The NIHR has awarded nearly £1 million to two projects in the final phase of its Innovation Fund to Reduce Demand for Illicit Substances (RDIS), bringing total funding across all phases to almost £5 million. The fund, delivered in partnership with the Department of Health and Social Care and the Joint Combating Drugs Unit, supports the implementation and scale-up of interventions aimed at reducing recreational drug use and dependency. Both projects focus on delivering and evaluating tailored education programmes for young people in high-risk settings and school communities.
The first project, led by Professor Karen Duke of Middlesex University in partnership with the Daniel Spargo-Mabbs Foundation, focuses on 13- to 15-year-olds in deprived areas of Scotland and Pupil Referral Units in London. Using a theatre-in-education programme that includes teacher training, a filmed play, student workshops, and classroom lessons, the project will adapt and test the programme to improve knowledge, decision-making, and teacher delivery in these challenging educational settings.
The second project, led by Professor Harry Sumnall at Liverpool John Moores University, will scale up The Illicit Project UK (TIP-UK), an evidence-based online prevention programme adapted from a successful Australian model. The programme consists of three 35-minute interactive sessions covering the effects of drugs on the brain, resisting social pressures, and seeking help. TIP-UK will expand to at least 48 schools across North West England and Scotland, with schools assigned to deliver standard education, TIP-UK, or TIP-UK with additional teacher training. Researchers will collect feedback from students, staff, and local drug support services to inform long-term prevention strategies.
This research addresses significant public health concerns, as drug and alcohol-related deaths are the leading cause of premature death among people under 50. Data for the year ending March 2025 shows 2.9 million adults aged 16–59 used drugs in the previous year, including 899,000 aged 16–24. The RDIS fund was established following Dame Carol Black’s Independent Review of Drugs, which highlighted rising recreational drug use and the limited evidence on effective prevention strategies. National reviews indicate that multi-component programmes delivered by trained staff are most effective, while scare tactics or information-only lessons often fail or can worsen outcomes.
The RDIS Innovation Fund has progressed through three phases since 2022. Phase 1 supported early development, feasibility work, and co-design of interventions, while Phase 2 funded further development and formal evaluation. Phase 3 focuses on real-world implementation and wider-scale testing of interventions with the strongest potential impact. Previous findings emphasize the importance of non-judgemental, multi-component approaches, including teacher training and theatre-in-education programmes, in improving young people’s knowledge, mental health, and educational outcomes. The three phases together aim to inform policy development and embed effective drug prevention programmes across education, community, and health settings nationwide.
