The European COP4HL Erasmus + Knowledge Alliance is chaired by Hanze UAS through its School of Sport Studies. One of the biggest economic and social challenges for Europe is to improve the health of the European population, with great potential for innovation in the area of healthy ageing with a focus on prevention. COP4HL focuses on this by promoting an ‘active and healthy lifestyle’. One of the major challenges is ensuring that previously developed interventions are actually put into practice, so they can take effect. To this end, the main emphasis of COP4HL is on ‘the collaboration and the learning process’ among partners and institutions active in a range of industries to achieve an ‘active and healthy lifestyle’, making it a social innovation. We achieve this collaboration by developing so-called ‘communities of practice’, partnerships between various parties (companies, municipalities, universities of applied sciences, end-users) aimed at reaching a common goal and learning from each other.
Ecosystem approach: Communities of practice
Multidisciplenary collaboration for a healthy lifestyle is achieved by developing so-called ‘communities of practice’, partnerships between various parties (companies, municipalities, universities of applied sciences, end-users) aimed at reaching a common goal and learning from each other. COP4HL is developing communities of practice in five European cities. The alliance in place in the municipality of Groningen is an example of a ‘good practice’ for Málaga (Spain), Lisbon (Portugal), Kaunas (Lithuania) and Odense (Denmark). Though the individual local COPs may vary in terms of scope, they are similar in terms of objective, set-up and process guidelines.
Combining knowledge into practice
The main emphasis of COP4HL is on ‘the collaboration and the learning process’ among partners/institutions active in a range of industries to achieve an ‘active and healthy lifestyle’, making it a social innovation. Central to this is collaboration between the sectors of sport and exercise on the one hand, and care and well-being on the other when promoting an active and healthy lifestyle. We achieve this collaboration by developing so-called ‘communities of practice’, partnerships between various parties (companies, municipalities, universities of applied sciences, end-users) aimed at reaching a common goal and learning from each other.
Impact beyond the project consortium and duration
A great number of parties are involved in this project. While 16 partners (1 network partner, 7 companies, 5 higher education institutions, 3 government agencies) from six countries (NL, DEN, LIT, POR, ESP, GER) collaborated on the application, a total of 30 companies, 13 education institutions and 72 government agencies were already involved in the first half of the project. 652 students in five countries have become involved in the project through final research projects (Healthy Ageing Professional Master’s) and entrepreneurship competitions on the topic of an active and healthy lifestyle, among other things. The consortium will provide for an ongoing alliance, making it possible to continue to share knowledge even after the project ends. The link with social entrepreneurship in this field is explicitly being explored too.
Further collaboration
Interested to collaborate on the topic of Healthy Ageing, Healthy Lifestyle and Living Environment, Citizen Science or other related topics? Contact Johan de Jong, professor Healthy Lifestyle, Sports and Physical Activity at Hanze UAS: jo.de.jong@pl.hanze.nl.
