The Addiction Healthcare Goals, led by the Office for Life Sciences (OLS), aim to establish the UK as a global leader in drug and alcohol addiction healthcare innovation. The programme seeks to foster partnerships between industry, researchers, the NHS, and third-sector treatment providers to develop, trial, and deploy innovative treatments and healthcare technologies that can transform care and save lives.
To accelerate progress, OLS has launched the £20 million Addiction Healthcare Goals – Catalysing Innovation Awards, delivered by Innovate UK. These awards are designed to fast-track the development of innovative pharmaceutical, MedTech, and digital solutions, including wearables, virtual reality applications, treatment apps, and AI-powered devices. By supporting the rollout of these innovations, the programme aims to improve treatment, enhance recovery, reduce harm, save lives, and generate societal benefits.
The awards form part of the broader Addiction Healthcare Goals programme, supporting government objectives outlined in the 10-Year Health Plan, the Life Sciences Sector Plan, the UK’s 10-year drugs strategy From Harm to Hope, and other initiatives aimed at driving health, growth, and safer communities. Drug and alcohol addiction remain significant public health challenges in the UK, with approximately 15,000 annual deaths and economic costs exceeding £47 billion in England alone. The UK’s world-leading capabilities in life sciences, data, digital health, and clinical research provide a strong platform for rapid innovation adoption and evaluation.
The Catalysing Innovation Awards offer two strands of support to accelerate real-world impact. The first strand, Advancing Innovation in Drug and Alcohol Addiction Healthcare, targets projects demonstrating proof of efficacy and high UK market readiness, expected to reach Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) 8 or 9, with regulatory approvals in place or in progress. The second strand, Contracts for Innovation, supports early-stage innovations with potential to demonstrate initial efficacy and market fit, reaching TRL 6 or 7, and includes developing business plans, intellectual property strategies, and regulatory pathways.
Successful applicants will receive guidance from Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) sessions, focusing on evidence requirements, stakeholder engagement, and strategies for market readiness and reimbursement. This regulatory and system readiness support is intended to improve the likelihood of efficient adoption and public benefit from innovations.
The programme builds on prior successes, including the £5 million Reducing Drug Deaths Innovation Challenge, which funded 12 UK innovations such as wearables, sensor technology, novel antidotes, and AI-enabled tools to improve detection, response, and intervention in fatal overdoses. The £10 million Innovation for Treatment and Recovery (i4i) awards supported projects addressing opioid and cocaine addictions, including VR therapy, psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy, contingency management, and app-supported care after prison release.
This new competition expands eligibility to cover all illicit drugs and alcohol, with a focus on late-stage development and deployment to accelerate the transition from innovation to public benefit. Applicant support includes an online briefing event and guidance from Innovate UK Business Connect to strengthen applications, develop partnerships, and connect innovators with industry, academia, the NHS, and third-sector organisations.
