To tackle AMR effectively, the European Commission coordinates extensive research initiatives, fosters collaboration between countries and industries, and has recently launched new partnerships under the One Health approach.
These initiatives aim to safeguard healthcare now and for future generations within the EU and globally.
EU4Health (2021-2027)
EU4Health is the current EUR 4.4 billion health funding programme that supports projects in EU and non-EU countries associated with the programme. It aims to improve and foster health, protect from health threats including AMR, facilitate access to essential medical products, and strengthen health systems. Examples of projects and studies funded under EU4Health include:
- the European Joint Action (JA) on AMR and Healthcare-Associated Infections (EU-JAMRAI2) (EU contribution: EUR 50 million). This ambitious action supports all 27 EU Member States, plus Ukraine, Norway and Iceland, implementing their national action plans against AMR and coordinating efforts on infection prevention, antimicrobial stewardship, and surveillance, all through a One Health lens.
- study to design a monitoring framework to assess the progress and results achieved in delivering the 2023 Council Recommendation on AMR and the 2017 AMR Action Plan. The report defined key indicators relating, among others, to national Action Plans against AMR, antimicrobial use, surveillance, and stewardship practices
- study to evaluate the feasibility of integrating AMR and AMC surveillance systems encompassing human health, animal health, plant health, food, wastewater and the environment. The report identifies key barriers and opportunities for integrating surveillance efforts, and possibilities for overcoming challenges and improving data collection, analysis, and reporting.
- financial support for the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which, building upon its previous economic modelling of the costs and impacts of AMR, is appraising the cost-effectiveness of a range of prevention and control policies to curb this economically damaging health threat
- financial support for the WHO Regional Office for Europe to tackle AMR and healthcare-associated infections, including piloting the implementation of the WHO European Roadmap, and improving infection prevention and control (IPC) and antimicrobial stewardship programmes in selected hospitals
- study examining barriers to tackling AMR across EU Member States, Norway, and Iceland, with a focus on improving the development and implementation of One Health National Action Plans
- studies to support the Commission services on AMR feasibility on stockpiling and on bringing AMR medical countermeasures to the market
- actions promoting research and innovation to develop effective, safe and affordable medical countermeasures (new antibiotics). For example, in 2023, the Commission provided EUR 8 million in funding as part of a collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Global Antibiotic R&D Partnership (GARDP) to ensure sustainable access to existing treatments, and to drive the development of urgently needed new ones
- EU-Wastewater Integrated Surveillance for Public Health (EU-WISH) is a Joint Action involving 62 participants from 26 countries, focused on supporting activities to improve national capacities for wastewater public health surveillance. EU-WISH collaborates with EU-JAMRAI2 in further developing and enhancing the environmental component of AMR surveillance strategies in Europe.
Horizon Europe (2021-2027)
Horizon Europe is the EU’s flagship EUR 93.5 billion research and innovation (R&I) programme. Horizon Europe is providing new funding opportunities and partnerships for AMR:
- the European Partnership on One Health AMR (EUP OHAMR), which was launched in June 2025, brings together 53 organisations from 30 countries across the EU and beyond. Succeeding the JPIAMR and building on its legacy, the partnership aims to close knowledge gaps and bridge silos between sectors, disciplines and perspectives, by harnessing approximately EUR 250 million in pooled funding for R&I
- no one is safe until everyone is safe. The Global Health EDCTP3 (European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership) joint undertaking between the European Commission and the EDCTP Association, which represents 15 European and 30 African countries, is investing EUR 6 million into R&D for novel and existing antimicrobials
- collaborating with industry stakeholders through public-private partnerships enables the Commission to maximise the impact of its AMR research funding. A prime example is the AMR Accelerator, funded through the Innovative Health Initiative (IHI), with EUR 1.2 billion allocated via Horizon Europe. The Accelerator has helped advance over 40 research programmes aimed at developing new medicines to treat or prevent resistant bacterial infections
- leveraging innovation and new technologies is crucial to tackling AMR. Bacteriophages are viruses that specifically target bacteria and are being explored as alternatives or complementary treatments for resistant infections. A specific call under Horizon Europe WP2025 aims to support the generation of robust scientific evidence on the safety and effectiveness of phage therapies, an important first step towards delivering new therapeutic options for patients.
A portfolio analysis of 52 EU-funded research and innovation (R&I) projects addressing veterinary aspects of AMR under Horizon Europe, Horizon 2020 and other programmes shows that veterinary AMR research in the EU is making substantial contributions to scientific progress and policy goals.
Previous EU R&I Programmes
Between 2003 and 2020, the EU Health Programmes constituted key drivers for advancing health knowledge and generating robust evidence to inform policymaking.
- The first edition of EU-JAMRAI (2017 – 2021) was underpinned by more than EUR 4 million of EU Health Programme funding.
The Horizon 2020 programme (2014–2020) invested over EUR 80 billion into R&I, laying the foundation for the current Horizon Europe programme (2021–2027).
The financial support provided through Horizon 2020 allowed researchers to tackle AMR through many of its facets. Notable projects include:
- the development of new approaches for clinical management and prevention of resistant bacterial infections in high-prevalence settings
- the establishment of a European-wide sustainable network for harmonised large-scale clinical research studies for infectious diseases.
The Joint Programming Initiative on AMR (JPIAMR) was an international collaborative platform engaging 29 nations and the European Commission to curb AMR. The JPIAMR established a framework for research collaboration and over 14 years supported nearly 1900 researchers across 186 projects to working together to transcend national and scientific borders and find new treatments, solutions and methods to tackle AMR. The JPIAMR officially ended in May 2025 and was succeeded by the EUP OHAMR.
A wider repository of EU-funded work is the inventory of the Global AMR R&D Hub, of which the Commission is a founding member.
