A recent project commissioned by the Centre of Expertise for Waters (CREW) undertook a major update to the register which captures Scotland’s contribution to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) research. The project undertook a systematic literature review and highlights cross-disciplinary research needs and knowledge gaps. The research team was led by the University of Strathclyde, in partnership with Glasgow Caledonian University, Scotland’s Rural College, the University of the West of Scotland, and the James Hutton Institute.
AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi or other microbes change in ways that stop medicines, like antibiotics, from working properly. This makes infections harder to treat and increases the risk of them spreading, lasting longer, or becoming more serious. The Scottish One Health AMR Register (SOHAR) brings together AMR-related research involving Scottish researchers and organisations. It shows how Scotland is contributing to national efforts and helps identify where more work is needed. The 2025 SOHAR update reviewed 952 research publications and projects that were published or active between July 2021 and May 2025. It found evidence of progress in areas such as innovation, antimicrobial stewardship, and environmental AMR. Scotland also continues to contribute to AMR surveillance across sectors and plays an active role in UK-wide transdisciplinary AMR networks. However, several areas remain underrepresented, including animal health, food systems, behaviour change, public awareness, health inequalities, and translating research innovation into practice. To build on Scotland’s progress, five key actions are recommended: i) maintain regular updates to SOHAR; ii) improve SOHAR’s accessibility and utility; iii) use SOHAR to monitor Scotland’s progress on AMR research goals; iv) invest in underrepresented research areas; and v) support transdisciplinary research to strengthen links between knowledge, policy, practice, and innovation.
The project outputs include:
· Policy Brief – summarising key findings and recommendations.
· Project Summary – providing a plain English overview of the project.
· Excel Database – containing the updated register entries.
Find the outputs here: Scottish One Health AMR Register (SOHAR): Updated research insights | Scotland’s Centre of Expertise for Waters