SafePAS secures €2.5 million EIS grant
to accelerate global rollout of DrugHunter
drug-testing analyzer
to accelerate global rollout of DrugHunter
drug-testing analyzer
PRESS RELEASE
Estonian deep-tech company SafePAS has been awarded €2.5 million by the Estonian Business and Innovation Agency (EIS) under the European Innovation Council (EIC) Seal of Excellence scheme. The funding will accelerate international growth of DrugHunter, the company’s breakthrough rapid-testing analyzer that delivers on-site, legally defensible drug detection in minutes.
SafePAS team
DrugHunter enables quantitative, oral-fluid drug testing directly in the field, dramatically reducing the time needed for results from days to minutes. Its applications span law enforcement, road safety, and major event management, where fast and accurate results save time, resources, and lives.
“This grant validates both the scientific strength of our technology and its real-world importance,” said Jekaterina Mazina-Šinkar, CEO of SafePAS. “EIS’s support allows us to accelerate development, create a smaller, next-generation analyzer, and scale adoption with police forces, road-safety stakeholders, and global event organizers. As a non-dilutive instrument, the Seal of Excellence support also reduces investor risk and fast-tracks DrugHunter’s path to market internationally.”
“This grant validates both the scientific strength of our technology and its real-world importance,” said Jekaterina Mazina-Šinkar, CEO of SafePAS. “EIS’s support allows us to accelerate development, create a smaller, next-generation analyzer, and scale adoption with police forces, road-safety stakeholders, and global event organizers. As a non-dilutive instrument, the Seal of Excellence support also reduces investor risk and fast-tracks DrugHunter’s path to market internationally.”
From EIS’s perspective, the Seal of Excellence strengthens Estonia’s innovation ecosystem. “Estonian startups are proving they can stand alongside Europe’s best,” said Anna-Liisa Laarits, International Funding Expert at EIS. “Such breakthrough solutions must reach the market quickly—not stall in evaluation. Supporting commercialization benefits Estonia’s exports, competitiveness and strategic technological sectors.”
The Seal of Excellence is the European Commission’s quality label awarded to proposals evaluated as excellent by independent experts but not funded at EU level due to budget limits. National agencies—including EIS—step in to ensure top projects advance.
The Seal of Excellence is the European Commission’s quality label awarded to proposals evaluated as excellent by independent experts but not funded at EU level due to budget limits. National agencies—including EIS—step in to ensure top projects advance.
Government leaders have also highlighted the importance of the investment. “We are proud to back DrugHunter’s development and international expansion,” said Mikk Vahtrus, Head of Development at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications. “Deep-tech startups like SafePAS deliver novel solutions to complex global problems and have the potential to become engines of Estonia’s future economy.”
The grant will fund DrugHunter’s miniaturization, large-scale field validation, certification processes, distributor partnerships, and manufacturing readiness. SafePAS aims to make the analyzer an international benchmark for drug testing, serving both Estonia’s public safety needs and the global mobility and events ecosystems.
The grant will fund DrugHunter’s miniaturization, large-scale field validation, certification processes, distributor partnerships, and manufacturing readiness. SafePAS aims to make the analyzer an international benchmark for drug testing, serving both Estonia’s public safety needs and the global mobility and events ecosystems.
News