WHO Regional Office for Europe and TDR are pleased to announce grant awards following the 2019–2020 call for applications for the Joint Small Grants Scheme for Implementation Research in Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR). Nine projects from six countries in the WHO European Region have been selected for funding.
The Small Grants Scheme is a joint initiative of TDR and WHO regional offices, which aims to strengthen the research capacity of relevant individuals and institutions in countries; generate new knowledge, solutions and implementation strategies that can be applied by countries for the control and elimination of infectious diseases; and encourage intersectoral dialogue and the One Health approach.
Antimicrobial resistance is a global public health challenge. AMR makes standard treatments ineffective and allows infections to persist and spread. Because the drivers of antimicrobial resistance lie in humans, animals, plants, food and the environment, there is a need for robust evidence to guide One Health interventions that can contain AMR.
The scope of this call was to cover a spectrum of studies that utilize operational or implementation research methodology, focusing on a One Health approach including human, animal and/or environmental health as one of the core principles of an effective response against the AMR problem.
A three-day workshop was held in Almaty, Kazakhstan, 6–8 November 2019, to finalize the research plans for the projects selected under this Small Grants Scheme. The workshop was facilitated by mentors from the region as well as staff from TDR and WHO European regional office. All teams are now ready to commence implementation of their research projects .
The selected proposals are:
| Project title | Country | Principal Investigator |
| Analysis of the reasons for over-the-counter consumption of antimicrobials with the aim of further resolving the issue of their rational use | Ukraine | Irina Ganja |
| Antimicrobial resistance in a clinical hospital of a healthcare system of Almaty city | Kazakhstan | Valentina Son |
| Assessing importance of healthcare-setting adaptation of clinical guidelines for adherence and prudent antibiotic prescribing in hospitals with pilot interventions for sepsis, bronchopneumonia and urinary infections in children | North Macedonia | Katarina Stavrikj |
| Assessment of prevalence of Antimicrobial resistance towards specific drugs and in specific diseases in Armenia and potential risk factors contributing to Antimicrobial resistance | Armenia | Karapet Davtyan |
| Development of national surveillance system for antimicrobial resistance in Campilobacter spp. | North Macedonia | Romel Velev |
| Identifying awareness, practice and awareness raising among general practitioners, patients, farmers and dehkans about antimicrobial resistance issues | Uzbekistan | Dilfuza Aniyozova |
| Introduction of rapid strep test to pediatric practices in Armenia | Armenia | Sergey Sargsyan |
| Prescribing patterns of antibiotic prescription among pediatricians in primary health care in Republic of Srpska; knowledge, attitude and practice of the pediatricians and parents regarding antibiotic use | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Biljana Mijovic |
| Studying antimicrobial drugs dispensing in pharmacies in Yerevan city – Armenia, 2019 | Armenia | Lilit Avetisyan |
For more information, contact Dr Garry Aslanyan.