UKRI awards £10m in funding to tackle antimicrobial resistance

UK researchers can apply to receive a share of £3m to set up transdisciplinary networks

The UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has awarded up to £10m in new funding for research and innovation networks to help tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

The new funding will support new developments and comprehensive approaches, including culture, economics, behaviour, biomedical and physical sciences, design and engineering and more, to combat “one of humanity’s biggest threats”.

As part of one of five of the UKRI’s strategic themes, tackling infections, researchers, policymakers, and business leaders will come together to support the research and innovation community.

UK researchers will be able to apply to receive a share of £3m, as part of the funding to set up transdisciplinary networks.

Researchers will be able to develop new methods, technologies or common frameworks for data collection and analysis.

Additionally, they will be able to look at the impact of climate change on AMR and develop and evaluate evidence-based interventions that go beyond pharmaceutical and chemical fixes.

Dr Colin Miles, head of strategy, advanced manufacturing and clean growth at UKRI, said: “Ten million people each year are expected to lose their lives to [AMR] by 2050” and “it can’t be tackled by solely developing more antibiotics”.

He added: “We need researchers from across disciplines to come together and look at all aspects of the problem.”

AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites evolve and no longer respond to medicines, making infections harder to treat.

Responsible for around 1.27 million deaths each year, the World Health Organization declared AMR as one of the top ten biggest threats to global public health.

As part of its five-year strategy, ‘Transforming tomorrow together 2022 to 2027’, the UKRI aims to bolster the UK’s research and innovation system to tackle large-scale, complex challenges.

Most recently, as part of its tackling infection’s theme, the UKRI awarded three new projects £25m in funding to support research for future vaccine development in the UK.