TARGetAMR Marks World Antimicrobial Awareness Week 2025

The TARGetAMR Network is pleased to join the global community in recognising World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW), held annually from 18th to 24th November.

This year’s theme, “Act Now: Protect Our Present, Secure Our Future,” emphasises the urgent need for coordinated and sustained actions. In particular, it highlights the growing challenge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Furthermore, it serves as a reminder that immediate action is needed across research, healthcare and policy.

Highlighting AMR Through Knowledge Sharing

To support these efforts, TARGetAMR revisited a curated selection of past webinars during WAAW 2025. In doing so, the network builds on its previous efforts to raise AMR awareness and understanding of AMR across scientific, clinical and policy sectors.

Throughout the week, TARGetAMR shared daily highlights and visual summaries from previous webinars. As a result, key insights from AMR research became more accessible to a wider audience. Moreover, these resources helped demonstrate how AMR affects human, animal and environmental health across the One Health spectrum. In turn, they encouraged greater engagement with the challenges and opportunities facing the AMR community.

WAAW 2025 Webinar: “Dangerous Miracle: A Brief History of Antibiotics”

As part of this year’s programme, TARGetAMR hosted a timely webinar on Wednesday 19th November, titled:

“Dangerous Miracle: A Brief History of Antibiotics”,

Presented by Liam Shaw, Computational Biologist, University of Bristol. During this session, he provided a concise historical overview of antibiotics. Specifically, he explored how their discovery, development and widespread use have shaped modern medicine.

In addition, the webinar also explored the political, economic and social factors that have influenced antibiotic innovation and stewardship. Consequently attendees gained valuable context for understanding today’s AMR landscape. Moreover, the session demonstrated how historical developments continue to influence current approaches to AMR policy and practice.

Why Revisit Past Webinars?

By resurfacing previous talks, TARGetAMR aims to:

• Reinforce the need for continued action, in line with the WAAW 2025 theme.
• Provide accessible scientific insights that support awareness and informed decision-making.
• Showcase the breadth of interdisciplinary research driving progress in AMR.
• Encourage ongoing discussion and knowledge exchange across sectors.

Reflections from Network Leadership

Professor Willem van Schaik, Co-Director of TARGetAMR, reflected on the importance of accessibility:

“TARGetAMR is making the recordings available to all, to ensure that everybody can use them to inform their research and global initiatives against the rising tide of AMR.”

Professor Kate Baker, Co-Director of TARGetAMR, added:

“To ‘Act Now’ means empowering people with the insights needed to respond to AMR. These webinars demonstrate the power of interdisciplinary science in securing a safer future.”

Collectively, these reflections highlight the value of making AMR knowledge accessible to diverse audiences.

Continuing the Conversation

As World Antimicrobial Awareness Week 2025 draws to a close, the TARGetAMR Network encourages its community to continue engaging with the webinar materials and resources available through the Network.

Looking ahead, sustained awareness, collaboration and knowledge exchange remain essential in addressing antimicrobial resistance. For this reason, TARGetAMR looks forward to continuing these important discussions through upcoming webinars and community activities. Meanwhile, the network will continue to support researchers and stakeholders working across the AMR landscape.

Ultimately, these initiatives will help build momentum ahead of our in-person TARGetAMR network meeting in May 2026. In turn, they will strengthen engagement, encourage new collaborations and support the exchange of knowledge across the AMR community. More importantly, they will contribute to a stronger and more connected response to antimicrobial resistance.