ABOUT THE PROJECT – APPAct – Strengthening Academic Partnerships for National Physical Activity Policies through Collaborative Training Development and Mutual Learning

Title: Strengthening Academic Partnerships for National Physical Activity Policies through Collaborative Training Development and Mutual Learning (APPAct)
Project number: 2025-1-PL01-KA220-HED-000362036
Call: 2025 Round 1 KA220-HED – Cooperation partnerships in higher education
Start date: September 1, 2025
End date: August 31, 2028
Budget: €400,000

APPAct (Strengthening Academic Partnerships for National Physical Activity Policies through Collaborative Training Development and Mutual Learning) is a 36-month Erasmus+ project that addresses a critical gap in higher education by developing an interdisciplinary teaching program on public sector policy for physical activity promotion. The project builds upon and complements the ERA4Health IMPAQT project (https://www.ul.ie/research/impaqt), which evaluates and benchmarks public sector policies that directly or indirectly impact physical activity.

The Challenge
Worldwide, 71% of deaths are attributed to non-communicable diseases, with physical inactivity as a major contributing factor. Only 38% of Europeans engage in physical activity weekly, and traditional individual-focused interventions have failed to create sustained population-wide increases. Effective change requires public sector policies that span multiple sectors—not just health or sport.

Our Approach
APPAct brings together six European universities to create a university-wide teaching program that equips future professionals with skills to develop, implement, and evaluate physical activity policies. The program targets students across education, health, sport, engineering, transport, urban planning, business, and media—all sectors that influence population activity levels.