Through ORC-PAPH, NIH and NIPH will build on an already well-established collaboration and facilitate joint research and analysis, better use of data, competence and method development, external funding and knowledge dissemination. The agreement also provides for a regular collaboration meeting between the parties, where overarching issues, project opportunities and joint academic initiatives will be discussed.
– ORC-PAPH marks a clear strengthening of the collaboration between the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences. Together, we are creating a stronger foundation for knowledge that is both scientifically robust and relevant to practice, says Guri Rørtveit, Director General of NIPH.
Shared knowledge for better public health
Physical activity is one of the most important factors for good health throughout life. At the same time, there is still a need for more precise knowledge about activity levels, physical fitness, sedentary behaviour, health inequalities and which measures actually contribute to lasting change in the population.
– With this collaboration, we gain a unique platform for developing better and more precise knowledge about physical activity and, not least, about what actually works. This is essential if we are to contribute to a more active population and better public health, says Rørtveit.
Contributing to research, dissemination and practice
ORC-PAPH is established at the Department of Sports Medicine at NIH. The centre will bring together and strengthen research environments working on physical activity, physical fitness and public health, and help ensure that research-based knowledge benefits society.
– The vision is to develop the centre, together with colleagues, into a focal point for a national research network, while also further developing our international research collaboration, says Sigmund Andersen, one of the leaders of ORC-PAPH.
The centre’s work will, among other things, contribute to continuing and further developing the national studies of physical activity and physical fitness. It will also strengthen research on the associations between sedentary behaviour, physical activity and various health outcomes throughout the life course, with particular emphasis on dose-response relationships.
In addition, ORC-PAPH will conduct intervention studies to examine how exercise and physical activity can influence specific health outcomes. Another key objective is to transfer research findings to public health work and policy development.
A long-term platform
The agreement provides a long-term framework for collaboration between NIH and NIPH, while concrete projects and initiatives will be developed through separate underlying agreements where needed.
The collaboration will, among other things, facilitate joint research initiatives, better use of relevant data sources and strengthened dissemination of research-based knowledge to the public and decision-makers. Another important aim is to strengthen efforts to secure external funding in the field.
With this agreement, ORC-PAPH gains a clear collaboration structure with NIHP. The aim is to contribute to more relevant research, stronger academic networks and better knowledge that can be used in the development of policy, practice and measures for a more active and healthier population.