Latest LEAD updates

The UK–Japan collaboration, convened by LEAD and anchored in a partnership between the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Japan Institute for Health Security (JIHS), is a sustained initiative to strengthen antimicrobial research and development (R&D) and its wider enabling ecosystem.

Through fellowships, joint analysis and structured engagement, the collaboration has developed a practical model that connects scientific, policy and implementation communities while building institutional relationships for long-term cooperation.

Key achievements

1. Building a connected antimicrobial R&D ecosystem

• Strengthened collaboration on antimicrobial discovery, diagnostics and translational research across institutions in the UK and Japan.
• Facilitated exchange on R&D bottlenecks, innovation pathways and policy frameworks, helping partners identify shared challenges and priorities.
• Brought scientific priorities and policy needs into closer dialogue, increasing the policy relevance of collaborative outputs.
• Helped build a more coordinated and internationally connected antimicrobial R&D community, with opportunities for shared approaches across partners.

2. Institutional partnership between UKHSA and JIHS

• Established a trusted, sustained partnership between UKHSA and JIHS through fellowships and regular engagement, demonstrating how investment in people and relationships can support institutional collaboration.
• Created direct communication channels among researchers, policymakers and public health authorities.
• Enabled the relationship to progress from individual activities towards ongoing, programme-level engagement.
• Demonstrated wider health-security value: established relationships enabled rapid coordination and information exchange during a hantavirus incidentLink opens in a new window, illustrating how institutional trust can support timely joint action.

3. Evidence generation and policy uptake

• Produced analytical reports on the UK antimicrobial R&D system, including its strengths, gaps and opportunities.
  • Brief assessing the UK antimicrobial R&D landscape. Click hereLink opens in a new window to read the brief.
• LEAD’s UK analysis contributed to a meeting and subsequent report on antimicrobial innovation produced by the UK All-Party Parliamentary Group on AMR.
  • Click hereLink opens in a new window to read the report.
• Produced a comprehensive assessment of Japan’s antimicrobial R&D landscape, addressing an important evidence gap and supporting stakeholder engagement. The report was used by researchers, policymakers and other stakeholders as a reference for understanding Japan’s antimicrobial R&D landscape.
  • Click hereLink opens in a new window to read the report.
• Together, the reports provided clear, policy-relevant recommendations to support strategic decision-making.

4. Multi-stakeholder engagement and global visibility

• Convened researchers, policymakers, funders and public health agencies through targeted meetings and workshops, creating opportunities for cross-sector learning, partnership development and collaboration across the antimicrobial R&D ecosystem.
  • Click hereLink opens in a new window to read the report of the Tokyo conference, March 2026.
  • Click hereLink opens in a new window to watch a video from the Tokyo conference, March 2026.
• Harnessed global media to promote the value of international R&D collaboration.
  • Click hereLink opens in a new window to watch a video report on NHK WORLD-JAPAN News.
• Presented findings and held discussions at an official side event of the 79th World Health Assembly, raising the collaboration’s international profile and enabling engagement with policymakers and stakeholders from multiple countries.
  • Click hereLink opens in a new window to read the report of the official World Health Assembly side event.

A Transferable Model for Sustained International Collaboration

This collaboration demonstrates how:

• Institutional partnerships anchored in fellowships and regular engagement can move beyond ad hoc cooperation.
• Shared evidence and dialogue platforms can align diverse stakeholders around common priorities.
• Trusted agency relationships can strengthen routine collaboration and improve responsiveness when urgent issues arise.
• A flexible, partnership-based model can be adapted across contexts while retaining a common foundation.

Key message

The UK–Japan experience shows that effective international collaboration on antimicrobial R&D depends on trusted relationships, shared evidence and sustained dialogue between science and policy, alongside strong research outputs.

Combining fellowships, analysis, stakeholder engagement and institutional partnership has created a platform for new opportunities, stronger capabilities and sustained cooperation on antimicrobial innovation.

Click here to download a PDF version of this update.