Supporting Scottish leadership in global innovation
The Scottish Council for Global Affairs’ State of the World initiative aims to bring Scotland’s academic and policy expertise to bear on the most pressing global challenges, providing leadership and insights to consolidate Scotland’s place in a rapidly evolving world.
Dr Gosia Mitka (IDEAS St Andrews Co-Director) has been awarded funding to lead a project that will explore how Scotland can lead global innovation in addiction care by integrating systems thinking, entrepreneurial approaches, data-driven approaches, and public health strategies. It will examine the intersection of global addiction trends and Scotland’s policy, research, and innovation landscape, identifying further opportunities for Scotland to contribute to international efforts in reducing drug-related deaths. Scotland has an emerging reputation for research and innovation in addiction care, evidenced by multiple initiatives and programmes over recent years.
However, efforts too frequently remain fragmented and would be significantly more impactful if aligned within a coherent systems approach. This initiative seeks to provide that framework, connecting data-driven insights, digital health solutions, and co-production models and positioning Scotland as a global leader in systems-informed, data-driven, human-centred and compassionate addiction care.
Scotland’s role in global innovation for addiction care will deliver a programme of coordianted activities to synthesise existing international evidence and generate new insights from experts and innovation leaders across Scotland. Activities include:
- A policy-focussed workshop bringing together researchers, policymakers, and practitioners from health, social care, and innovation sectors to inform the paper, identify research priorities, map skills development needs, and shape collaborative innovation pathways for Scotland’s global leadership in addiction care.
- A podcast episode featuring Scottish and International voices on addiction care innovation to establish Scotland’s credentials, build international collaboration opportunities and bring diverse perspectives to life. The episode will tackle critical issues such as stigma, equity, and lived experience, showcasing innovative approaches and amplifying voices from policy, research, and community sectors.
- A visual framework mapping Scotland’s existing innovation assets in addiction care and their global relevance as a baseline from which we can build our bold ambitions in this area.
- A State of Addiction Care Innovation report offering an accessible and engaging overview of Scotland’s current and potential global leadership in addiction care innovation.
This project is live and we will share outputs here in May and June 2026.