Fieldlab Sport Innovation & Stimulation
(PRO-FIT)
Start date: Sep 24, 2009,
End date: Dec 29, 2014
PROJECT
FINISHED
EU-countries are experiencing falling levels of physical activity. which is leading to public health issues (increased levels of obesity. cardiac-vascular disease). Therefore. sports and play are business: in 2006 there was a €45 billion turnover on sport products and equipment alone. However. the potential of the sector is still underexploited. Its innovation capacity is limited. which is related to the complexity of the stakeholders network involved: the sector consists mainly of small SMEs. and has to operate in a complex public-private context. Facilities that encourage innovation (e.g. attractive settings with measuring and testing equipment) are expensive and cannot be provided by individual SMEs. PRO-FIT aims stimulate innovation and business creation in the field of sports and play by developing sport stimulation&innovation field-labs and an international business competition to develop new products. The field-labs will offer a unique opportunity for businesses to test new products and services in a daily urban environment with professional and innovative measurement equipment provided by renowned universities. In the field-labs. stakeholders will develop and commercialize products. processes or services in the field of sport and play. The field-labs will create new networks. stimulate better use of technology resources for sports innovations and catalyze and create new business opportunities. They will also improve the health and well-being of the citizens living in the surrounding areas. Partners are a combination of cities (Eindhoven. Sheffield. Kortrijk. Delft) and knowledge institutions in the field of sports-related monitoring and design. They are supported by their regional Chambers of Commerce. observers in France. Switzerland. Belgium. UK and NL. and renowned organizations in the field of sport businesses like European Platform for Sports and Innovation (EPSI) (supporting letters available). Expected Results: A1-5: 1 field-lab will be upgraded (Eindhoven), 3 new field-labs will be developed (Kortrijk, Sheffield, Delft). Field-labs offer a unique opportunity for SMEs to test new products and services in a daily urban environment with professional and innovative measurement equipment. Spatial appearance can range from a park-like setting to a mainly indoor location in business area. Experience will be used to develop a transnational flexible field-lab business model and roadmap for field-lab development. A7: businesses will be challenged to develop – within consortia - new products and services related to sport via an innovation competition. Winning prototypes are installed and tested in the field-labs. Eventual aim is to create a sustainable network for joint research, development and business creation on regional and international level. A10: innovative monitoring equipment will be installed and scientifical research will be implemented to analyse product-user interaction to provide business/organisations with state of the art analyses on the effects of their products, to allow them to further innovate them. Main Outputs: • 3 field-labs created (A5, Inv.) •Flexible transnational businessmodel and roadmap for field-lab development (A4), • mobile fieldlab (roadshow with interactive sport&play test-equipment) to explain and promote the concept to (potential) stakeholders and other cities and regions in NWE,(A2) •Prototypes for new products developed and installed in field-labs (A5, A7) •Monitoring equipment installed in field-labs (A10); Reports on insights in qualities and opportunities for product innovation as input for prototype development (with special focus on empathic, engaging and inspirational character of the insights) (A10); Study on economic, health, and social impact of the field lab, to be disseminated via networks like Eurocities, transnational PRO-FIT stakeholder network and organizations like EPSI and FEPI (A11)
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