“Speed Dating” to advance AMR research
On Wednesday, December 10, the Global One Health Academy hosted their first flash funding event as part of GCAP-AMR! During this "Speed Dating" event, participants got to network with new colleagues, form teams, and then pitch ideas for new interdisciplinary research on antimicrobial resistance. At the end of the event, two teams were awarded funding for their live pitches!
Last year, the Global One Health Academy launched the Grand Challenges Addressing Program (GCAP) in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) to address the silent pandemic of antimicrobial resistance at the human-animal-plant-environment interface. An initial planning meeting was held followed by a call for launch and pilot projects where five total projects were awarded.
To continue the GCAP-AMR momentum, last week GOHA hosted the GCAP-AMR “Speed Dating” event, the first of its kind through the GCAP program. The ultimate goal of this event was to facilitate new interdisciplinary research collaborations within the AMR research space. NC State faculty who are part of the GCAP-AMR faculty database – those who have published AMR related research in the last five years – were invited to meet and network with colleagues and explore new research synergies. Seed grants of $10,000 were awarded based on ideas pitched in real time.
The event kicked off with a warm welcome from GOHA Executive Director Sid Thakur followed by faculty introductions and logistics shared by GOHA Program Manager Meredith Spence Beaulieu. This two-hour event was packed with dedicated networking time for faculty to introduce each other and learn more about each other’s research interests. After networking, groups got together to brainstorm research projects and prepare to pitch their ideas to the larger group. All attendees then voted on their favorite interdisciplinary research pitches, and funding decisions were determined in real time based on the votes.
Congratulations to the two awarded projects!
- Acer VanWallandeal (CALS), Angela Harris (COE), Lynette Johnston (CALS), Mary Fosnaught (CALS), Yan Campbell (CALS): “Growing resistance: crop biocides as drivers of antimicrobial resistance spread”
- Michael Bradshaw (CALS), Deyu Xie (CALS), Thomas Theis (COS): “Emerging quantum sensing technology to probe antagonistic relationships between fungi and antimicrobial resistant bacteria”
