Sport England Call for Innovation

Challenges to solve – Many people are facing significant, disproportionate barriers to being active during the coronavirus outbreak.

This open call is aiming to support innovative solutions that respond to these challenges and support those most affected so they can be active at this time.

We’re looking for solutions from individuals and organisations specifically developed to support women, people on low incomes, people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds, disabled people or people living with long-term health conditions.

What is the open call and what are we trying to achieve?
Our research shows there are major inequalities within society, with too many of us not able to access activity in the same way and missing out on the health benefits.

These inequalities aren’t new, but they are being exacerbated by the pandemic, which is why we want to act now to ensure they don’t get worse.

We believe innovation can play a key role in helping people overcome these challenges so they can lead more active lives, and in turn help tackle the inequalities that exist within society.

Innovation doesn’t have to be complicated for users – brilliant ideas can have a big impact on people’s habits. For example, Google’s feature allowing users to find wheelchair accessible places with just one click.

Innovation doesn’t have to be about technology, either – some of the best ideas are local, simple and start with people at the heart. For example, London’s Library of Things, who are on a mission to make borrowing things better than buying them, thanks to a network of local volunteers.

Our work to support innovation is beginning with this open call for solutions that remove barriers for the communities that are currently least well-served.

We believe now is the time to act, innovate and do things differently to affect positive change and address inequalities.

The open call will initially be open for two weeks, closing on Wednesday 24 June at noon.

To see the full details go to www.sportengland.org/innovationopencall