£5 Million Fund for Innovative Solutions to Combat Drug Use

• Projects on the ground focus on skills enhancement and educational opportunities for youth
• Aims to implement strategies that reduce drug use to a 30-year low while establishing a premier knowledge base

Five initiatives targeting the reduction of drug usage have been granted £734,000 from the initial allocation of a £5 million fund, with additional funds available through two more phases.

As part of phase 1 of the government’s drug strategy innovation fund, the 10-year drugs strategy will enable the successful candidates to embark on the initial phase of their projects, offering diverse education-based programs, skills training for young individuals, and community outreach initiatives.

Each project will receive initial funding to facilitate the development of interventions for evaluation purposes. Successful projects, as well as new initiatives, will have the opportunity to apply for additional funding in phase 2, which is set to launch later this year, focusing on evaluating interventions over the span of 12 months.

Phase 1 projects are located in Huddersfield, Derbyshire, Manchester, Dorset, and the south-east of England, tailored to address local needs. This includes mobile pods at festivals and events aimed at educating individuals about the dangers of drug use, as well as workforce support to aid young people in cultivating personal and social skills to mitigate vulnerability to illegal substance use.

Additionally, the initiatives encompass training programs for staff working in the night-time economy, such as those employed in nightclubs, along with experts from public health, voluntary services, the NHS, and law enforcement.

Neil O’Brien, Minister for Primary Care and Public Health, stated:

Addressing drug use proactively is crucial for safeguarding individuals and communities from the harm caused by addiction, which has severe repercussions and contributes to half of all crime.

Initiatives like these will foster new research into drug addiction prevention and help us achieve our national strategy goal of reducing drugs and crime.

This initiative is part of government efforts aimed at decreasing drug demand, which will, in turn, reduce the number of individuals requiring treatment and diminish the illegal and exploitative supply chains, anti-social behavior, and broader crime.

The Department of Health and Social Care, alongside the Joint Combating Drugs Unit—a cross-government team within the Home Office—has selected the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) to spearhead the research bidding process.

The selection process prioritized fostering creativity and innovation among applicants, focusing on preventing experimental drug use or early intervention as strategies for averting problematic or dependent use in the future.

Projects demonstrating success post-evaluation and implementation in specific locales will be considered for a national rollout to curb drug use at its early stages. The findings from these studies will also contribute to developing a world-class evidence base on addressing drug use.

Professor Lucy Chappell, Scientific Advisor for the Department of Health and Social Care and NIHR Chief Executive Officer, remarked:

This marks a significant advancement towards expanding the evidence base on this vital issue. I anticipate that the variety of projects in this and upcoming phases will uncover effective interventions capable of making a substantial impact nationwide in the future. I am eager to see the results of these projects.

The selected projects underwent a competitive bidding process and successfully passed an independent committee evaluation composed of experts.

Successful projects

Zoë Welch, Head of Research at Change Grow Live, expressed:

Change Grow Live, in collaboration with Middlesex University, is thrilled to receive backing from the NIHR innovation fund to address the demand for illicit substances and prepare our Derbyshire 1625 Outreach service for evaluation.

1625 Outreach assists young individuals and young adults (ages 16 to 25) through place-based early interventions that enhance knowledge and mitigate harm related to substance use and associated risky behaviors.

This innovative multi-faceted approach operates in both rural and urban environments in Derbyshire and Derby city, offering educational programs, responsive outreach, a branded vehicle, and mobile pods at festivals and events, digital interventions, and training for night-time economy staff.

Our objective is to prepare 1625 Outreach for comprehensive evaluation through literature reviews, stakeholder feedback, data integration, and inventive methods to capture processes and outcomes. We will employ desk research, PPI, stakeholder consultations, and county-wide collaborations to refine our model and devise a framework for evaluating the various outreach components.

Professor Michael Doyle, a Professor in Mental Health Research at the University of Huddersfield, stated:

We are enthusiastic about commencing our project to curb illicit substance demand among young people through co-production, skills training, and early intervention. As researchers from the University of Huddersfield, we eagerly anticipate collaborating with young individuals and a multi-agency team comprising practitioners and experts from public health, voluntary services, the NHS, law enforcement, and education.

We aim to gather insights from all these stakeholders to create learning resources that empower young people to build necessary skills, raise awareness, and enhance understanding to promote positive lifestyle choices and reduce risky behaviors, including illicit substance use.

Fiona Spargo-Mabbs, CEO of the Daniel Spargo-Mabbs Foundation, shared:

We are thrilled to have secured phase 1 funding to collaborate with Middlesex University Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, led by Professor Betsy Thom, to develop and enhance the DSM Foundation’s current universal, multi-component drug education program. Drug use frequently initiates during adolescence, a period when attitudes and behaviors can still be shaped, making it an opportune time for intervention.

There is evidence suggesting that a multi-component approach to drug education can heighten its effectiveness in preventing or postponing the onset of drug use during adolescence, yet recent research is sparse, making it crucial for us to determine what works, how, and why.

We intend to engage with key stakeholders through surveys and focus groups, including young individuals and parents, while revisiting our existing program theory. By the conclusion of this project, we will have developed and refined our existing program and established a comprehensive evaluation strategy and methodology, ready for delivery and evaluation with youth aged 13 to 15 in various schools during phase 2.

Dr. William Floodgate, a lecturer in criminology at the University of Manchester, noted:

Our initiative will refine an evidence-based, harm reduction-centric drug education program known as The Staying Safe Programme (TSSP) to facilitate its deployment in universities throughout the UK. TSSP is designed to diminish the demand for drugs among university students by equipping young adults with the knowledge needed to mitigate the harms associated with recreational drug use, deter or delay initial usage, and prevent escalation to heavy or problematic use.

We will utilize various methods to assess the suitability of TSSP, its integrated learning assessments, and its impact on participating students.

The core research team comprises Dr. William Floodgate, Professor Judith Aldridge, and Lydia Swan from the University of Manchester, alongside Professor Katy Holloway and Shannon Murray from the University of South Wales. Collaborators include Professor Adam Winstock, Students for Sensible Drug Policy, and Universities UK.

Claire Shiels, Corporate Director of Commissioning and Partnerships at Dorset Council, stated:

The collaboration in Dorset is extremely pleased to have won this phase 1 bid to test interventions that assist our workforce in helping young individuals develop personal and social skills aimed at reducing their vulnerability to illegal substance use, while effectively communicating with communities about the social implications of illegal substance use.

Active collaboration between researchers, skilled practitioners, children, young people, and parents is integral to our program, and we see this as a significant opportunity to make a meaningful impact. This work will be part of our local strategy to combat drugs, involving active collaboration between two local councils—Dorset and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP), the local health system, and law enforcement.

Background information

The innovation fund is being executed over three phases:

• Phase 1: Development
• Phase 2: Evaluation
• Phase 3: Implementation

There is up to £5 million available throughout these three phases.

The application window for phase 1 proposals closed in October 2022. Projects are scheduled to begin in March 2023 and are expected to conclude in September 2023.

Phase 2 will open for bids in 2023, allowing proposals of up to £500,000 over 12 months. We anticipate phase 3 to open in 2025, with proposals in this phase also eligible for up to £500,000 over 10 months.

Successful applicants from phase 1 can apply for phase 2 and (if successful) phase 3 funding. Additionally, new proposals can directly apply for phase 2 and phase 3 funding.