The University of Worcester (UW) has established a reputation for world-class teaching and practical, purposeful research. The School of Sport & Exercise Science (SSES) offers nine different degree programmes which cover the spectrum of the sport industry from pure Sport and Exercise Science, Sports Coaching and Physical Education to Sport Business Management at undergraduate and masters level.

There has been a strategic commitment by the University of Worcester over the past ten years to create unique, innovative ‘Learning Through Sport’ initiatives that have inspired, included and enthused thousands of children and young adults nationally and internationally. Significantly, the University has developed the International Centre for Inclusive Sport. The University of Worcester has a strong tradition and an excellent reputation as an inclusive, open and accessible University, all facilities are designed for wheelchair and mobility impaired athletes. This inclusive focus operates at a number of different levels and in different contexts. Gender equity is an important and underpinning philosophy in the work of the institute as evidenced by our Women in Sport and Exercise (WISE), an initiative set up by UW to advocate gender equity in all areas of the sport and exercise domain.

Molde University College was founded in 1994 and became a Specialized University in Logistics in 2010. It has approximately 2500 students of whom 250 are international students. The Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, has approximately 30 academic staffSince 2004 it has offered a Ba degree in Sport Management, and since 2011 a unique fully fledged International Sport Management MSc program. The MSc program is fully conducted in English, and recruits students from all continents. The Sport Management programs are designed to prepare students to work in management positions in the sport and sport-related industry. The programmes strive to give the young students insights and experiences with the practical sides of sport management. A unique contracted agreement with the Norwegian Football Association as well as different national and local sports organisations secures exchange of student internships and teaching interaction. Faculty within the program have collaborated with the football association and other Norwegian sport development organisations to conduct research on social inclusion and sport for development and peace.

Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS) is based in the city of Amsterdam. AUAS consists of seven faculties and has a total of 43,000 students studying across 80 bachelor and numerous master programmes. The Faculty of Sports and Nutrition offers three bachelor programmes: Physical Education, Sports Management and Business, and Nutrition.

At AUAS we are aware that the sport sector needs graduates who have both intercultural and international (work/study) experience. Our innovate approach to curriculum design and delivery resulted in the development of the International Sports, Management and Business (ISMB) programme which was launched in 2011 and sits alongside our Dutch programme.

The research programme ‘Access, Equity and Identity in Sport (AEIS)’ which sits within the Faculty of Sports and Nutrition was designed on our vision for sport. We believe individuals should be able to access sport regardless of their age, ability, gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality or social economic status. By providing circumstances that allow for individual differences we believe we can facilitate equity in sport. And through the experience of sport, individuals, groups and even nations can develop an identity and a sense of community. The AEIS research programme has primarily been designed for students, faculty and partners to benefit from the research projects, through internships, graduation projects and the production of learning and teaching resources.

The Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) is based in the city of Brussels, the capital of Europe. The Vrije Universiteit Brussel is a dynamic and modern University with two parkland campuses in the Brussels Capital Region

Within VUB, the project will be led by the research group ‘Sport and Society’ (SASO), working within the Faculty of Physical Education and Physiotherapy. SASO has developed a special expertise in studying community sports programmes aimed at ‘at-risk’ groups (vulnerable youth, girls, elderly people, disabled people) characterised by their explicit focus on developmental issues related to sports involvement. The VUB-group focuses on the study of developmental, social and policy-related issues regarding sports involvement within different contexts (i.e., ‘traditionally’ organised and ‘alternatively’ organised sport) and levels (i.e., grassroots and elite sport) and it has built methodological expertise in monitoring and evaluation of sporting programmes and measuring the effectiveness of sports organisations and policies (relating to input-throughput-output), which is recognised and used at a worldwide level.

Achieving gender equality is one of the main priorities of the VUB. For more than 20 years, the university has pioneered in research and education on gender and diversity. With the Gender Action Plan 2014-2016, the university aimed for greater gender balance in its activities with academic staff and governing bodies.

The Swedish Sports Confederation (SSC) is an umbrella organisation consisting of 70 special sports federations and 21 district sports federations. The SSC is made up of 20,000 Sports Clubs with approximately 3.2 million members. Legally, SSC is a society that is regulated by the charter agreed by its members. This form of an assembly of independent organisations is often termed a federation. The SSC has the task of supporting its member federations and, in an official capacity, representing the whole Swedish sports movement in contacts with the authorities, politicians etc. One of the SSC’s overriding tasks is that of providing strategic leadership for Swedish sport pertaining to matters of finance, organisation and communications.

The SSC also has its own education organisation, SISU Sports Education. SISU Sports Education is an internal consultant for member federations and clubs in such fields as organisational development and process management. Its main aim is to cater for the needs of clubs and special sports federations in training leaders, coaches, trainers, instructors, officials and referees.

The Croatian Olympic Committee (Hrvatski olimpijski odbor, HOO) is the highest non-governmental sport organisation in Croatia. The Croatian Olympic Committee (NOC of Croatia) creates conditions for the development of sports and the Olympic movement in Croatia. It is responsible for the implementation of the public needs programme and allocation of funds to the national sport federations. The public needs programme is related to the activities of the NOC of Croatia and national sport federations, the organisation and implementation of national championships and international sporting competitions of a representative level, and care of top-level athletes.

The NOC Croatia is active in the field of equality of women in sport (Statute, Article 12) and it recognises the need for active approach to involving women in leadership positions in sport organisations. In practice therefore, the NOC of Croatia carries out many tasks that can be linked directly to this project.

Since 2008, the NOC of Croatia organises sport management courses for the highest level of executives and Board members of the National Federations.

The European University of Sports Association (EUSA) Institute is a non-profit non-governmental organisation for the purposes of developing university sports, organizing sports events, carrying out sports activities and projects and providing education in sports at the university level. Institute is an integral part of European University Sports Association (EUSA), the governing body for university and college sport in Europe, having 45 national university sports member associations. As a pan-European non-governmental organisation, it links national university sport federations, universities, teams, individual competitors, volunteers and other partners throughout Europe.

EUSA mission is to maintain and develop regular communication between the national federations; to co-ordinate competitions, conferences, mass-sport-events and other activities; to represent university sport in general and the member federations in particular in relation to various European bodies; to disseminate throughout Europe the ideals of university sport in close collaboration with the International University Sports Federation (FISU) and other European organisations and institutions.

EUSA is the licensing body for the European Universities Championships and European Universities Games, which are organised in alternating years. Annually, over 4000 participants take part in our sports event directly, representing over 400 universities each year.

Because university sport is much more than only competitions, EUSA strives for the development of all its aspects, including the social values and educational activities.