The European Prevention Curriculum (EUPC) is a European initiative to promote professional and quality‐assured substance use prevention. In Austria, the EUPC is trialled via a three-year pilot project to explore its appropriateness and long-term feasibility. We report on the first two years of EUPC project implementation as part of a Special Issue on EUPC implementation practice and lessons learnt. Our insights from a formative evaluation, routine data collection and team discussions can support further development of EUPC at the European level and in other countries.