The BETA Technological Center at UVic-UCC takes part in the European "SURE-AMR" project focusing on antimicrobial resistance in Ukraine and Europe

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which is the ability of microorganisms to resist antimicrobial treatments, and antibiotics in particular, has been identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as one of the greatest threats to global health, food security and development. The conflict in Ukraine has increased the propagation of genes that are resistant to antibiotics, and accelerated their spread across Europe. This is due to increases in the prescription of these drugs to hospitalised patients, and the lack of policies limiting the administration of antibiotics to cattle for use in the food industry.  

From an environmental perspective, the antibiotics and resistance genes found in livestock droppings and used to fertilise fields end up in aquatic systems, which means that the water there ends up being used for human consumption. Resistance genes are also found in urban wastewater, which is not removed in sewage treatment plants and pollutes rivers and the water in them, and can also eventually reach homes.  

Antimicrobial resistance is being created faster than the research can produce new drugs to deal with the problem. A limited and restrictive use of antibiotics is required for this reason. The lack of data on AMR in Ukraine means that monitoring their propagation in the country is limited and assess to the data difficult, and new policies, based on scientific foundations and support, and which enable this challenge to be addressed, must be established for this reason.  

Given these circumstances, this week saw the start of "SURE-AMR", a European project in which the BETA Technology Center at the University of Vic - Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC) is playing a prominent role, in addition to the University Hospital of Bonn (Germany), the Istituto Superiore di Sanità in Italy, and the National Institute of Medicine in Poland. The three-year project is being funded by the Horizon Europe programme, and will work to improve the research and innovation capabilities of the Ukrainian Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics (IMBG) in the field of AMR research. 

This project is linked to the role the BETA Technological Center has played in the Science for Ukraine global initiative - an NGO that was created spontaneously the day after the war in Ukraine started, in February 2022. During its two-year history, Science For Ukraine has offered Ukrainian scientists thousands of opportunities to conduct research stays all over the world, organised agreements between institutions, and undertaken mobility programmes for students. According to Sergio Ponsá, the director of the BETA Technological Center, "SURE-AMR is another example of the commitment we made to the Ukrainian research ecosystem." He also recalls that "building a research ecosystem is very difficult, which is why it is necessary to preserve Ukraine's, as it will be a key factor in rebuilding the country." 

A new leading European centre in the field 

"SURE-AMR" is an initiative that aims to promote scientific excellence in Ukraine based on a One Health Approach (OHA) and improve the scientific reputation of IMBG, the project's coordinating body. Ada Domingo, the head of the project at the BETA Technological Center, explains that: "SURE-AMR will strengthen knowledge transfer and drive new case studies, and this should all lead to the creation of new training programmes for IMBG researchers and staff, taking the BETA Technological Center as an example in many cases." 

The Ukrainian institute will have a new generation of young scientists, and its research staff will gain experience as a result of cooperation with European Union (EU) partners who already have solid scientific excellence in this field. These partners have proven experience in generating economic impact, and in promoting awareness and the integration of this research into national policies. 

The project will work to position the IMBG within EU standards, based on international collaboration in the creation of scientific capacity. "SURE-AMR" will work in the scientific, social and economic fields. From a scientific perspective, it plans to help expand the antimicrobial resistance research community at the IMBG, and to create a stronger and more connected community. In the social sphere, it seeks to improve the public health and environmental quality of Ukraine and the EU, by means of a global approach to health that helps improve the prevention and management of AMR. Finally, in the economic sphere, the project will help create innovative protocols and solutions for the health and environmental sector, and will reinforce regional companies to help them improve processes and innovation and create jobs.