Sport Canada Research Initiative

The objective of the Sport Canada Research Initiative is to create a foundation of knowledge to advance the goals of the Canadian Sport Policy and to demonstrate the contribution of sport to other public policy priorities. It was adopted by all federal, provincial and territorial (F-P/T) governments in 2002.

Research priorities are defined and monitored by Sport Canada in consultation with sport experts, researchers and non-partisan sport system experts. The initiative includes four streams of research activity that:

• develop surveys and statistics;
• explore the socio-economic benefits and impacts of sport (impact analysis research);
• contribute to an understanding of the barriers to, and the benefits of, sport participation (council-based research); and,
• address knowledge gaps, priority areas and topical issues (targeted research).

The Council-based research project is the result of a partnership between Sport Canada, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). Sport Canada supports sport research through the regular grant initiatives of these two Councils.

Guiding principles for the Research Initiative ensure that it:

• supports the federal policy process;
• emphasizes collaboration with financial, tactical and expert partners;
• gives priority to peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary and externally adjudicated research;
• recognizes the importance of knowledge translation and dissemination;
• recognizes the importance of research that addresses under-represented groups;
• recognizes the importance of international comparative research; and
• assumes a commitment to values-based sport.