CORDIS

Antibiotics have saved millions of lives throughout the many decades they have been in use as a common drug to treat infection. However, antibiotic resistance is now a global health security challenge and it is predicted that by 2050 up to 10 million human lives could be lost yearly due to antibiotic resistant infections. The Joint Programming Initiative on Antimicrobial Resistance, JPIAMR is a global organisation comprised of 27 nations that coordinate national research funding and supports collaborative action for filling knowledge gaps on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) with a One Health perspective. The critical mass of JPIAMR Member States (MS) jointly address AMR, promoting transnational cooperation to combine resources, infrastructures and research strengths. JPIAMR EXEDRA is the second Coordination Support Action (CSA) for the JPIAMR and builds on the work of the first CSA (JPIAMR), which ended February 2016. EXEDRA provides a strong support structure for the JPIAMR during the implementation and expansion phase by maintaining a continuity between the objectives, tasks and Work Packages of EXEDRA and JPIAMR.

To date the JPIAMR has established:
• an organisation structure comprised of various boards and a central secretariat to support JPIAMR activities
• a common work platform for the 28 MS
• a global network of AMR research experts led by a highly respected scientific advisory board
• a Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda
• a respected reputation as a global AMR funding organisation

The objectives of EXEDRA are to:
• Strengthen the joint effort to combat the spread of AMR by expansion of the JPIAMR membership or partnership to European and global members.
• Develop a strategic plan for a long-term sustainable management structure of the JPIAMR, to support an increased collaboration between member states (MS), the scientific community, and stakeholders in meeting the risk of losing effective treatment of infections due to increased resistance to antimicrobial drugs.
• Increase alignment of MS national inter-sectorial policies on prevention and treatment of infections, the support for innovation and development of new antibiotics or alternatives thereof and new diagnostics, and of increased and improved surveillance and reporting of the use of antibiotics, presence and spread of resistant microbes or resistant genes in humans, animals, food and the environment.
• Increase joint support for the use and maintenance of critical European and global research infrastructures of relevance to the AMR scientific community. To mobilise financial support in order to collect, characterise, increase awareness of, and to provide access to samples and data from publicly funded projects. To lower or remove legal barriers to share samples and data by identifying paths of possible alignment of national rules and regulations.
• Develop a JPIAMR Virtual Research Institute (JPIAMR-VRI), a dynamic network of AMR research facilities that will provide a close contact between the JPIAMR and the scientific community, and will be a platform for scientific interaction between MS to build research capacity in the area of AMR.
• Support the alignment of JPIAMR MS national AMR policies, programmes and resources in order to facilitate cooperation, efficiency of scale, and dissemination of best practices and knowledge.
• Increase the impact of the JPIAMR by extending the SRA into innovation through dialogue with industry.
• Use communication to raise awareness of the JPIAMR effort within scientific community, and mobilise researchers from other fields to increase AMR research capacity and innovation.

From the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report, the main results achieved in JPIAMR EXEDRA are:
• Strategic plans for 2018- 2020 and 2020-2025 developed
• Seven new JPIAMR members: Ireland, South Africa, India, Egypt, South Korea, Estonia and Moldova
• Increased efforts in international coordination of AMR (mentions in G7 and G20 statements, UN IACG recommendations, EU Council Conclusions)
• Initiated collaboration with the R&D Global Hub
• Publication of the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA)
• Publication of the Roadmap of Actions 2019-2024
• Completion and publication of the mapping of AMR Research Funding 2017 report and launch of the AMR Research Funding Dashboard.
• Designing the concept, membership and digital platform of the Virtual Research Institute (JPIAMR-VRI)
• Launch of seven strategic working groups
• Development of a communication plan and social media strategy
• Research Infrastructure catalogue survey
• Collection and publication of National AMR plans and research programmes from JPIAMR member countries
• Organisation of ten scientific workshops
• Launch of seven joint transnational calls
• Enlargement of the JPIAMR secretariat with 3 new team members
• Initiation of the mid-term and final evaluation monitoring of the JPIAMR funded projects
• Impact assessment of the first funded projects, including four potential new compounds
• Representation at the main international AMR events
• Engagement with key stakeholders such as the Global AMR R&D Hub, CARB-X, GARDP, Repair Fund, EU-JAMRAI, the EJP Once Health, ECRAID, SEDRIC, ICARS and MicrobiomeSupport.
• Research Infrastructure catalogue survey
• Communications:
o New graphic design
o Development of a communication plan and social media strategy
o Engagement of JPIAMR members in communications: newsletters, news updates etc.
o Development of new communication materials and videos
o Update of the JPIAMR webpage
o Increased social media impact and engagement

The JPIAMR EXEDRA Project will continue to work towards raising awareness of the antimicrobial resistance and work to further promote global coordination of AMR efforts that will have an impact on all aspects of society. The JPIAMR, through the EXEDRA Project will promote a One Health approach to addressing AMR. The expected results until the end of the JPIAMR EXEDRA project are:
-Further enlargement of the JPIAMR membership to further promote global coordination of AMR efforts
-Further efforts in international coordination and engagement with AMR R&D funders and among AMR key global stakeholders
-Development of a sound-based sustainability plan
-Analysis of the AMR research centres and research infrastructures
-Launch of the JPIAMR Virtual Research Institute (JPIAMR-VRI)
-Organisation of scientific and regional AMR workshops facilitating scientific exchange between researchers between different scientific areas and geographical locations
-Launch of joint transnational calls
-Development of new capacity programmes