The SUMIT project

Project impact

Addresses shared challenges such as poverty, stigma, and limited access to treatment for people with substance use and mental health issues.

Combines expertise from academic research, digital innovation, frontline services, and lived experience to co-create effective solutions.

Promotes digital inclusion by embedding trauma-informed practices, building digital skills, and fostering trust and confidence.

The SUMIT (Substance Use and Mental Health Interventions using Digital Technology) project is a cross-border initiative funded by the PEACEPLUS programme and managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB). Led by Queen’s University Belfast Communities and Place (QCAP), in partnership with Trinity College Dublin, DHI, the University of St Andrews, and the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO), SUMIT aims to improve access to care for people with substance use and mental health challenges.

Over four years, the project will co-develop digital tools with five core and eight associate partners across Ireland and Northern Ireland. These tools will enhance existing health and social care services for 1,500 individuals by providing digital devices, connectivity, and human support to improve engagement and self-management.

SUMIT also supports organisations in embedding digital approaches into service delivery by building digital skills, promoting trauma-informed practices, and fostering trust and confidence. DHI will lead the digital design and implementation, using collaborative design methods to identify local challenges and co-create effective solutions.

Summary

The SUMIT project tackles shared challenges —such as poverty, stigma, and limited access to treatment—by integrating academic research, digital innovation, frontline expertise, and lived and living experience. In response to mounting pressures on health and social care systems, SUMIT will offer scalable, digital solutions to improve access, inclusion, and long-term outcomes for individuals with substance use and mental health challenges.

Across Ireland and Northern Ireland, health strategies emphasise the urgent need to transform service delivery amid rising demand, workforce shortages, and deepening inequalities. People affected by addiction and mental health issues often face compounded exclusion—waiting lists, lack of crisis support, and systemic barriers rooted in stigma, poverty, and poor health.

SUMIT addresses these challenges by piloting co-designed digital tools within a cross-border testbed. These tools will inform future models of digitally enabled care, contributing to policy development and healthcare transformation across both jurisdictions.