Mistra Sport & Outdoors was a research and collaboration programme that ran from 2020 to 2025 to create knowledge and solutions for increased sustainability in sport and outdoor life.
The original programme duration was four years during 2020-2024, after which Mistra Sport & Outdoors was granted a one-year transition project to complete the scientific publications and solutions started in the form of four innovation projects. Mistra Sport & Outdoors ended on 30 June 2025.
Mistra Sport & Outdoors involved researchers from eight universities and 52 partners from sport, outdoor life, business and government. The programme was led by Programme Director Peter Fredman, Professor of Tourism Science at Mid Sweden University and of Nature Tourism at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, and a programme office at Mid Sweden University.
Objectives of the programme
The starting point for the programme were the environmental challenges we face and the long-term objectives of the programme were to jointly:
- Find and implement sustainable solutions in practice.
- Produce research at the international forefront.
- Start a movement for sustainable development in sport and outdoor recreation.
- Work to establish a network-based development centre for sustainable solutions.
Mistra Sport & Outdoors aimed to help Sweden reach the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development goals.
Six research themes
The research at Mistra Sport & Outdoors was made up of six themes:
- Knowledge and transformation
- Sustainable transport solutions
- Sustainable use of land and water
- Material and sustainable equipment
- Sustainable events
- Behaviour, policy and future change
Co-creation throughout the programme
Co-creation permeated Mistra Sport & Outdoors:
- We identified challenges together
- We generated learning and solutions together
- We communicated and started a movement for sustainability together
Co-creation means working in a way in which different actors, expertise and knowledge meet to identify possible routes to more sustainable development. Through co-creation, we increased the relevance of the research and strengthened its quality. It also meant that we increased the chances of solving our environmental challenges, making the knowledge even more relevant and useful.
Read more about our way of working
Board
Mistra Sport & Outdoor had a board with representatives in the different areas of the programme. The board’s work included establishing the plans and budget for the programme, directing and following up the research that was carried out, and deciding on the strategic reserve of the programme. The board also had an important role in promoting active involvement by different users and communicating the information about the programme and the research results effectively.
- Eva Thörnelöf, Chair
- Malin Järf, Chief of Staff, Swedish Sports Confederation
- Ulf Silvander, expert, outdoor life
- Christiane Dolva Törnberg, Sustainability Expert, HM Foundation
- Maria Johansson, Professor, Faculty of Engineering, Lund University
- Ludde Edgren, Mid Sweden University
- Josefine Åhrman, Secretary General, Svenskt friluftsliv
Programme Co-ordinator at Mistra, Johan Edman, co-opted to the board.
Programme plan
The activities of Mistra Sport & Outdoors was governed by a programme plan approved by Mistra. It had two parts. The first part (Part A) was based on application and was fixed during the first four years of the programme. The second part (Part B) described our activities and deliveries in more detail and was revised annually.
Mistra funding
The Swedish Foundation for Strategic Environmental Research, Mistra, financed the initiative with SEK 56 million, and our partners (including participating universities) contributed SEK 14 million, making a total of SEK 70 million over four years. Mistra Sport & Outdoors was then granted a one-year extention project, with Mistra contributing SEK 5 million and Mid Sweden University SEK 1 million.