FAO Reference Centre for Antimicrobial Resistance

The DTU National Food Institute, through the Research Group for Global Capacity Building, was first designated as a Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Reference Centre on 8 November 2019.

The Centre’s objectives include raising awareness of AMR, developing laboratory and individual capacity related to AMR surveillance, strengthening AMR-related governance, and promoting good practices in AMR surveillance and responsible use of antimicrobials.

The Centre’s focus areas include:
  • Development and dissemination of protocols for the identification and characterization of AMR bacteria
  • Development of learning materials and implementation of training programs
  • External quality assurance programs for AMR detection
  • Microbiological risk assessment
  • Genomic epidemiology applied to bacterial genomes

FAO Reference Centres coordinate activities to address five key objectives in the fight against AMR:
  1. Increasing stakeholder awareness and engagement
  2. Strengthening surveillance and research
  3. Enabling good practices
  4. Promoting responsible use of antimicrobials
  5. Strengthening governance and allocating resources sustainably

GloCaB’s works across the regions of sub-Saharan Africa, South- and South-East Asia, and Europe to address key outcomes within Objective 2 and Objective 5.

The Centre provides the following activities and tools in support of FAO objectives:
  • Capacity strengthening through training curricula, in-person and e-learning courses on AMR, AMR surveillance, AMR testing, whole genome sequencing and bioinformatics
  • Expert technical services in the development of guidelines, platforms, and National Action Plans
  • Expert guidance in optimizing sampling, data collection strategies, data management and analysis
  • Bioinformatics tools for AMR data generation and communication
  • Support for development of laboratory capacity for AMR surveillance (through antimicrobial susceptibility testing and metagenomics)
  • Research concerning the global surveillance of foodborne AMR and pathogens in food animals
  • Development, administration, and maintenance of quality control and external quality assurance programs for international and national/regional laboratories
  • Coordination of activities with other FAO AMR Reference Centres within the network and support of FAO initiatives
  • Promotion of awareness of AMR through international meetings, workshops, publications, trainings, and methods