Regular sport and exercise is important to robust physical and mental health, so promoting physical activities contributes towards a more vigorous, healthy population and to the prevention of chronic diseases. Sport and exercise are also of great value to society as a whole.
Sports and exercise do not only make people feel fit, they also decrease the likelihood of various illnesses (including chronic illnesses) and psychological disorders. The Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development (ZonMw) conducts research and recommends interventions to promote healthier lifestyles and improve the performance of athletes of all levels. ZonMw also encourages and facilitates innovations, helps to reduce the occurrence of sports injuries, and encourages participation in sports and exercise activities. Our ultimate objective is for everybody to be able to profit from sports and exercise, both socially and economically.
ZonMw funds hundreds of sports and exercise projects.
In the spotlight
Technical and social innovations in Sport
Can make all the difference to high-level sporting performance, wider participation in sport, and the development of a healthy, active lifestyle. Through programming, funding research, stimulating and facilitating innovation, and promoting participation in sport and exercise, ZonMw is contributing to a growing body of knowledge on the benefits of sport and movement.
ZonMw strives to bring about societal and economic returns on sport and exercise; the results include healthier lifestyles, better sporting performances, fewer injuries, and a growing recognition of the importance of sport and exercise in social issues.
In the Netherlands, sport policy is carried out both on a national and on a local level. The government encourages the development of elite sport and community sport through programs aimed at increasing knowledge and innovation and encouraging sport participation.
An app that allows you to make video calls super easy, even if someone doesn’t have digital skills or suffers from forgetfulness or dementia. With this solution the 123familie app won the Dutch JAIN challenge on April 28th. This bi-annual challenge called for solutions based on artificial intelligence, which improve the quality of life and independence of people with dementia and their environment. And which could reduce the workload for...
Two Dutch research groups and industry will jointly develop animal-free innovations via the ZonMw call Create2Solve. Over the next five years, the projects will focus on a 3D model of human brain cells and a better test method for potentially toxic substances. The projects will contribute to limiting the use of laboratory animals in both industry and science.
Which patients with cardiovascular diseases run the risk of a (new) heart attack, heart failure or stroke? What is the optimum personalised treatment? On 15 April, cardiologist Prof. Folkert Asselbergs (University Medical Center Utrecht) received the ZonMw Pearl for a data collection that contributes to answering these questions and for developing a self-management platform.
