Tech innovators offered £20m to reduce harm from drug and alcohol addiction

Innovators across the UK are being offered £20m of government funding to develop cutting‑edge medicines, medical technologies, and digital tools to tackle drug and alcohol addiction.

The grants, delivered through Innovate UK, will support the development and deployment of new technologies designed to improve treatment, strengthen recovery, and reduce harm from drug and alcohol addiction.

Health Minister, Dr Zubir Ahmed, said: “Addiction ruins lives and we need to look at any way we can help ease the suffering – and aid the recovery – of hundreds of thousands of people.

“Embracing new technology will help supplement all the work this government is already doing, including expanding access to vital drugs and providing billions in funding for drug and alcohol prevention treatment and recovery.”

Around 15,000 people die each year in the UK due to alcohol and drugs.

And hundreds of thousands more suffer the effects, which costs England an estimated £47bn each year.

The AHG Catalysing Innovation Awards – part of the Addiction Healthcare Goals programme led by the Office for Life Sciences – will help reduce this by supporting those working on new medicines, medical devices, wearables, virtual‑reality therapies, treatment apps, and AI‑enabled tools.

These innovations have the potential to transform care for people with drug and alcohol addictions by improving treatment outcomes, preventing relapse and reducing the risk of overdose and death.

Science Minister, Lord Vallance, said: “Cutting-edge medicines and technologies could save thousands of lives lost to alcohol and drug addiction while improving outcomes for hundreds of thousands more.

“Backing both late‑stage technologies and earlier‑stage innovations means we are creating a clear and rapid route from breakthrough ideas to real‑world impact.

“This is about using the UK’s scientific excellence to prevent avoidable deaths and support recovery, while helping innovative companies to grow and thrive in the UK at the same time.”

Professor Anne Lingford‑Hughes, chair of Addiction Healthcare Goals, added: “Too many lives are still cut short by drug and alcohol addictions, and healthcare innovations are urgently needed to address the immense personal, mental, and physical health and societal impacts they cause.

“To meet this challenge, I am pleased to be working with Innovate UK to launch these Catalysing Innovation Awards, supporting the development of the most-promising medicines, devices, and digital tools to enhance treatment and care.

“These awards will support UK companies and innovators to build the evidence needed to show what works in real services, ensuring innovations reach the people who need them sooner, prevent deaths and strengthen recovery.”

Awards of up to £10m are available to support late‑stage, high‑impact projects that can demonstrate real‑world effectiveness, UK market readiness, and progress towards regulatory approval.

These grants will support projects expected to be close to deployment and capable of delivering impact within health and care services.

A second strand will support earlier‑stage innovations, with awards of up to £1.5m to help promising technologies demonstrate initial effectiveness, strengthen business planning, and help them progress.

Successful projects will also receive exclusive access to an education session from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), supporting innovators to navigate evidence requirements and the pathway to UK certification, approval and roll‑out.

Applications for funding close on 6 May 2026.

Click here for more information.