UK offers £20 million to develop addiction medicines, devices and digital tools
The UK is offering £20 million through Innovate UK to develop medicines, devices and digital tools for drug and alcohol addiction. Awards range up to £10 million for late-stage projects and up to £1.5 million for earlier-stage innovations, with applications closing on 6 May 2026.
Innovators across the UK are being offered £20 million of government funding to develop new medicines, medical technologies and digital tools to tackle drug and alcohol addiction. The funding, delivered through Innovate UK as part of the Addiction Healthcare Goals programme led by the Office for Life Sciences, is intended to improve treatment, strengthen recovery and reduce harm from drug and alcohol addiction. Around 15,000 people die each year in the UK due to alcohol and drugs, and in England substance misuse is estimated to cost £47 billion annually.
The AHG Catalysing Innovation Awards will support those working on new medicines, medical devices, wearables, virtual reality therapies, treatment apps and AI-enabled tools. These innovations are intended to improve treatment outcomes, prevent relapse and reduce the risk of overdose and death.
Applications opened on 16 February 2026. Late-stage, high-impact projects can apply for awards of up to £10 million if they can demonstrate real-world effectiveness, UK market readiness and progress towards regulatory approval. A second strand will support earlier-stage innovations, with awards of up to £1.5 million to help promising technologies demonstrate initial effectiveness, strengthen business planning and progress towards further development and deployment.
Successful projects will also receive exclusive access to education sessions from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to support innovators in navigating evidence requirements and the pathway to UK certification, approval and rollout. Applications for funding close on 6 May 2026.
The competition is open to organizations of any size, including international firms, provided they perform the majority of the project work and key deliverables within the UK. Projects must target illicit drug or alcohol use, include input from treatment providers and people with lived experience of addiction, and be ready to commence on 1 October 2026. Projects can last up to 24 months.