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 impact study published on 13 December 2021 in the journal PLOS ONE reveals that systematic reviews increase the transparency and quality of animal research. Accordingly, systematic reviews contribute to better animal research, increase the quality of medical research and contribute to open science. In 2012, ZonMw started to fund the training, coaching and conduct of systematic reviews for animal research.
The Dutch Research Council (NWO) has awarded 89 highly promising young scientists from the ENW and ZonMw domain a Veni grant worth up to 250,000 euros. The grant provides the laureates with the opportunity to further elaborate their own ideas during a period of three years.
This publication provides a recap of the online symposium ‘Microplastics and human health research in The Netherlands’ that was held on 4 November 2021. About one hundred researchers and policymakers exchanged knowledge about the latest research results from fifteen breakthrough projects within the ZonMw research programme ‘Microplastics and Health’. Attention was also paid to MOMENTUM, Microplastics & Human Health Consortium, the new...
This article shows that the impact of nano- and microplastics on human health is still largely unknown. Follow-up research is therefore needed because for decades, people have come into contact with the small plastic particles in their living environment via the air, water and food. These small particles vary in size from nanometres to micrometres.
While the pharmaceutical, medical technologies, chemical, cosmetics and food industries are increasingly seeking solutions to improve, for example, their prediction of clinical efficacy and/or risk and safety assessments without the use of animals, the solutions are still insufficient;
Societal demand for animal-free testing is increasing and there is a need for new innovations to improve human health, a stimulation of this research field is therefore needed.
Persons with disabilities, with care needs or with psychiatric illnesses are particularly affected by the impact of the digital divide in society. The EURECO 2021 conference will focus on approaches to promote the development of equal digital participation for these vulnerable groups as well.
Do you face challenges in finding an animal-free innovation in research and industry?
Sign up for the online matchmaking event on 10 February 2021 at 13:00h CET of Create2Solve by sending an e-mail to mkmd@zonmw.nl.
