Who are we?
Sportinnovator is the Netherlands’ leading sports innovation network. Our mission is to drive and implement innovative solutions for a lifetime of enjoyment playing sport and taking exercise. Sportinnovator also supports innovations that boost performance improvement in elite sport and innovations that increase sustainability in sport and sports facilities. The main objective is to accelerate innovations and to ensure that innovations are successfully brought to market and actually applied in practical settings. The Sportinnovator ecosystem consists of Sportinnovator centres, sports institutions, businesses, knowledge institutions and municipalities.
What is our method?
We are firm believers in collaboration and co-creation. Operating as a neutral, coordinating party, we bring together all those needed to deliver these innovations.
For this we have developed a successful innovation formula based on the quadruple helix model. The participating parties in this model are grouped into consortiums. Sportinnovator has a multi-facetted role in all of these joint ventures. In addition to providing part of the funding, it acts as connector, booster, coach and promoter.
Sportinnovator centres
Sportinnovator has established a nationwide network of Sportinnovator centres where researchers, companies, sports institutions and local authorities collaborate to create innovations that benefit both elite and grassroots sport and address societal challenges in the area of playing sport and taking exercise.
Every Sportinnovator centre has its own area of expertise. The centres all cooperate with one another, acting as drivers of innovation in the Netherlands and elsewhere.
The Sport Data Valley foundation is our top data analysis platform for sport, exercise and health. This unique platform gives athletes, trainers, healthcare professionals and researchers a better understanding of sporting and exercise habits, sleep and performance. By studying Sport Data Valley’s data, we can learn how to improve athletic performance and promote a healthier and more energetic lifestyle for the general population.
Facts & Figures
Through proven collaboration, Sportinnovator aims to maximise the impact of sports innovation, to help the Netherlands achieve international prominence. Since 2015, Sportinnovator has assessed well over 1000 innovative concepts and has provided more than 300 promising initiatives with financial support and advice.
International
Springboard
Sportinnovator is also a springboard for sports innovations and Sportinnovator centers with international ambitions. We monitor innovations, spot opportunities abroad and make connections via the platforms we are affiliated with. Like SportsNL.
SportsNL
In this network, the business community, government, knowledge institutions, social organisations and sport are connected around the theme of sport and the wider world. SportsNL ensures the coordination, focus and collective international branding of Dutch sports innovations. The initiators of this platform are the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport.
In addition, Sportinnovator is part of EPSI, the European Platform for Sport Innovation. This is where the connection with European sports innovation partners is made.
Three themes
We focus on three themes:
- Urban Vitality - Sports and sportive exercise
- Field labs for proven & social innovations - Excelling in sport
- Greening the sports & sport events - Making sport more sustainable
'The Dutch approach'
Sportinnovator shows what the Netherlands has to offer in the field of sports innovation.
We are introducing other countries to 'the Dutch approach', for example in the field of sustainability. We want to inspire other countries through our working method, in which cooperation between sports, businesses, government and knowledge institutions is central. To make contacts, share knowledge and explain our working method, Sportinnovator is regularly present at international events. Here are two examples:
Events
In the coming years Sportinnovator will mainly focus internationally on countries where major sporting events take place. The Summer Olympics in Paris (2024) and Los Angeles (2028) in particular offer great opportunities to promote Dutch innovations and establish partnerships.
Contact
For further information about Sportinnovator, please contact us:
info@sportinnovator.nl
+31703495480.
Sportinnovator is an initiative of the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport and is supported by ZonMw, The Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development.