Scotland’s research communities tackling the global health threat posed by antimicrobial resistance (AMR) will be able more easily identify gaps and opportunities to collaborate with a refresh to a national register.

Scotland’s One Health AMR Register seeks to make research into the global health threat more visible and accessible.

The ‘major update’ to the register will help academics and health leaders alike to better understand the country's contribution to AMR research alongside any remaining knowledge gaps, according to the project team.

Led by University of Strathclyde, Glasgow Caledonian University, Scotland’s Rural College, the University of the West of Scotland, and the James Hutton Institute, it also helps researchers identified opportunities for collaboration.

This latest project update launched this week is offering users new features including searchable functions, policy briefs and research project summaries to outline key findings.

It also includes a wider analysis of Scotland’s AMR research landscape, which the team says will help the country play a “leading role” in tackling AMR.

Project Lead, Professor Fiona Henriquez-Mui from the University of Strathclyde said:

“By identifying research strengths, gaps, and opportunities, SOHAR provides practical value to a wide range of users – from policymakers and funders to researchers, practitioners, and industry.

“It highlights where AMR expertise lies, where work is ongoing, how funding is distributed, and key areas of research focus.

“These insights can foster collaboration across disciplines and sectors, guide investment decisions, and help align future research activities with national priorities. It also offers a transparent view of Scotland’s AMR research contributions and progress against national commitments.”

While the first version published in 2021 helped collate peer-reviewed studies on AMR, the latest register organises research into key themes, providing a clearer view of Scotland’s research activity.

The expansion of the register and what it can do is designed to help academics make connections between their areas of expertise, understand the wider influences on their work and find new opportunities to advance research.

It follows a National Audit Office investigation into UK-wide responses to AMR which warned that only “limited progress” has been achieved and the UK remains a “long way” from its aims.

The Scottish government published a renewed action plan for AMR last year alongside the other UK nations, with ministers highlighting that collaboration over the next five years will be “pivotal”.

These include reducing unnecessary antibiotic prescribing, infection prevention and control efforts, public engagement and education around AMR and advancing innovation to deliver new treatment solutions.

The register update connects existing research themes to the commitments outlined in this action plan, in an effort to strengthen Scotland’s role in a coordinated UK-wide response to AMR.

Glasgow Caledonian University’s Professor John Connolly who led stakeholder engagement to develop Scotland’s One Health AMR Register, said enhancing research coordination plays a central role in this fight:

“Scotland is playing a leading role in tackling the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance.

“I’m proud to contribute to a study that enhances research coordination across the country, helping to shape the Scottish government’s National Action Plan on AMR and identify key research and policy priorities.” 

Read more: UK joins forces to combat antimicrobial resistance; Less than full-time – behind the NHS trend; Want to eat less meat? New study seeks volunteers; Government to merge two national NHS boards; Doctors invited to shape medical workforce reforms; A question of action; Glasgow LEZ success sparks call for expansion