Sitting within the framework of the Research Funding Model, the programme has taken its first significant step forward with the establishment of six impact teams which are charged with identifying gaps in knowledge and developing performance research to help fill those gaps.
Team members from within HPSNZ have been selected, with their next task to identify and select external members to help broaden the capability, expertise and experience of each team. Representatives from academia and sport – within and outside NSOs – will be recruited with teams expected to be finalised by the end of the month.
Project lead, Farhan Tinwala, HPSNZ Research Manager, says team members are responsible for bringing their considered, thoughtful experience and knowledge to the table as well as representing the group they are part of.
“It is important this is an inclusive process and any staff member can connect with the selected team members to share knowledge on the research within the respective Impact team.”
Once the external members have been selected, teams will then look across disciplines and sports to devise questions that will have an impact on performance. The Innovation and Research team will prioritise those questions.
The next phase of the project will be to undertake a tender process with partners – industry and academia – to conduct the research, and the final phase is a feedback loop with the Impact teams to evaluate learnings and outputs.
Six cross-disciplinary Impact teams have been formed and cover:
- Physical Training & Preparation – energy, power, strength and endurance (methods and interventions);
- Equipment – materials science, aerohydrodynamics, data loggers and bespoke solutions;
- Playing the Game – strategy, tactics & skills (analysis and coaching);
- Women in Sport – health, wellbeing and performance of female athletes and coaches;
- Wellbeing – Monitoring wellbeing and efficacy of Interventions
- Training and Competition Environments – maximising the impact of training and delivering on-the-day performance.
It is expected the tender process and answering of research questions will begin from July 2022.
Anyone interested in joining one of the Impact teams or wanting further information please contact Farhan Tinwala (farhan.tinwala@hpsnz.org.nz)
