The Joint Programming Initiative on Antimicrobial Resistance (JPIAMR) is an initiative to coordinate the research, in order to allow greater impact and avoid duplication across national borders. Its aim is to act as platform for initiating and coordinating joint actions by bringing together industry, public health and academic bodies to share experience and resources across scientific disciplines.

With this focus on mind, Canada and 12 other member states launch the first JPIAMR call titled InnovaResistance: Innovative approaches to address antibacterial resistance.

a. Objective: The primary aim of this first joint call of JPIAMR is to combine the resources, infrastructures, and research strengths of multiple countries in order to overcome antibiotic resistance. The goal is to foster multinational translational research collaborations that can accomplish more than individual countries working independently, leading to improved control of bacterial infections.

b.Research Topics: The call will cover research addressing the following topics:

- Re-evaluation of existing anti-microbial compounds either alone or in combination with other drugs, immune-modulators or anti-bacterial approaches.

- Identification of new bacterial targets and/or therapeutic compounds in combination with point-of-care companion diagnostics where relevant.

- Discovery and implementation of novel therapies to overcome known antimicrobial resistance mechanisms and restore susceptibility to conventional antibiotics. Examples might include studies on novel enzyme or efflux pump inhibitors, as well as studies aimed at understanding and overcoming the mechanisms controlling the generation of resistance.

- Strategies for optimization of drug use, dosage and delivery of new drugs or drug combinations.

- Strategies to inhibit or reduce the acquisition of resistance such as single molecular agents effective against multiple targets as well as therapeutics that enhance immune pathogen elimination, disrupt colonization, biofilm development, and virulence.

Projects shall link activities across institutions within JPIAMR member countries to create collaborations with a clear added value. Only transnational projects will be funded.

c. Application details (Spain): Managed by Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII)

1. Eligibility criteria for institutions:

- Public R&D performing centres with legal and fiscal adress in Spain:

       i. Public Hospitals, Primary health care or Public health settings of the Spanish National Health,

       ii. Universities,

       iii. Research Performing Organizations and Health Research Institutes

       iv. Intramural ISCIII and CIBER (only if the Spanish applicant from a CIBER is the project coordinator)

- Private R&D performing centres, non for profit.

Participation of SME’s and other private (Bio) companies at their own cost or as subcontractors is strongly encouraged.

Proposals with more than one partner (research team) from the same beneficiary institution will be rejected.

2. Eligibility criteria for Principal Investigator (PI) and team members:

- Each proposal must involve a minimum of 3 eligible partners from countries participating in the call and a maximum of 6 countries/project participants. Project participants not eligible to be funded (e.g. from non-funding countries or not fundable according to national/regional regulations of the participating funding countries may be involved in projects if they secure their own funding and if their expertise is indispensable for reaching the objectives.

- The Principal Investigator (PI) must be a senior researcher. Only one application can be submitted per Spanish researcher/ Spanish project partner research team.

- All team members (including the PI) must have a contractual relationship/fellowship with an eligible Spanish institution during the lifespan of the project (from application till the end of the research project or beyond).

- Researchers with on-going JPI AMR projects in 2015 will be discarded.

Excluded personnel as Principal Investigator (PI):

i. Those undergoing a Postgraduate training in Health Specialisation or a Post-doctoral training (e.g.“Sara Borrell“ or “Juan de la Cierva” contracts)

ii. Those currently undergoing research training (e.g. PhD students, or “Rio Hortega Programme”)

iii. Research personnel contracted by a RETICS or a CONSOLIDER

3. Funding scheme: Only one 3-year project grant per fundable project partner:

- Up to 125,000.00 € if the Spanish applicant is the consortium coordinator.

- Up to 75,000.00 € if the Spanish applicant is NOT the coordinator.

4. Eligibility of expenses:

- Hiring full-time or part-time technical manpower up to 3 years (additional to the research team members and excluding Students or fellows): only allowed if the Spanish project partner PI is the project consortium coordinator.

Prefixed bulk cost (salary + taxes + social security, etc.) per annual full-time contract:

o Technical expert, higher degree: 29,500.00 €

o Technical expert, medium degree: 24,500.00 €

o Technical expert, FP II: 20,500.00 €

- Small Equipment:        o Up to 40,000.00 € if the Spanish applicants is the coordinator.

                       o Up to 20,000.00 € if the Spanish Applicant PI is NOT the coordinator.

- Consumables.

- Travel and allowance (only applied to JPI AMR transnational project research team members):

        o Up to 7,500.00 € if the Spanish applicant PI is the coordinator.

        o Up to 4,500.00 € (presenting results/field studies/coordination meetings) if the Spanish applicant PI is NOT the coordinator.

- Commissions (subcontracts up to 50%): subcontracting with (bio) companies and SMEs is permitted (and encouraged).

- Overheads (ex officio): up to +21% of the Spanish National funds over the approved amount of the grant provided.

d. Deadlines (two-stage application procedure):

1. Pre-proposal submission:

- VHIR's deadline: March 03, 2014

- Official deadline: March 14, 2014

2. Full-proposal submission (if invited):

- VHIR's deadline: July 11, 2014

- Official deadline: July 21, 2014

e. Further information:

- Call information: HERE

- Guide for applicants: HERE

- Partnering tool: HERE

- Access to submission system: HERE