An innovative public awareness project hits NYC’s Times Square

Jointly established by Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, the Fleming Initiative brings together scientists, policymakers, clinicians, commercial partners and the public to provide equitable solutions to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) at a global scale.

The initiative used a powerful campaign called Every 11 Seconds on a billboard in New York’s Times Square last year to capture the public’s attention to the fact that, every 11 seconds, someone in the US get a drugs-resistant infection, and every 15 minutes, someone dies from one. If nothing changes, by 2050, AMR will cause more deaths than cancer.

Antimicrobials are medicines used to prevent and treat infections in humans, animals and plants. For example, antibiotics prevent and treat infections caused by bacteria. The microbes that cause infection can develop resistance to these medicines. Widespread misuse and overuse of antibiotics and other antimicrobials has led to the global spread of drug-resistant microbes.

Innovation to capture public attention

Dr Kate Grailey, Behavioural Science Lead at the Fleming Initiative, explains that it wanted to use the campaign “to demonstrate how public engagement and awareness of scientific topics such as AMR can be achieved through innovative methods, and that unlikely locations, such as Times Square – known more for its capitalist content than education or science – can prove to be a fantastic opportunity to bring these messages to the public”.

She adds: “We also wanted to take advantage of a key moment globally and politically where lots of eyes were on the topic of AMR, so the timing of the campaign during the UN General Assembly was crucial. AMR is a complex topic that affects us all. However, knowledge and awareness of the risks among the general public can be significantly improved. We were delighted with the level of traction the campaign received on social media – particularly on LinkedIn from those attending UNGA.”

A project to deliver a global centre

The real news about the Fleming Initiative from a project perspective is the creation of the Fleming Centre, overseen by Matthew Tulley, who is Redevelopment Director at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.
The Fleming Centre will be a multi-occupancy, state-of-the-art facility at St Mary's Hospital in London, which will bring scientists, clinicians, policymakers and the public together to tackle AMR by advancing the understanding of it, and to provide equitable solutions at a global scale.

“Alongside our partners, we are designing a high-quality sustainable building that is a physical beacon and public projection of the Fleming Initiative’s ambition and the legacy of Sir Alexander Fleming, who discovered penicillin at St Mary’s Hospital nearly a century ago,” says Tulley.

“At the heart of the building will be the Discovery Centre: a welcoming, informative, interactive space that will encourage the public to engage with the issue of AMR. Our ambition is that the Discovery Centre will become an attraction people wish to visit, as well as a space to drop in as they pass along the busy waterside location.”

Project challenges

The project has a tight deadline, as the opening of the centre is set to coincide with the centenary of the discovery of penicillin in 2028. Tulley explains that the planning application will be submitted at the end of 2025, with work to start on-site in autumn 2026. Such tight timing is one of critical challenges for the project, explains Tulley: “The 2028 anniversary is highly motivating!”

He admits that the construction site itself is also quite a challenge.

“We love the historic waterside location, and when open the centre will benefit from the heavy footfall around Paddington station, but all of this does make construction logistics tricky,” he explains.

Work with purpose

Yet, motivation runs high.

“This is a special project,” says Tulley. “It is an opportunity to support the response to a major global healthcare issue and links St Mary’s glorious history of discovery and research with the continued development of life sciences in the NHS and the growth of Paddington Life Sciences as a world-class location for science that improves health.

“The team knows it is working on something that will have a global impact, and the enthusiasm and commitment go beyond anything I’ve seen before. We are all very proud to be working on the Fleming Centre and are determined to create something really special.”

Read the summer 2025 issue of Project, where we explore the high levels of motivation many project professionals feel for their work