European Partnership on One Health Antimicrobial Resistance 2026

A brief summary of the call is provided below along with additional information on eligibility for applicants requesting funding from HRB. Please refer to the OHAMR JTC2026 webpage for all call documents:

Call Scope:

Proposals submitted under this call must address one of three designated topics. Please note that each of the Irish funding organization participating in this call (HRB, Research Ireland and DAFM) has specific requirements in relation to the scientific scope.

The HRB will fund applications in the Human Health setting under Topic 2 and the Irish partner’s activities must primarily target this area. Research Ireland welcomes applications under all Topics of this call, in all One Health settings, while DAFM will support applications under Topic 3, targeting the Environment, Animal or Plant Health area.

Topic 1: Identify and develop new combination treatments using existing or innovative antimicrobials or antimicrobial with adjunctive treatments to extend drug efficacy and combat resistance.

Resistance limits the usability of many commonly-used antibiotics and antifungal agents in Human Health, Animal Health, and Plant Health. Proposals addressing this topic should identify and develop therapies to be used in combination (combination of different antimicrobials, or combination of an antimicrobial and a non-antimicrobial that improves activity or facilitates a better targeting towards the site of infection) to reduce the development of resistance against antibacterial and antifungal treatments and extend the usability of inexpensive and readily available antimicrobials. These studies should be underpinned by scientific rationale and mechanism of action of these treatments. In the framework of this topic, improvement of existing combination treatments is eligible (i.e. pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, mode of administration). The choice of the targeted pathogens should be well justified. For the proposals having a Human Health interest, the proposed combination treatment should be directed against one of the bacterial or fungal pathogens included in the WHO priority lists.

Topic 2: Develop tools and methods to improve adherence to treatment protocols.

A low adherence to the treatment protocols by end-users (patients, farmers, citizens) leads to a decreased probability of success and to an increased risk of resistance to antibacterial and antifungal treatments. Proposals addressing this topic should identify the reasons for poor adherence to treatment protocols (Human, Animal, Plant), and/or develop innovative tools (including digital tools) and methods (including sociological and behavioural approaches) to improve the adherence to treatment protocols and/or test and compare the efficiency of existing or innovative tools and methods on the adherence to treatment protocols. Engagement with end-users is mandatory. The consideration of vulnerable groups, which often have reduced access to conventional health and care services, is expected.

Topic 3: Assess the impact of antimicrobials for veterinary and agricultural use on the risk of AMR transmission to humans and the environment to inform policies on the restriction of some antimicrobials for human use.

Proposals addressing this topic are expected to assess the impact of mechanisms of action, formulations, routes of administration and treatment regimens of antibacterial and antifungal drugs authorized for veterinary and agricultural use on the risk of emergence and transmission of AMR to humans and the environment. Proposals addressing this topic should also aim to improve the formulation, dosage, delivery, routes of administration and treatment regimens (including pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics) currently used in the veterinary and agricultural sector, to decrease the risk of cross-resistance, or transmission to humans and the environment. The aim is to generate evidence to support policies that restrict certain antimicrobials for exclusive human use and inform policies such as the WHO List of Medically Important Antimicrobials.

Please note that for all call topics:

• Proposals should consider how the proposed approach will impact the risk of resistance in other One Health settings, and how the proposed approach could be extended to other One Health settings.
• Proposals should explain their feasibility by outlining realistic objectives, practical methodologies, and achievable timelines (e.g.: workplan, risk identification, allocation of resources, capacity of the consortium to conduct the work, business plan if the proposal envisages commercial component, etc).
• Proposals must clearly demonstrate the potential health, social and/or economic impact(s) of the expected results. In particular, the proposals should explain how the uptake of the expected project results by the society/ end-users/ next actors in the value chain will be facilitated.
• Proposals should clearly demonstrate the benefit of working together and the unique contribution of each partner (i.e. expertise, resources). In addition, the proposals should demonstrate the added-value of transnational collaboration: sharing of expertise and resources (models, databases…), harmonization of data, access to innovative technologies, etc.
• Participation of the private sector (start-up, SMEs, industry) in the consortium is encouraged for all call topics if appropriate (please consult the Annex A to check the national funding eligibility rules).
• Proposals submitted to this call should not present overlap with proposals submitted to/granted by other Horizon Europe or EU4Health calls or with projects previously funded by JPIAMR. In their full proposal, applicants will be asked to identify potential related projects and describe how their proposal does not overlap, or possibly complements, a related EU project (including, for European Partnerships such as the Partnership on Animal Health and Welfare, projects submitted to external calls, as well as research activities funded internally).

Irish Partner(s) are not eligible for HRB funding for:

• Proposals addressing Topics 1 and 3, as well as proposals addressing Topic 2 but primarily focusing on Animal Health, Environment or Plant Health.
• Proposals involving basic biomedical research;[1]
• Research intended to create human embryos solely for the purposes of research or for the purposes of stem cell procurement, including by means of somatic cell nuclear transfer;
• Applications from individuals applying for, holding, or employed under funding received from the tobacco industry;[2]
• Applications from individuals applying for, holding, or employed under funding received from the alcohol industry and related actors;[3]

Major changes since JPIAMR:

We have introduced a sign-off process for Host Institutions (HIs) to align with other HRB schemes. Each project partner that is requesting funding from HRB needs a HI sign off. Please consult the ‘Host Institution sign off’ section below for additional information.

[1] Basic biomedical research refers to very early stage, fundamental research. HRB permits pre-clinical research within this call on the understanding that pre-clinical studies represent an important stage of research that occurs before testing in humans to find out if a drug, treatment or procedure is likely to be useful. Work with animal models and human samples is eligible under this call.

[2] Any company, entity, or organisation involved in the development, production, promotion, marketing, or sale of tobacco in any country of the world. The term also includes any companies that are a subsidiary or a holding company or affiliate of the above. This also includes e-cigarette companies and non-tobacco related companies which are fully or partially owned by the tobacco industry

[3] Including social aspects/public relations organisations (SAPROs) funded by alcohol companies or trade associations in which such companies are members.

Projects are expected to start between December 2026 and April 2027. Awards will have a duration of up to 36 months.

Please note: Project partners will be funded by their relevant national/regional funding organisations. Eligible costs and funding rules may vary between the respective funding organisations (see the call text).

For applicants based in Ireland, the HRB will provide funding for projects up to a maximum of €330,000 direct costs per award. Additional funding of up to €75,000 direct costs will be made available for coordination activities (cannot be used to cover equipment and consumables) bringing the total to €405,000 direct costs for coordinators. The maximum total award, including overhead contribution, will be €430,000, for a partner and €530,000 for applicants who take on the role of coordinator.

Funding available is inclusive of overheads and pension contributions.

The HRB plans to commit up to €530,000 to the OHAMR JTC2026 awards. Quality permitting a minimum of one award will be funded.

The award will offer research-related costs for:

• Personnel: (i) Salary-related costs in line with the most recent IUA (or other most applicable) scale for funded personnel; (ii) Salary related costs for Lead Applicants in contract positions up to a maximum of 0.5 FTE protected time for research funded by HRB; (iii) Postgraduate stipends and fees (Master’s students only).
• Direct running costs (including travel, mobility costs, patient-related costs, and costs to support interventional studies)
• PPI costs
• Small equipment costs (not to exceed €10k)
• FAIR data management costs: Data stewardship costs (e.g. service/fees from data steward, access to secondary data, costs of making data FAIR, etc.)
• Dissemination and knowledge exchange activities (including open access scientific publications, dissemination-related travel, etc.)
• Sub-contracting costs for the provision of a service can be covered up to a maximum of 20% of direct costs. This would need to conform with the Host Institution, National and EU procurement rules. These costs should be necessary, specific to the project and proportionate and they should normally constitute only a limited part of the project.
• Overheads contribution

Please refer to HRB JTC Budget Guidance 2026” for further details.

Note: The OHAMR award will not fund PhD stipends and fees, nor the salary and related costs of tenured academic staff within research institutions (including buy-out from teaching time etc.). The latter does not apply to contract researchers, as outlined above.

The budget requested and the award duration must reflect the scale and nature of the proposed research.

Funded Personnel

Alignment between personnel requested and the proposed project should be demonstrated. Roles and responsibilities of funded personnel must be differentiated and clear.

This scheme is not framed as a training initiative for higher degree candidates. It will not cover costs for PhD students. Where candidates for a Master’s degree are proposed to work on projects, Lead Applicants must carefully consider:

• The complexity, scale, objectives, and dependencies of the project.
• The suitability of such project in terms of delivering a clearly identifiable original research project or the potential difficulties in clustering various pieces of work packages for a Master’s thesis. The skills, expertise and experience level required to carry it out.
• Any requirements and/or restriction relating to the Master’s candidate’s registration with the Host Institution, and this should be accounted for when determining the start date of the award.

Host Institutions from Northern Ireland are not eligible for HRB funding for this call and must instead apply for funding via UKRI.

Only transnational projects will be funded and consortia must meet specific criteria as detailed in the call text. There is a partner search tool available for this call. Please refer to the OHAMR webpage for all details.

Lead Applicants requesting HRB funding:

Note that HRB use the term ‘Lead Applicant’ to refer to a coordinator or partner applying for HRB funding.

The following will apply to partners seeking HRB funding – i.e., Lead Applicants.[4] If there is more than one Irish partner/coordinator and they are based in different Host Institutions (see below), they must apply as separate partners.

Where more than one Irish coordinator/partner exists, each must meet the Lead Applicant eligibility criteria. However, the HRB will only contract with the Host Institution of one Lead Applicant (this must be the coordinator if an Irish coordinator exists).[5] This Lead Applicant will serve as the primary point of contact for the HRB during the review process and on the award, if successful. They will be responsible for the scientific and technical direction of the Irish research programme. They have primary fiduciary responsibility and accountability for carrying out the research within the funding limits awarded and in accordance with the terms and conditions of the HRB. Where applicable, they must distribute the funds appropriately to the second Irish partner via collaboration and/or consortium agreements.

Each applicant can submit a maximum of two proposals but can only be a coordinator on one.

Lead Applicants must:

Hold a post (permanent or a contract that covers the duration of the award) in a HRB recognised Host Institution in the Republic of Ireland (the “Host Institution”) as an independent investigator. For clinicians, an adjunct position in a HRB recognised Host Institution is acceptable (an accompanying letter of support is required in these cases, as well as in the case of contract positions – see ‘How to apply’ below).

OR

Be an individual who will be recognised by the Host Institution upon receipt of an award as an independent investigator who will have a dedicated office and research space for the duration of award, for which they will be fully responsible. The Lead Applicant does not necessarily need to be employed by the Host Institution at the time of the application submission (an accompanying letter of support is required in these cases – see ‘How to apply’ below).

They must show evidence of achievement as an independent researcher in their chosen research field by:

• Demonstrating a record of research output, with at least three publications of original research in peer reviewed journals. Where appropriate, they should also provide evidence of other outputs (e.g., published book chapters, reports to government, research data and datasets, research materials, databases, audio/video products, national and/or international reports, patents, models and protocols, software production, evidence of influence on health policy and practice, outreach and/or knowledge exchange activities, media coverage or other relevant activities) and/or any other relevant outputs that have resulted in a significant impact in their field.
• Demonstrating record of independence by showing that they have secured at least one independently peer-reviewed research grant for a research project, as either the Lead Applicant or a Co-Applicant. Funding received for travel to seminars/conferences and/or small personal bursaries will not be considered in this regard.
• Show evidence that they possess the capability and authority to manage and supervise the research team.

Partners who are marked in the application as Early Career Researchers should also refer to the section below on Early Career Researchers.

Coordinators are expected to have relevant experience in grant management as Lead Applicant on large awards or as Work Package lead in consortium grants (e.g., Horizon Europe).

Host Institution:

The Host Institution for the award is normally that of the Lead Applicant based in Ireland but it may be another organisation/institution designated by the research team, where it is clearly justified. In order to be eligible to apply for funding, an Institution must be an approved HRB Host Institution no later than two calendar months before the closing date of a call. A list of currently approved HRB Host Institutions can be found on the HRB website.

[4] In view of the overwhelming evidence that both active and passive smoking of tobacco are injurious to health, the HRB is unwilling to fund applications from individuals applying for, holding, or employed under a research grant from the tobacco industry.

[5] For administrative purposes, the second partner will be recorded in HRB systems as a Co-Applicant.

Early Career Researchers (ECRs) are encouraged to join consortia as full research partners. If you have been marked as an ECR in the application, you must still meet the Lead Applicant criteria above with some additional conditions. These conditions are as follows:

• We would require that you have a mentor as a co-applicant on this award to take on joint responsibility of the management of this award.
• A letter of support is provided from your Mentor acknowledging their role on this application.

Your mentor should be an individual who has strong evidence of:

• Leadership experience.
• Experience in conducting research projects and programmes.
• Track record in scholarly publication and communication (peer-review articles, research data publications, national or international briefing/reports, etc.).
• Coaching and mentoring.

The letter should also state that the Mentor will provide support to the Applicant in the management of the grant and any other requisite guidance needed to ensure progress on the deliverables of the research project.

There will be a two-stage application procedure for joint applications. One joint proposal document (in English) shall be prepared by the partners and must be submitted by the Coordinator in electronic format no later than 12:00 GMT on 2 February 2026 via the online submission platform. No other means of submission will be accepted.

For further details, please refer to the respective submission forms available through the OHAMR webpage. If you need additional information, please contact the Joint Call Secretariat (JCS).

Lead Applicants based in Ireland will be required to provide additional information to the HRB at pre-proposal stage:

• New applicants to HRB’s Joint Transnational Calls must demonstrate that they meet the eligibility criteria by completing the Lead Applicant eligibility form by the submission deadline. This does not apply to previous applicants to JTCs.
• Host Institution Letters of Support must be provided for (1) all named Lead Applicants in a contract position and (2) Adjunct Professors not directly employed by the HI. These must be emailed to HRB-JTCs@hrb.ie or attached with your Lead Applicant eligibility form before the pre-proposal submission deadline. The formal letter on headed notepaper, dated and signed by the Head of School/Research Centre/Hospital must include the following information:
  • Case (1): [Host Institution – insert name] which is the host institution of [applicant – insert name] confirms that [applicant – insert name]: (i) holds an employment contract which extends until [insert date] or will be recognized by the host institution upon receipt of the HRB [scheme] award as a contract researcher; (ii) has an independent office and research space/facilities for which they are fully responsible for at least the duration of the award, and (iii) has the capability and authority to mentor and supervise the research team.
  • Case (2): [Host Institution – insert name] confirms that [applicant – insert name] has the authority and resources allocated to hold and manage a grant under their Adjunct status for at least the duration of the award.
• Letters of Support and Mentor CV must be provided for ECR applicants (where marked as ECR in the application). These must be emailed to HRB-JTCs@hrb.ie or attached with your Lead Applicant eligibility form before the pre-proposal submission deadline.
• You must send the final application to your Research Office (RO) who will complete the HI JTC sign-off form and return this along with the application to HRB (see ‘Host Institution sign off’ below). Note that the deadline for sign-off is three working days after the submission deadline so you should send your RO the application as soon as you have access to it. We also recommend that you notify the Host Institution signatory of your intention to apply as soon as possible in the application process. We require HI sign off for each project partner that is requesting funding from HRB.

At full proposal stage, applicants must submit a justification for their requested budget, and clarification on deliverables assigned to the partner from Ireland. Templates requesting this information will be provided by the HRB.

Please refer also to HRB Grant Policies.

We have introduced a sign-off process for Host Institutions (HIs) to align with other HRB schemes. The ‘HI JTC sign off form’ (found as a link on the right of this page) must now be signed by the authorised signatory (Dean of Research or equivalent person authorised to endorse research grant applications for the Host Institution).

As noted under ‘How to Apply’ the Lead Applicant must send the final application to their Research Office (RO). The RO should then facilitate the completion of the ‘HI JTC sign off form’. This will confirm that the Lead Applicant is eligible and that the HI is willing to participate as HI for the application. Note that if there are more than one project partners from your institution (i.e., more than one Principal Investigator, as listed in the application form), you must sign off for each if they are requesting HRB funds.

The completed form and application should be sent to HRB within three working days following the submission deadline.

For general information, please contact the Joint Call Secretariat (JCS):

The French National Research Agency

Dr. Yue Xiao / Dr. Sophie Gay

Email: EUPOHAMR_calls@agencerecherche.fr

For country-specific information for Irish Partners that are interested in applying for HRB funding, please contact HRB, Ireland:

Dr Márcia Aranha

Email: HRB-JTCs@hrb.ie