Sports Research
Research into sport and exercise yields knowledge about how everybody can play sports and exercise according to their own ability. We are investing in high-quality and sustainable knowledge, and we encourage efforts to ensure that this knowledge is implemented in practice.
Positive benefits of sports
Research into sports and exercise is important to increase the positive benefits of sport for society, not just for professional sport, but also for sport in general.
At ZonMw, we fund a wide range of projects that concern professional sports, exercise and that pertain to the strength of sport and exercise in solving societal challenges.
Mission driven research
With the programme MOOI in Beweging, we finance research projects that contribute to solutions for questions and societal challenges (wicked problems) that have existed for years and still continue to persist.
One of the topics is: Residents of disadvantaged neighbourhoods play sports less
There are significant differences between groups of people when it comes to sports and exercise. Despite various plans and initiatives in recent years, this gap is not diminishing. We need more knowledge about how sports and exercise relate to things like financial security and social connections. Furthermore, it's often not easy for community professionals to collaborate with other disciplines when it comes to sports and exercise. It's difficult to connect with the needs of people with practical jobs and/or low incomes. This theme aims to find solutions through research and innovation.
Want to know more about this programme?
Visit the MOOI in Beweging website. (Information only in Dutch).
The Sports and Exercise research programme
The Sports and Exercise research programme gave researchers from knowledge institutions the opportunity to conduct large-scale research on (elite) sports and exercise. The research programme focused on focus, mass, and demand articulation.
The last 8 projects within the Sports and Exercise research programme were completed in 2025.
The results of this programme are presented in the magazine The power over knowlegde: what works in sports and exercise. (information in Dutch).
This includes results of researchprojects on the topics:
- Inclusive sport and exercise (irrespective of age, ethnic background, social position or sexual orientation)
- Organising sports for people in vulnerable positions
- Sports for disabled people
- Sports and exercise for people with chronic conditions
- Resilience for athletes (coping with physical and mental stress factors)
- Exercise interventions for children for better development of coordination and motor skills
- Tailored prevention of sports injuries in adaptive sports
Vmbo Sportlab
In 2022, a consortium started investigating how the exercise and sport participation of young people in vmbo (secondary vocational education) can be sustainably increased so that they also remain active at a later age. The vmbo sport lab consortium is made up of professional practitioners and researchers and has no less than 22 participants.
In december 2025 the project presented the results. Information in Dutch
