Global Partnerships for Global Challenges - The Case of the Global AMR R&D Hub

Drug resistance, or antimicrobial resistance (AMR), is one of today’s most pressing global health threats and has been described by the WHO as a “silent pandemic.” It occurs when bacteria, fungi, viruses, or parasites evolve to resist the very drugs designed to treat them. Left unchecked, it is projected to claim eight million lives annually by 2050 and cause an estimated USD 3.4 trillion in annual global GDP losses by 2030. AMR could therefore pose a threat even greater than Covid-19. Mitigating AMR requires coordinated global action, including strong regulations and financial incentives to support the development of new drugs across regions and sectors. However, a major obstacle lies in the fragmentation of innovation pipelines, reguluations, AMR funding, and AMR data. Governments and scholars have highlighted the need for transnational arrangements that can coordinate global responses and inform policy, funding, and research and development (R&D) activities. Yet, it remains unclear how such arrangements are designed and what impact they have on global AMR policies. This case study examines the Global AMR R&D Hub (the Hub), a G20-initiated transnational partnership composed of 19 governments, the European Commission, the Gates Foundation, and the Wellcome Trust, established to strengthen global AMR responses. A central function of the Hub is the coordination and provision of AMR R&D evidence and data to inform AMR funding, policies and research. Drawing on participant observation and interviews with Hub officials, global health policymakers, and other stakeholders, the study finds that the Hub plays an important role in global AMR responses by advocating for AMR at the highest political levels (e.g., G7/G20 and the UN General Assembly), providing evidence and expertise to inform policy and research, and convening diverse stakeholders to enable further global collaboration. These activities have directly contributed to concrete policy decisions such as pilot projects and National Action Plans against AMR. Overall, the study suggests that transnational partnerships can make a meaningful contribution to strengthening global challenges like AMR.