The European Union has officially launched the Partnership on One Health Antimicrobial Resistance (OHAMR), a 10-year initiative co-funded by Horizon Europe with €75 million, aimed at addressing the urgent global health threat posed by antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The programme underscores Europe’s commitment to innovation and leadership in combating AMR, a growing challenge that threatens modern medicine, strains health systems, and imposes significant economic costs.
AMR is responsible for over 35,000 deaths annually in the EU and 1.27 million worldwide as of 2019, with projections estimating up to 10 million deaths per year by 2050. It arises when microbes, such as bacteria or viruses, develop resistance to treatments, driven by antimicrobial misuse, inadequate infection control, and limited diagnostics. Tackling AMR is critical to sustaining effective healthcare globally.
Coordinated by the Swedish Research Council, OHAMR unites 53 organisations from 30 countries under a One Health approach, linking human, animal, and environmental health sectors to accelerate solutions that reduce antimicrobial use and resistance. The partnership will fund joint transnational research and innovation projects, strengthen research capacity in participating countries, promote the translation of knowledge into policy and practice, support improved access to AMR data, and enhance coordination across national and European efforts.
The initiative builds on previous EU-supported AMR research under Horizon Europe and Horizon 2020, which have collectively funded €1.18 billion across 416 projects. It also extends the work of the Joint Programming Initiative on Antimicrobial Resistance (JPIAMR), which invested over €180 million since 2011, and aligns with the objectives of the 2023 Council recommendation on AMR and the 2017 European One Health Action Plan against AMR.
OHAMR will further the Strategy for European Life Sciences by fostering a One Health approach that recognizes the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health. By supporting the development and market adoption of innovative tools to combat AMR, the partnership aims to strengthen Europe’s position as a global hub for life sciences by 2030 while addressing one of the most pressing public health challenges of our time.
