Contracts for Innovation in drug and alcohol addiction healthcare
Innovate UK · United Kingdom
Funding to advance development of pharmaceutical, digital and MedTech tools for treatment, recovery and prevention of harm and deaths linked to drug and alcohol addiction. Delivered under the Addiction Healthcare Goals programme.
Summary
Deadline
6 May 2026
Complexity
Medium
Time to apply
20-60 hours
Updated
9 Jun 2026
Funding to advance development of pharmaceutical, digital and MedTech tools for treatment, recovery and prevention of harm and deaths linked to drug and alcohol addiction. Delivered under the Addiction Healthcare Goals programme.
Eligibility
Applicant types
Not specified
Business size
SME, Large
Industries
Pharmaceuticals. MedTech. Digital health. Addiction healthcare.
Match funding
Needs verification
Requirements
Organisation of any size. Includes organisations based in the EU, EEA or internationally. Single legal entity only. Single legal entity lead; organisations including EU/EEA/international may lead; may work alone or with subcontractors. Development of pharmaceutical, MedTech or digital health solutions for drug or alcohol addiction treatment, recovery, harm or overdose prevention. Must reach TRL...
Eligible applicants
Organisation of any size. Includes organisations based in the EU, EEA or internationally. Single legal entity only.
Funding and scope
Benefit amount
Up to £1,500,000 inclusive of VAT per project. Up to £1,000,000 expected for digital and MedTech projects.
Total fund available
£20,000,000 (inclusive of VAT)
Funding intensity
Not specified
Payment type
Reimbursement (in arrears)
Eligible scope
Development of pharmaceutical, MedTech or digital health solutions for drug or alcohol addiction treatment, recovery, harm or overdose prevention. Must reach TRL 6 or 7 by project end. Must demonstrate user acceptability and UK market fit. Must include regulatory pathway plan and commercial plan.
Eligible expenses
- Eligible project costs between £200,000 and £1,500,000 inclusive of VAT. Regulatory approval costs including MHRA and NICE permitted. Overheads allowed. Costs must reflect fair market value and exclude profit.
Ineligible costs
- Costs outside CfI contract scope and IFS competition guidance.
Application and risks
Application platform
Innovation Funding Service
Competitiveness
Closed / Not accepting applications
Decision timeline
Applicants notified 7 August 2026. Contracts awarded 30 September 2026.
Assessment process
Reviewed by five independent assessors. All scores count toward funding decision. Portfolio approach applied.
Application sections
- Project details. Application questions. Finances. Project Impact.
Application components
Not specified
Required documents
Not specified
Appendices
- Technical appendix PDF up to two A4 pages. Project plan or Gantt chart PDF up to two A4 pages. Financial projections annex PDF up to two A4 pages. Spend profile template spreadsheet.
Assessment criteria
Not specified
Decision risks
Portfolio approach may limit awards. High scoring projects may not be funded. Outstanding payments to Innovate UK may affect decision.
Timeline and partners
Opening date
Not specified
Project duration
Up to 24 months
Project start
30 Sept 2026
Project end
29 Sept 2028
Co-funders
- Office for Life Sciences
Collaboration rules
- Applicant may work alone or with subcontractors. Majority of work and key deliverables must be completed by the applicant.
Consortium requirements
- Contracts awarded to single legal entity only; subcontractors permitted.
Additional guidance
[{"label":"Substances in Scope","value":"Opioids. Stimulants including cocaine and methamphetamine. Cannabis. GHB. Ketamine. Benzodiazepines. Gabapentinoids."},{"label":"R&D Requirement","value":"At least 50% of contract value must be directly attributed to R&D services."},{"label":"Ineligible R&D Activities","value":"Quantity production. Commercial supply to recover R&D costs. Incremental improvements to existing products."},{"label":"VAT Rules","value":"VAT status must be declared. Costs must be entered exclusive of VAT. VAT responsibility lies with invoicing business. Total eligible costs inclusive of VAT must not exceed limits."},{"label":"Payment Structure","value":"Monthly payments in arrears against completed milestones. No advance payments. Invoices must be submitted within 30 days of each claim period."},{"label":"Intellectual Property","value":"Applicant retains foreground and background IP. Must grant certain royalty free licences to funder."},{"label":"Commercialisation Requirement","value":"Must demonstrate credible UK route to market. Must include commercial plan and financial projections."},{"label":"Subsidy Control","value":"Procurement under the Procurement Act 2023 R&D exemption. Not subject to subsidy control criteria."},{"label":"Sanctions Rule","value":"Funding will not be provided where it breaches UK sanctions."},{"label":"Animal Research Rule","value":"Projects involving animals must comply with UKRI animal welfare guidance."},{"label":"Key Requirements","value":"Must engage people with lived experience. Must engage treatment or service providers. Must define regulatory pathway. Must complete business model. Must align with national addiction strategies."},{"label":"Renewal Rules","value":"Not specified"},{"label":"Important Notes","value":"Single phase competition. Cannot apply to both strands with same project. Project must not start before contract approval. Milestones must be SMART and linked to payments. Funding subject to sufficient high quality applications."}]
Quick facts
- Status
- Closed
- Deadline
- 6 May 2026
- Funding amount
- Up to £1,500,000 inclusive of VAT per project. Up to £1,000,000 expected for digital and MedTech projects.
- Funding band
- Large (£5M+)
- Funding type
- Procurement contract
- Payment type
- Reimbursement (in arrears)
- Audience
- Mixed
- Industry
- Pharmaceuticals. MedTech. Digital health. Addiction healthcare.
- Last updated
- 9 Jun 2026
- Published
- 1 Feb 2026