Thu, 12/06/2018 - 12:16

NCN together with JPI AMR network is pleased to announce a new transnational call on antimicrobial resistance. The Call on Diagnostics and Surveillance 2019 will fund joint transnational research projects addressing the development of diagnostic and surveillance tools, technologies and methods to detect antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Projects should address the diagnosis of AMR infections in clinical and veterinary settings, or the surveillance of AMR in humans, animals and the environment. The call promotes projects with impact in low and middle income countries (LMICs) in Asia and Africa.

AMR has become one of the major global health and development challenges of the 21st century. The threat of AMR is particularly high in resource-limited and high-risk settings. This is linked to issues such as weak human and animal health systems; diverse means of food production, processing and consumption; food safety and food security; water, hygiene and sanitation challenges; and the global movement of people and goods.

In response to these challenges, the JPIAMR is pleased to launch this joint transnational call for proposals for innovative research projects on new or improved diagnostic and surveillance strategies, tools, technologies and methods.  The call will support research projects that also have the potential for impact in areas where the risk and burden of AMR is greatest, such as in LMIC settings in Asia and Africa. Projects are encouraged to use a One Health approach where relevant.

The projected call budget is approx. 20 million Euro, including 0,5 Euro allocated by he NCN Council to fund Polish research teams participating in the call.

Scope of the call

Projects should aim to either:

  • Develop strategies, tools, technologies, and methods for the detection, monitoring, profiling and/or surveillance of antimicrobial resistance and dynamics leading to resistance.
  • Study ways to facilitate and implement the uptake and use of existing strategies, tools, technologies, and/or methods for the detection, monitoring, profiling and surveillance of antimicrobial resistance and dynamics leading to resistance.

Expected Outcomes

It is expected that this JPIAMR call will contribute to the urgent need to curb the burden associated with the most prioritised infections in different geographical settings. This topic area is also suitable to reinforce collaborations involving industry and social sciences. Regional LMIC led collaborations are welcomed. The results of the funded projects should contribute to improved understanding, monitoring and detection of AMR where efforts to curb AMR will have a global impact.

Suggested Focal Areas

  • Establish the validity of new or improved diagnostic tools, technologies and methods.
  • Evaluate how new or improved diagnostics can promote more prudent use of antibiotics (e.g. narrow spectrum antibiotics) in human and veterinary use
  • Rapid diagnostics (essential for optimal antimicrobial selection) and point-of-care techniques, to improve personalised or individual therapies
  • Development of new, or more efficient use and accessibility of already existing, tools, technologies and/or methods to detect AMR in multiple reservoirs, for example human, animal and environmental samples

Projects are encouraged to consider the global use of the tools, technologies and methods, including use in low and lower middle income settings (e.g. lack of laboratory facilities, affordable diagnostic tests, unreliable or unavailable electricity supplies or points-of-care-tests).

The following sub-topics are not within the scope of the call:

  • Investigations based on, or involving, clinical trials.
  • Investigations aiming to improve existing commercial technology or products (more details on this will be in the full call text and annexes)

Participating countries & eligibility

  • Full eligibility criteria is included in the Call text, below.
  • Consortia of eligible scientists from participating JPIAMR member countries and eligible countries in Africa and Asia may apply to this call.
  • Applicants must adhere to the specific regulations of their national funding organisation, see Annex B.
  • Consortia must include a minimum of three and a maximum of six project partners from at least three eligible countries.
  • Participating JPIAMR member countries include Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Latvia, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, South Africa, Spain and Sweden.
  • China and specified LMICs in Southeast and South Asia (DAC list) will be funded by IDRC (See Annex B).
  • Low income countries in Africa will be funded by SIDA (See Annex B).

Information and application

  • Call text. All specific information on the 9th call.
  • Proposal Application Form. Mandatory for submitting proposals. No other routes are accepted
  • Application website: Applications should be submitted via https://ptoutline.eu/app/JPIAMR2019 
  • Pre-eligibility check form for Italian applicants. For more information, see the specific requirements in the call text (Annex B).

Expected timeline

The call has a two-step application process (pre-proposal, full proposal) with the following targeted timetable:

  • February 18, 2019 (11:00 CET)  – submission deadline for joint pre-proposals
  • June 17, 2019 (11:00 CET) –  submission deadline for joint full proposals
  • June 24, 2019 (23:59 CET) – submission deadline for UNISONO proposals for the participating Polish teams
  • Mid October 2019 –  final funding decision announced to applicants
  • End of 2019/Early 2020 – start of funding

Information for Polish applicants:

  1. At the pre-proposal stage Polish applicants are not required to send any additional documents to the NCN.
  2. At the full proposal stage no later than  June 24, 2019 they must submit their UNISONO proposals in the OSF submission system. The UNISONO proposal includes the following budget table: http://ncn.gov.pl/sites/default/files/pliki/UNISONO_budget_table.xlsx.
  3. We strongly encourage all applicants to read the information on eligible costs included in the Annex to NCN Council’s Resolution on funding granted within calls for proposals for international research projects (please see UNISONO).
  4. If one international project includes partners from two (or more) different Polish Host Institutions, these institutions must apply to the NCN as a group of entities.  Please note that each member of the group will have a separate budget, but the limit on personnel costs, given in paragraph 2.1.2 of the Annex to NCN Council’s Resolution, applies to the group of entities as a whole (please see  UNISONO).
  5. At the full proposal stage, the budget of the Polish part of the research project in the OSF system should be given in PLN, with the exchange rate of  1 EUR= 4,3833 PLN.
  6. Projects including Polish teams may last 24 or 36 months.

Contact

Please contact the Call Secretariat directly for more information or specific questions regarding the call.

NCN

News and updates

Updates about the call will be published on the JPIAMR web and make sure to follow JPIAMR on Twitter @JPIAMR , Facebook.com/JPIAMR and LinkedIn, for further news and updates.