About the Fleming Fund

The Fleming Fund is named after Sir Alexander Fleming, with the aim of supporting low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in the fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR) for a healthier world.

Antimicrobial resistance is a global crisis. The AMR Review by Lord Jim O'Neill in 2015, estimated that by 2050 10 million deaths per year would be caused by resistance to antimicrobials. Of these deaths, over 90% will occur in Africa and Asia. Expensive treatments, poor hygiene and sanitation systems in LMICs contribute to the spread of disease. However, despite the threat AMR poses to global health, we do not know much about its geographic distribution.

The programmes supported by the Fleming Fund aim to improve AMR surveillance, raise public awareness and promote responsible use of antibiotics. The goal is to get AMR-relevant data into the hands of decision makers to inform policies and practises that optimise antimicrobial drug use.

Phase 1 of the Fleming Fund ran from 2018 until 2022, and preparations are now underway for initiation of Phase 2 activities.

A key aspect of all the programmes is the "One Health" approach they take to combat antimicrobial resistance. This approach leads to development of shared visions and goals for people, terrestrial and aquatic animals, plants and crops, and the environment,

Fleming Fund Grants and Funding

Country Grants

Country Grants are awarded for a period of 12-24 months and vary from country to country based on the identified priorities and needs of each country. Grantees work with national governments to improve AMR surveillance and One Health laboratory capacity.

Regional Grants

Regional Grants are awarded for a period of 18-24 months. Grantees seek to find and analyse historical AMR data that will help establish baselines and provide evidence for policy decisions and increase the impact of the Country and Fellowship Grants through regional initiatives.

Fellowships

The Fleming Fund now provides funding to support short-term fellowships for researchers from 24 LMIC countries. Six countries from each of the four global regions - Eastern Southern Africa, West Africa, South Asia and South East Asia - participate in this programme. 4 - 8 fellows from each selected country work with mentors at a host institution to complete an 18-24 month fellowship in AMR surveillance. The aim is to train cohorts of fellows who will form a global network of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) experts and advocate for action in their own countries.

Fellowship cohorts working with the University of Edinburgh

Professional Cohort 1: These fellowships focus on using AMR/AMU and AMC data to improve data analysis and interpretation and strengthen One Health collaboration through mentoring, technical training and participation in collaborative projects.

Professional Cohort 2: Fellowships support learning in aquaculture, bioinformatics, clinical practise, health informatics, medical technology, and AMR/AMU and AMC surveillance.

Policy Fellows: Policy Fellowships are designed to strengthen national leadership in evidence-based policy development, advocacy and One Health collaboration.

University of Edinburgh fellowships

Phase 1 of the Fleming Fund

In Phase 1 of the Fleming Fund, the University of Edinburgh was selected as Host Institution for Fleming Fund Fellows of Professional Cohorts 1 and 2 in Uganda, Professional Cohort 1 in Malawi, and Policy Fellows in Malawi and Kenya. In total we supported 19 fellows between 2019 and 2023.

The work at the University of Edinburgh was led by Prof Ross Fitzgerald (Director of Edinburgh Infectious Diseases at the Roslin Institute), with Dr Adrian Muwonge (Chancellors Fellow at Roslin Institute) as Co-Director, and brought together colleagues from across the University (including the School of Social and Political Science, Infection Medicine, the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, the Centre for Cardiovascular Science, the Usher Institute, and the Global Health Academy) to mentor the fellows.

The fellows work with their academic mentors to build in-country capacity for collection and analysis of high quality AMU and AMR surveillance data, and generate information that can be used to guide policy development and implementation.

We hope that with our knowledge, experience and resources we can help to improve awareness and understanding of AMR, convince decision makers of the need to take action against AMR, optimise the use of antimicrobial drugs, promote sustainable investment at national and global levels and contribute to a strong and resilient health system.

Phase 2 of the Fleming Fund

As Phase 2 of the Fleming Fund gets underway in 2023, the scheme is under the co-direction of Prof Till Bachmann (AMR Strategy Lead for Edinburgh Infectious Diseases, and Director of the Edinburgh AMR Forum) and Dr Adrian Muwonge (Roslin Institute), supported by Dr Stella Mazeri (Roslin Institute) as deputy director.