The Scottish One Health AMR Research register (SOHAR) is a comprehensive overview of Scotland’s research landscape into Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), a product of collaboration between Scottish Government (SG), external stakeholders and academic institutions.
History
In 2021, the Scottish Government AMR Policy Team commissioned a register of AMR-related research, projects, and collaborations across all One Health sectors in Scotland (2015–2021).
CREW (Centre of Expertise for Waters) was selected to lead the work, with Professor Nicola Holden (SRUC) as project lead.
Led by a combined steering/working group including experts from FSS, SRUC, James Hutton Institute, Moredun Institute, Aberdeen and Edinburgh Universities, and SEPA, the project team conducted literature reviews across One Health sectors and interdisciplinary projects, compiling a register detailing affiliations, funders, project status, publication info, and network involvement.
The first version of SOHAR, published on 21 October 2021, included:
- An Excel register of 522 publicly discoverable research entries.
- A report analyzing the data, highlighting key findings, policy implications, and high-level recommendations.
Revision of SOHAR
Following the publication of the second UK AMR National Action Plan (UK AMR NAP) in May 2025, the Scottish Government worked with CREW to review and revise SOHAR, with a view to reflect the updated commitments in the new NAP and to enable more efficient and accessible use of the data.
A research team, led by the University of Strathclyde, reviewed AMR-related publications and projects published or active between July 2021 and May 2025. In addition, the team held workshops with people working in AMR research, policy, and practice to explore how SOHAR could support their work.
Together, the review and workshop helped answer two key questions:
i. What published research and projects have been undertaken in Scotland in the last three years that assist Scotland in meeting its research commitments under the UK Government AMR NAP 2019–24 in the areas of human health, animal health, plant health, food, and the environment?
ii. What publications and projects identified in the register can be mapped onto the commitments of the UK AMR NAP 2024–29, with a focus on helping Scotland deliver the commitments for which it has specific responsibility.
The resulting update and revision of SOHAR has now been published and forms the backbone to this website.
The current version of SOHAR, published on 11 August 2025, includes the following:
- A revised Excel register of 952 publicly discoverable research entries.
- An high level report highlighting key findings, conclusions and recommendations.
- A policy brief paper describing the research insights from the revised SOHAR