The project is inspired by the European Innovation Scoreboard and built upon the model of the Dutch Sport Innovation Monitor, whose creators are part of the consortium. In a similar way, the Sport Innovation Index aims to determine precise indicators to ascertain the innovation capacity of sport-related organisations. However, the Sport Innovation Index project seeks to go beyond a pure analysis of sport innovation performance. It aims to create a quick innovation self-assessment tool (a platform) for local and regional sport organisations, small business and public and private organisations in general. By going through an instant diagnosis of their degree of innovation, users will also receive information and guidance on how to improve their governance in the domain of innovation.

Moreover, by collecting users’ data, the project aims to map sport innovation in the countries involved as partners (Austria, Belgium, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Spain and The Netherlands). Afterwards, the project strives to extend its use and engage other countries, so as to help a broader number of sports organisations in evaluating their own degree of sports innovation by implementing the self assessment tool.

The lack of culture of innovation in sports entities is, many times, a barrier for achieving good results when attempting a wide spread of tools and good practices for, for example, promoting the practice of physical activity, improving governance or tackling the dual career of athletes. SII, by providing sports entities with tools and capacities for self-assessment of their status, identifying their main lines of improvement and with ways of improving, expects to contribute to overcoming this problem.

Objective 1)

Understanding the current landscape of sports innovation measurement methods and indicators

Objective 2)

Identifying and collecting the bottom-up expectations of the index in sport
federations/associations, SMEs/clusters and municipalities

Objective 3)

Identifying the elements that can allow the measurement of innovation management for sport related entities

Objective 4)

Promoting the capacity of sport-related organisations to assess their own capability of managing innovation