Innovate for gold: Team NL seeks game-changing ideas
The Dutch Olympic team opened a call for innovations on the way to Los Angeles 2028.
Published on June 5, 2025
© NOC*NSF
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The Dutch Olympic and Paralympic Committee NOC*NSF, Team NL, and Sportinnovator launched a subsidy call for innovators to help athletes in the upcoming edition of the Olympic Games, which will take place in Los Angeles in 2028. This call seeks groundbreaking ideas that can enhance performance in elite sports such as paracycling, triathlon, and swimming, among others.
Launched by the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, SportInnovator orchestrates collaboration among diverse stakeholders, including centers of innovation, sports institutions, businesses, and municipalities. This conglomerate has assessed over 1250 innovative ideas since its inception in 2015, ensuring that over 100 innovations not only reach the market but also transform sporting practices.
The call for groundbreaking sports innovations
The call, financed with €250,000, offers innovators the chance to test their ideas with elite athletes. For this call, sports associations and Team NL identified eight challenges across 11 disciplines:
- Para cycling and paratriathlon: better performance due to less vibration from the handbike
- Swimming: Improved swimmer's physical condition through data-driven training schedules
- Water polo: recognize opponents' tactical patterns faster
- Rowing: higher speed through better aerodynamics
- Wheelchair tennis: player and wheelchair in perfect harmony
- Sailing, windsurfing, and kitefoiling: collecting sensor data and providing real-time feedback
- Synchronized swimming: optimal training and performance during extreme oxygen deficiencies
- Wheelchair basketball: higher scoring chances through greater insight into tactical choices
Entrepreneurs, knowledge institutions, or other innovators are all invited to apply. Each innovation project can receive up to €50,000 in funding, with applicants contributing to 30% of the total project budget. Selected projects can then apply for an extra €30,000 subsidy for the implementation phase.
The timeline for applications includes an online information session on June 25, 2025, and a mandatory matchmaking session registration deadline on July 15, 2025. The matchmaking event is scheduled for September 3, 2025, at the National Sports Center Papendal in Arnhem, offering a platform for collaboration and partnerships. The final grant application must be submitted by 14 October 2025, with a subsequent funding decision expected in mid-December.
