Pre-announcement: 8th Call – Building the Foundation of the JPIAMR VRI

JPIAMR recognises a need to reinforce alignment of AMR research. To promote this, the JPIAMR will establish a Virtual Research Institute in AMR – a global network connecting research performing organisations, including institutes, centres, and infrastructures.

In partnership with ten member countries; Canada, Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, JPIAMR is launching the 8th joint call for transnational Networks. The total budget of the call is approximately 1.1 million Euro. This Network Call “Building the Foundation of the JPIAMR Virtual Research Institute” aims to identify research community needs and develop ideas to form the foundation for the JPIAMR-VRI. Networks of motivated groups should develop catalytic ideas and strategic plans to help bring the JPIAMR-VRI to life!

Up to 22 Networks will be funded with up to €50 000 each coordinator to connect experts from research performing organisations and establish expertise clusters in the AMR community. The formation of larger, multi-coordinator Networks is possible according to national rules. This is an ERA-NET JPI-EC-AMR additional activity. Note that JPIAMR Network calls do not fund research projects.

Call procedure

The JPIAMR-VRI Network Call has a one-step procedure. The final funding decision will be announced in October / November 2018.

Deadline

The proposal submission deadline is July 4th, 2018, (17.00 CET).

JPIAMR-VRI Network Call Secretariat and National Points of Contact

The JPIAMR-VRI Network Call Secretariat is hosted by the Italian Ministry of Health, It-MoH.
All questions on the pre-announcement should be sent to: secretariat.jpiamr@vr.se

For more detailed information on the JPIAMR-VRI, please see here.

To download PIAMR-VRI Network Call folder, please click here.

Download the press release in English here: Press Release_JPIAMR-VRI

Download the press release in French here: JPIAMR-IRV_Press Release_FRENCH

More detailed information to be found here: JPIAMR 2018 Network Call: Building the foundation of the JPIAMR-VRI

About

The Joint Programming Initiative on Antimicrobial Resistance, JPIAMR, coordinates national programmes, funding and supports collaborative action for filling knowledge gaps on AMR with a one health approach. Today,  27 nations, from four continents, are members of JPIAMR. More than 300 research groups have received funding from JPIAMR. Since its launch in 2011 JPIAMR has coordinated total budget of 65 million Euros. The JPIAMR Secretariat is hosted by the Swedish Research Council.

The Virtual Research Institute Workshop in Berlin – Outcomes and Actions

One of the most interesting developments of the JPIAMR right now is the JPIAMR-VRI; the Virtual Research Institute on AMR. The JPIAMR-VRI is a key to unlock new potentials of AMR research and to be even more inclusive by increasing the diversity of researchers working together on AMR across disciplines, embracing the One Health approach.

From nearly all the continents of the world, with only South-America missing, a diverse crowd representing organisations in Japan, Egypt, South Africa, South Korea, USA, Canada and many European Countries met for two days in Berlin. During this two-day meeting we shared the room with representatives from research organisations, WHO, Wellcome Trust, Pew Charitable Trusts, GardP, IMI, Tatfar, the European Commission, The Global AMR R&D Hub, and CARB-X. The objective of the workshop was clear: To develop the scope, aims and model a JPIAMR Virtual Research Institute – a dynamic network for AMR research. Invited speakers shared examples of research networks that are successful and up and running today. Among them were Wim van der Poel from the Collaborating Veterinary Laboratories (Covetlab), Robert Hancock from the Canadian Bacterial Diseases Network (CBDN) and Martin Krönke who shared insights from the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF).

The outcomes from the workshop can be summarised in two sentences: “Let’s get going” and “to be all inclusive and truly global”. As the focus and model for the VRI became clearer, participants asked for the VRI to have an element of disruption, because AMR research now needs to be addressed in new ways.

The JPIAMR-VRI is a virtual platform to connect research networks and research performing institutes/centres to implement Antimicrobial Resistance One Health collaborative research on the JPIAMR Strategic Research Agenda priority topics by increasing knowledge, diversity, collaborations and capability.

An important aim of the JPIAMR-VRI is to create long-term sustainability of networks; connect existing networks across borders and across disciplines, increase research outcomes; improve capabilities and training; and attract new/young scientists to the AMR field.

Some of the capabilities the VRI will provide and enable are:

  • Connecting AMR researchers under the JPIAMR priority topics in a One Health approach
  • Building capacity and strengthening capability
  • Facilitating access to scientific information and infrastructures
  • Global reach: Bridging geographic borders in the research community
  • Breaking practical barriers between fields of research
  • Increasing the visibility for the AMR issue
  • Driving the uptake of research into policy

Some of the potential outcomes of the JPIAMR-VRI are:

  • Integrating activities among networks: Joint research programmes/work plans across research centres or research networks
  • Develop knowledge gaps and gap analysis based upon and enhancing further the JPIAMR mapping/database of AMR research projects and research centres increasing visibility of the research performed
  • Data sharing
  • Sharing of negative results
  • Scientific evidence for policy and guidelines
  • Exchange programmes between researchers (e.g. fellowship schemes, travel grants etc)
  • Networking activities
  • Educational and training programmes

So, how is all this to be manifested? The JPIAMR member nations will take clear actions to build the foundation for the JPIAMR-VRI. We will implement the actual digital platform and the AMR context in 2018 via workshops, a JPIAMR Network/Working Group call and a variety of other activities.

Please continue to follow us via social media, subscribe to our newsletter and connect with us to follow and engage in the process and progress of manifesting the JPIAMR-VRI.