The Global AMR Innovation Fund

GAMRIF is a UK aid fund that supports research and development around the world to reduce the threat of antimicrobial resistance in low and middle income countries.

Role of GAMRIF

The Global AMR Innovation Fund (GAMRIF) supports early-stage innovative research in underfunded areas of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) research and development for the benefit of people in low and middle income countries (LMICs).

GAMRIF works with research organisations, governments and industry around the world to:

  • establish international research partnerships and support research competitions that fund innovation and development of new technologies to tackle AMR
  • leverage investment from other partners and donors to support sustainable financing for AMR
  • establish global research partnerships using a ‘One Health’ approach
  • fund projects that will develop solutions specifically for LMICs

The Review on Antimicrobial Resistance recommended the development of a fund that would support the research and development of new health products to address emerging and spreading drug resistance.

GAMRIF was established to address this recommendation.

Antimicrobial resistance

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) happens when microbes including bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites no longer respond to the drugs (such as antibiotics) that would normally kill them.

It is estimated that every year 700,000 people globally die from drug-resistant infections. The Review on Antimicrobial Resistance found that if insufficient action is taken, the number of global deaths could rise to 10 million a year by 2050 and could cost the global economy up to US$100 trillion.

The burden of AMR will be greater in LMICs where there are typically lower health system capacities and higher rates of infectious disease.

GAMRIF specifically supports the development of new drugs and products tailored to LMICs. These interventions will also prevent the further emergence and greater spread of AMR globally.

AMR is a complex challenge because AMR in humans is affected by animal health practices, agricultural practices and our environment. GAMRIF takes a ‘One Health’ approach, which means that the fund invests in potential solutions to reduce the threat of AMR in humans, animals, fish and the environment. This approach supports several different types of health products to address a range of antimicrobial threats to human health.

Expert advisory board

When GAMRIF was first developed, a 12-member expert advisory board was appointed by then Chief Medical Officer for England Professor Dame Sally Davies. This group provided independent guidance to direct the scope of investment, scientific objectives and investment opportunities.

This board is chaired by Christopher Egerton-Warburton of Lion’s Head Global Partners.

Partnerships

GAMRIF works with a range of organisations using bilateral partnerships, global research initiatives and product development partnerships.

UK-China: Innovation and Collaboration to tackle AMR

This is a bilateral partnership between the UK government and the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST).

Through GAMRIF, the UK government has provided up to £10 million over 3 years to fund the UK partners. This is matched by the Chinese government’s contribution of up to 60 million Renminbi to fund the Chinese partners.

This research is delivered by Innovate UK in the UK (on behalf of GAMRIF) and the China Science and Technology Exchange Center (CSTEC) in China.

This partnership focuses on the development of new or improved products or services against AMR. These include vaccines, antibiotics and alternative solutions (including traditional Chinese medicine), animal feed and diagnostic technologies.

UK-Argentina: Tools to tackle AMR in the Environment

This is a bilateral partnership between the UK and Argentinian governments. It supports researchers to tackle AMR in agriculture and the impact on the environment.

Through GAMRIF, the UK government has provided £5 million over 3 years, with resource-matched contributions from the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET) in Argentina.

The competition is delivered by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) in the UK (on behalf of GAMRIF) and by CONICET in Argentina.

This partnership aims to develop tools and solutions to tackle the development and spread of drug-resistant bacteria in the environment, which pose a significant threat to human health.

Accelerating Antibacterial Innovation with CARB-X

This partnership is an investment by the UK government into the multi-donor Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator (CARB-X) to tackle AMR in humans.

Through GAMRIF, the UK government has invested £20 million over 3 years in CARB-X.

The programme supports innovative early-stage product research and development of new vaccines and alternatives to antibiotics that can be used to prevent and treat drug-resistant bacterial infections in humans specifically for the benefit of people in LMICs.

InnoVet-AMR: Innovative Veterinary Solutions for AMR with IDRC

Innovative Veterinary Solutions for AMR (InnoVet-AMR) is a partnership between the UK government and Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) to reduce the emerging risk to global health and food security posed by AMR in food-producing animals.

Through GAMRIF, the UK government has invested £10 million over 4 years, with CA$10 million co-funding provided by IDRC.

This investment will support research around the world to develop new vaccines and alternative innovations to antibiotics to fight AMR in livestock and aquaculture production in LMICs.

Vaccine Innovation with BactiVac

This is a partnership between the UK government and the Bacterial Vaccinology Network (BactiVac) at the University of Birmingham to support the development of vaccines for AMR in humans and animals.

Through GAMRIF, the UK government has invested up to £1 million over one year into BactiVac.

This investment supports global research and development partnerships to drive the development and uptake of vaccines for AMR for the benefit of people in LMICs.

Innovation in AMR Diagnostic Tools with FIND

Through GAMRIF, the UK government has partnered with the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND), a non-profit product development partnership.

GAMRIF has invested £10 million over 3 years in 2 projects with FIND.

The first project aims to develop technological methods to connect data from patient testing and health provider consultations to larger data systems, such as national and international AMR surveillance programmes.

The second project aims to develop and use new diagnostic technologies to diagnose drug-resistant gonorrhoea.

New Antibiotic Treatment for Drug-Resistant Gonorrhoea with GARDP

This is a partnership with the Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP), a non-profit product development partnership.

Through GAMRIF, the UK government has invested £4.5 million over 4 years in GARDP.

This funding aims to develop a new antibiotic for drug-resistant gonorrhoea. This is a major public health priority as gonorrhoea is increasingly resistant to the majority of antibiotics.

Publications

Global AMR Innovation Fund annual review: 2017 to 2019

Contact details

GlobalAMRInnovationFund@dhsc.gov.uk