initiative on Antimicrobial Resistance(JPIAMR), which invested over €180 million since 2011, OHAMR responds to the objectives of the 2023 Council recommendation on AMR with a One Health approach and will support the 2017 European One Health Action Plan against AMR.

This partnership will contribute to the implementation of the Strategy for European Life Sciences by promoting a One Health approach that recognizes the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health, a key principle outlined in the strategy. By supporting the development and market uptake of innovative tools to tackle AMR, this partnership will help achieve the strategy's objective to position the EU as the world's most attractive place for life sciences by 2030.

More information

Research and innovation on antimicrobial resistance (AMR)

Press contact:

EC Spokesperson for Research, Science and Innovation