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.
With effect from 1 January 2023, we have implemented several changes in the procedure for applying for funding for the module Knowledge infrastructure of our programme More Knowledge with Fewer Animals (Dutch acronym: MKMD). This concerns the modules ‘Realising systematic literature research for studies involving experimental animals’, ‘Publishing neutral/negative results from experiments involving animals’, and the workshop ‘ Systematic...
Fifteen researchers who have recently received their PhDs can do their research at foreign research institutes thanks to a Rubicon grant from NWO. The Rubicon programme gives young, highly promising researchers the opportunity to gain international research experience.
The schedule with the 2023 submission dates for the Talent Scheme (Veni, Vidi, Vici) has been confirmed. Some changes have been made in the procedures of the new rounds, all designed to further simplify and save both applicants' and reviewers' precious time.
31 research teams will be able to start their project thanks to funding from the ZonMw Competition round 2021, which has a total budget of €24.2 million. Each research team will receive an average of €750,000 for their project. Six of the research teams will receive an additional €250,000 for investment in infrastructure.
Using the potential from existing animal and cellular models and cohorts, including available data and biomaterial, for conducting large-scale OMICS approaches to unravel the interplay and interactions of molecules from multiple molecular levels driving disease pathogenesis.
Better understanding the complex and multi-factorial mechanisms of disease onset and progression as well as the corresponding influencing factors.
Translating the findings from Big Data analysis and multi-OMICS approaches to existing animal and cellular models, thereby enhancing the potential of these models.
Identification of new drug targets or novel starting points for pharmacological interventions and prevention.
Sharpening the current understanding of disease definition, thus leading to enhanced sub-classification and better patient stratification.
Are you interested in international collaboration? And would you like to contribute to the transformation of health and care systems in Europe with a research project or a practice-based initiative? Then join us at the launch of the first grant call of the international ‘Transforming Health and Care Systems’ (THCS) programme.
