Centrum för idrottsforskning

What Centrum för idrottsforskning does

Centrum för idrottsforskning (CIF) is the Swedish Research Council for Sport Science, a government-mandated body operating under the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences (Gymnastik- och idrottshögskolan, GIH) in Stockholm. Founded in 1988 and staffed by approximately 8 employees, CIF's core function is to distribute public research funding and produce evidence-based knowledge for Swedish sport. It serves two principal constituencies: researchers at Swedish universities and higher education institutions who apply for competitive sport science grants, and Swedish sports organizations, federations, and policymakers who consume its statistics, analyses, and policy follow-up outputs.

CIF's product surface combines research grant programs (project grants of up to 500,000 SEK per year for two years, postdoctoral salary funds, and organizational/network grants), a consolidated statistics platform (Idrottsstatistik.se now integrated into the main website), a curated knowledge library (Kunskapsbibliotek), the popular science Idrottsforskning magazine, and thematic publications such as the 2026 anthology 'Den allvarsamma leken'. The technology stack is a standard government publishing and online application system; no proprietary technology or AI capabilities are evidenced. The organization holds GDPR compliance and partially meets WCAG 2.1 Level AA accessibility standards.

CIF's business model is non-commercial: it is funded through Swedish government appropriations and operates exclusively as a research funding council and policy support body. It does not sell products or services. Revenue mechanics consist of an annual government grant call cycle, with grant decisions published openly and funded research required to be published open access. GTM is event-driven and content-driven: annual utlysningar, the website, two newsletters, seminars, conferences, and press releases. The organization reaches all Swedish universities across all scientific fields and collaborates with the Swedish Football Association, national sports federations, and the Agency for Participation (Myndigheten för delaktighet) on data collection.

Name

Centrum för idrottsforskning

Legal name

Centrum för idrottsforskning

Website

https://centrumforidrottsforskning.se

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Research Funding - Sport Science

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Amateur Sport Governing Bodies & Federations (National/Regional) (MPAKACAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sports Fundraising & Development Services (Foundations, NIL Collectives Support) (MPAKAKAK), Sports Compliance, Governance & Integrity Services (Safeguarding, Anti-Doping, Match Integrity) (MPAKAKAM), Disability & Adaptive Sports Organizations (Paralympic, Special Olympics) (MPAKACAH)

Keywords

• Sport science research funding
• Government research grants
• Sports statistics portal
• Policy follow-up research
• Open-access sport knowledge

Headquarters

HQ city

Stockholm

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government research funding allocation: CIF receives government appropriations (approximately 2.3 billion SEK annually in 2025 as part of the broader statens stöd till idrotten) and distributes it as research grants to Swedish universities and sports organizations. CIF does not generate commercial revenue; its operations are funded by the Swedish government.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Centrum för idrottsforskning (CIF) is the Swedish national research council for sport science. It distributes government-funded research grants (project grants up to 500,000 SEK per year for two years, postdoctoral salary funds, and organizational/network grants) to researchers at Swedish universities, and publishes sport statistics, reports, anthologies and the Idrottsforskning popular science magazine covering sport, exercise and outdoor recreation in Sweden. It also conducts government-mandated analyses and follow-up on state support to the Swedish sports movement and on disability policy in sport.

Product overview

Centrum för idrottsforskning (CIF) operates as Sweden's central sports research funding and knowledge body, offering a unified platform combining research grants, statistics, and knowledge resources. The core offering consists of research funding programs (Forskningsbidrag) supporting sports science at Swedish universities, integrated statistics platforms (Statistik and Idrottsstatistik.se), curated knowledge content (Kunskap i fokus and Kunskapsbibliotek), and publications including the Idrottsforskning.se magazine and anthologies like Den allvarsamma leken. Communication services include newsletters and a recently launched (April 2026) unified website consolidating statistics with research and reports.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Forskningsbidrag (Research Grants) Competitive public research grant programmes funding sport science research at Swedish universities and higher education institutions. Includes two-year project grants (max 500,000 SEK per year, total up to 1,000,000 SEK), two-year postdoctoral salary grants, and one-year organizational/network grants. Awarded through an annual open call and online application system.
• Statistik / Idrottsstatistik.se (Sports Statistics Portal) Comprehensive national statistics platform on Swedish sport, exercise and outdoor recreation, covering children's and youth sport, economics, elite sport (Olympics, World Championships, Paralympics), ethics and governance, equal sport (disability, gender, socioeconomic background), and exercise and health. Freely accessible online and integrated into the CIF website.
• Idrottsforskning.se (Popular Science Magazine) Online popular-science magazine publishing articles about sport science, exercise and outdoor recreation research for Swedish researchers, sports organizations and the general public.
• Den allvarsamma leken (The Serious Play - Research Anthology) Research anthology analyzing costs, academies and specialization in Swedish youth sports, published as part of CIF's government mandate to study cost development in children's and youth sports.

Quantifiable outcome

• Total government support to Swedish sport: approximately 2.3 billion SEK in 2025
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Gymnastik- och idrottshögskolan (GIH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGIH (Gymnastics and Sports College) is CIF's parent organization (huvudman). CIF's data protection responsibilities fall under GIH, and GIH hosts CIF's personnel and operations. CIF's office is co-located with GIH in Stockholm. The relationship is hierarchical — GIH is the governing institution.
• Swedish Government (Regeringen)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCIF operates under a formal government mandate (regeringsuppdrag) from the Swedish Ministry of Culture. The government assigns CIF tasks including following up state support to the sports movement, analyzing cost development in children's sports, and monitoring disability policy in sport. CIF reports to the government, which also provides its annual funding.
• Specialidrottsförbund (Sports Federations)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCIF collaborates with Swedish national sports federations for data collection and statistics. CIF conducts studies interviewing representatives from the six largest youth sports: basketball, football, gymnastics, handball, floorball, and ice hockey. Federations are also stakeholders in CIF's grant-making and policy-follow-up activities.
• Myndigheten för delaktighet (MFD)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCIF collaborates with MFD (the Swedish Agency for Participation) to conduct panel surveys (Rivkraft) on sports participation among people with disabilities. CIF includes specific questions about organized sports in MFD's recurring survey panel as part of its government mandate to follow up disability policy in sport.
• Svenska Fotbollförbundet (SvFF)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCIF has collaborated with the Swedish Football Association on studies related to football academies, children's sports costs, and youth sport development. CIF's report 'Den allvarsamma leken' includes analysis of football-specific data and trends.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Sport England: UK body distributing public funding to sport, gathering participation statistics, and advising government on sport policy. Comparable mission (funding + data + policy) but operates in England rather than Sweden.
• UK Sport: UK's high-performance sport funding body investing in Olympic and Paralympic medal success. Mirrors CIF's elite-sport follow-up mandate and research support, though focused on funding athletes rather than academic grants.
• Sport Canada: Canadian government's sport policy and funding arm, distributing grants to national sport organizations and supporting research/participation data. Closely parallel mandate in a different national context.
• Australian Sports Commission: Australian government agency funding high-performance sport and sport science research. Similar funder-and-stats role to CIF within a different national ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• Riksidrottsförbundet (RF): Swedish Sports Confederation — the national umbrella body for Swedish sport that CIF provides statistics, analyses, and follow-up research to. Operates as both a major customer and a structural partner within the Swedish sport ecosystem.
• Vetenskapsrådet (Swedish Research Council): Sweden's largest public research funder, which also funds sport-related research. Operates across all scientific fields rather than specializing in sport, making CIF a complement more than direct competitor — but a potential crowding-out risk if CIF's mandate narrows.

Others

• Myndigheten för delaktighet (MFD): Swedish Agency for Participation, which runs recurring disability panel surveys that CIF contributes sport questions to. A close collaboration partner rather than competitor, but a structural peer in producing national disability statistics.

Direct peers

• Bundesinstitut für Sportwissenschaft (BISp): Germany's federal sport science institute under the Ministry of the Interior. Funds sport science research, produces national sport statistics, and supports federal sport policy — a near-direct structural parallel to CIF.
• Norwegian School of Sport Sciences (Norges idrettshøgskole): Norway's national sport science university and research institution. Conducts sport science research, produces statistics, and informs Norwegian sport policy — directly parallel to CIF's research-and-policy role.
• Danish Institute for Sports Studies (Idrættens Analyseinstitut): Denmark's national sport research and analysis institute. Idan compiles statistics on Danish sport, conducts analyses, and provides policy support — directly comparable to CIF's combined funding, statistics, and policy-follow-up mandate.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/centrum-for-idrottsforskning

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Centrum för idrottsforskning