The SHIA (Sport and Health Innovation Accelerator) project officially held its kick-off meeting at the Spanish National Sports Council, bringing together a diverse consortium dedicated to using sport as a lever for social change and health improvement. Project partners aligned on SHIA as an opportunity to transform how Europe connects education and industry to drive innovation at the intersection of health and sports.
Funded with €1.5m under the Erasmus+ programme, SHIA is a 36-month initiative coordinated by ADESP (Asociación del Deporte Español). The project unites 12 partners from 11 countries and one associated partner, including universities, civil society organisations and research institutes from across Europe.
The project bridges the gap between education, research, and industry by developing a validated innovation acceleration programme at the intersection of the health and sports sectors. To achieve this, it will launch various pilot programmes to involve over 2,100 students, professionals and 50+ projects, utilizing agile methodologies to turn academic knowledge into market-ready solutions. A unique feature of the project is the creation of “Innovation Villages”: Living labs where startups, universities, and institutional stakeholders can co-create and test innovations in real-world environments.
“SHIA is the answer to ensuring scientific evidence guides product development,” Fabián Quesada Gómez, Director General of ADESP noted. “We are not just launching a project; we are building a self-sustainable collaboration network that will foster a culture of innovation across Europe”.
The project specifically responds to European challenges such as an aging population requiring preventive health solutions and a growing digital divide in sports technology. It also prioritizes Green Transition by integrating ecoresilience and sustainability approaches across its innovation tracks, which include Tech + Digital Sports, Grassroots Sports Innovation, or Active Living
The kick-off meeting allowed the consortium to align on the four main phases of the project:
- Phase 1 (Research): Challenge-based research and needs analysis.
- Phase 2 (Design): Developing the innovative education model and curriculum.
- Phase 3 (Validate): Field testing through an “Innovation Accelerator for Sports and Health” involving 150 participants across various pilot sites.
- Phase 4 (Scale): Establishing an operational strategy and collaborative networks to ensure EU-wide scalability.
As the lead partner for Operational Strategy, the Institute of Entrepreneurship Development (iED) is responsible for translating the project’s research outcomes into actionable and scalable strategies. This includes synthesising key findings from previous work packages, engaging expert networks and stakeholders through co-creation processes, and developing clear, evidence-based recommendations. Through this process, iED ensures that the project results are transformed into practical operational strategies and policy-oriented guidance that support innovation, entrepreneurship, and sustainable growth in the sports and health sectors.
List of project partners
- Asociacion Del Deporte Espanol (ADESP)
- European Platform for Sport Innovation. (EPSI)
- Sport Et Citoyennete (3S)
- Otto-Friedrich-Universitaet Bamberg (UNI BA)
- Charles University (CU)
- Center For Health, Exercise And Sport Sciences (CHESS)
- Global Health Connector
- Institute of Entrepreneurship Development (IED)
- Systems Innovation Center Kft. (SCI)
- University Industry Innovation Network Bv (UIIN)
- Akmi Anonimi Ekpaideftiki Etairia (AKMI)
- Natsionalna Sportna Akademiya Vassil Levski (NSA)
- Cluster Sports & Technology y (Associated Partner)
Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
