Hamied Foundation UK-India Antimicrobial Resistance Meetings

In October 2017, the Academy announced a pledge from The Yusuf and Farida Hamied Foundation for a scheme to build stronger research links between the UK and India to jointly address the challenge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

This pledge from the Hamied Foundation supports a programme of work on AMR to draw on the science bases in the UK and India to share knowledge and create opportunities for collaboration. The programme includes two major scientific meetings and a UK-India visiting fellowship scheme.

The first scientific meeting was held in London in February 2019 and the second meeting was held in May 2024 in Delhi. See the specific meeting tabs above for the reports which summarise discussions at both meetings. 

 Videos of all talks will be made available on the Academy's YouTube Channel. 

The programme is generously supported by the Yusuf and Farida Hamied Foundation.

In May 2024, the UK Academy of Medical Sciences and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) jointly organised a scientific meeting to discuss key AMR issues facing the two countries and how they are being addressed. The meeting was a follow up to an AMR symposium held in London, UK, in 2019, supported by the Yusuf and Farida Hamied Foundation. It was followed by a one-day policy workshop on AMR. Given the importance of antimicrobial use in the animal sector and concerns about the role of the environment in the spread of AMR, the workshop adopted a One Health perspective.

The workshop heard how AMR is affecting both India and the UK, with the former in particular seeing an alarming rise in the numbers of drug-resistant infections. Globally, the response to AMR challenges is within the context of the WHO Global Action Plan on AMR, while India and the UK are among the countries having developed National Action Plans for AMR. 

Participants at the policy workshop identified a range of areas where action against antimicrobial resistance (AMR) should be intensified and several priority research areas aimed at addressing knowledge gaps and supporting targeted interventions to mitigate AMR threats. These priority policy and research areas, summarised in the policy brief, demonstrate that we do know enough to act and given the scale and potential impact of AMR, immediate action is needed, requiring strong political will and investment. 

Further case studies discussed at the India–UK AMR and One Health symposium preceding this policy workshop can be found in the full report, published in Autumn 2024.

The Academy and ICMR is grateful to the co-chairs and the steering committee members for their help in organising the meeting and developing the meeting agenda. 

• Dr Rajiv Bahl [Co-Chair], Research & Director General, Indian Council of Medical Research
• Professor David Heymann CBE FMedSci [Co-Chair], Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
• Professor Kate Baker [policy workshop lead], University of Cambridge
• Dr Balaji Veeraraghavan, Christian Medical College
• Professor Dominic Moran, University of Edinburgh
• Professor Emma Pitchforth, University of Exeter
• Dr Kamini Walia, Indian Council of Medical Research
• Dr Neelam Taneja, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research
• Dr Rajesh Bhatia, Regional Technical Adviser on AMR for the Regional Office of FAO
• Professor Ramanan Laxminarayan, One Health Trust
• Professor Sharon Peacock CBE FMedSci, University of Cambridge
• Professor Tania Dottorini, University of Nottingham
• Dr Venkatasubramanian Ramasubramanian, Apollo Hospital

On Monday 4 and Tuesday 5 February 2019, the Academy of Medical Sciences hosted a two-day meeting on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in London.

The Meeting explored the findings from collaborative research on the interactions of human health, animal health, and the environment alongside the research and policy actions that have been taken in the UK and India to address this challenge. In addition, the symposium helped to identify areas for continued or future research that will impact on policy and action. 

For more information, please see the symposium report and the meeting agenda.

The Academy is grateful to the chair and the steering committee members for their help in organising the meeting and developing the meeting agenda. 

• Professor David Heymann CBE FMedSci [Chair], Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
• Professor Jeffery Errington FRS FMedSci, Director of the Centre for Bacterial Cell Biology, Newcastle University
• Dr Abdul Ghafur, Coordinator, Chennai declaration on antimicrobial resistance 
• Professor Alison Holmes FMedSci, Professor of Infectious Diseases, Imperial College London
• Dr Shahid Jameel, Chief Executive Officer, Wellcome Trust DBT India Alliance
• Professor Asad Khan, Professor of Biotechnology, Aligarh Muslim University
• Professor Richard Kock, Professor of Wildlife Health and Emerging Diseases, Royal Veterinary College
• Professor Sharon Peacock CBE FMedSci, Honorary Senior Research Fellow; University of Cambridge
• Dr Radha Rangarajan, co-founder and CEO of Vitas Pharma
• Professor Balaji Veeraraghavan, Professor and Head of Microbiology, Christian Medical College, Vellore