The Gram-Negative Antibiotic Discovery Innovator (Gr-ADI) will function as a consortium where multiple funders and research teams openly share data and learnings and work collectively to accelerate the discovery of urgently needed antibiotics.

Eighteen projects led by research teams across 17 countries are receiving funding based on their potential to transform antibiotic discovery for Gram-negative bacteria, one of the leading drivers of AMR-related deaths worldwide. Gr-ADI is the first investment of the USD 300 million global health research and development partnership launched by the Gates Foundation, Novo Nordisk Foundation, and Wellcome in 2024.

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Philanthropic partnership launches new initiative to tackle AMR

The Gates Foundation, Novo Nordisk Foundation, and Wellcome have announced the launch of the Gram-Negative Antibiotic Discovery Innovator (Gr-ADI), a USD 50 million investment that will focus on combatting antimicrobial resistance (AMR) caused by a specific range of bacteria that are among the leading contributors to AMR-associated deaths.


More than 500 proposals from researchers across geographies, at different levels of tenure, and with varying expertise were submitted for consideration through the Grand Challenges program, an initiative that has fostered innovation to solve key global health and development problems for more than 20 years. The selected projects will primarily focus on antibiotic discovery and drug creation, leveraging AI-enabled models to make the discovery process faster and smarter.

The Gr-ADI consortium will be managed by RTI International, an independent scientific research institute and external partner that will align efforts, ensure effective coordination across projects, and maintain a focus on the consortium’s wider objectives. In addition to the grantees receiving funding through this initiative, four existing Gates Foundation and Wellcome grantees are also joining the consortium, contributing significant drug discovery expertise and capabilities. New projects are expected to be added over time to broaden the knowledge base and geographies represented within the consortium.

“The AMR crisis demands fresh thinking and a different way of working,” says Marianne Holm, vice president, infectious diseases at the Novo Nordisk Foundation. “The Gr‑ADI consortium aims to cut through barriers to progress, bringing together researchers aligned by a commitment to share knowledge openly and make new data, methods, and tools available to all. We hope their discoveries and data will benefit the whole field and bring us closer to urgently needed new antibiotics.”