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Turning Knowledge Into Action

 

ENOS Expert Groups bring together practitioners, researchers, and policymakers to tackle key challenges in outdoor sports.

They connect local insights with European strategies, ensuring that innovation, sustainability, and inclusion are embedded in the sector.

Why Expert Groups Matter

Future-proofing outdoor sports and recreation requires more than passion — it takes deep expertise, visionary leadership, and strong collaboration. Expert Groups unite people who, through their research, projects, and practical work, are shaping the sector in meaningful ways.

  • They bridge research, policy, and practice, ensuring ideas translate into real-world impact.
  • They reflect Europe’s diversity, drawing from different cultures, geographies, and disciplines.
  • They advance shared priorities like sustainability, inclusion, public health, and access to nature.

Our Approach to expertise

 

  • Interdisciplinary collaboration: practitioners, federations, researchers, policymakers, and environmental stakeholders work side by side.
  • Focused themes: each group addresses a well-defined challenge or emerging topic, ensuring discussions are practical and relevant.
  • From insight to impact: findings are transformed into tools, guidelines, events, and pilot projects that benefit the entire outdoor sports community.
  • Multi-level perspective: groups link local practices to European frameworks, ensuring actions are meaningful at every scale.

Sustainability

A central theme to address is the integration of environmental conservation and sustainable practices within outdoor sports.

Outdoor for All: Youth, Social Inclusion, Gender balance

A key theme to explore is how to promote inclusivity in outdoor sports, building on the outcomes of the Beyond Horizons project. 

Land use and regional planning

This expert group will focus on gathering and sharing knowledge and advocacy for the integration of outdoor sports into territorial and spatial planning.

Outdoors and public health

Focusing on the health benefits of outdoor sports, this theme will build on the Healthy Lifestyle 4 All project.

Outdoor Sports Education and Training

Building on the legacy of the Outdoor Sports Education Campus project, this theme will focus on developing educational resources and training programs for outdoor sports professionals.

Sustainable Outdoor Tourism

This theme will focus on promoting sustainable active tourism by highlighting best practices and developing resources that support stakeholders in creating inclusive, accessible, and environmentally responsible tourism offers. 

Trails Sustainability and Development

A key theme to address is the critical role that trails play as the backbone of outdoor activities.

Outdoor Infrastructure and Spaces

A crucial theme is the planning and development of infrastructure that supports outdoor recreation. 

Outdoor Play and Education

Although this theme has not traditionally been part of the focus of ENOS and the definition of outdoor sports, it presents a valuable opportunity to expand our scope and engage more fully with the broader issues associated with the outdoots.

Tech, Platforms and Data

This theme will foster open dialogue and collaboration among stakeholders on the use and development of technology and data in outdoor sports. 

Brands and Industry

An expert group from the outdoor industry, including brands, could be key in developing innovative projects that drive the sector forward (e.g. Open Up the Outdoors).

Sustainable Outdoor Events

This theme will prioritize the promotion of sustainability in the organization of outdoor events, working to develop best practices that minimize environmental impact while maximizing social and economic benefits. 

What Expert Groups Do

 

Each Expert Group defines its own priorities, but together they:

  • Develop shared visions and strategies for outdoor sports and recreation.
  • Craft collective statements — manifestos, position papers, recommendations — to drive systemic change.
  • Enhance expertise across the sector by sharing tools, training, and best practices.
  • Shape policies and frameworks with evidence-based recommendations for local, national, and European levels.
  • Strengthen cross-sector connections, linking outdoor sports to education, tourism, health, urban planning, and climate action.
  • Design and launch innovative projects to foster inclusion, sustainability, and new ways to engage with nature.
  • Create a dynamic community of practice, where knowledge is exchanged and new collaborations emerge.

Interested in joining an Expert Group?

 

ENOS Expert Groups are led by experienced practitioners, researchers, and policymakers. While each group has its own structure and capacity, we welcome expressions of interest from members who would like to contribute their knowledge and expertise.

If you are interested in participating, please contact us at enos@outdoor-sports-network.eu . Our team will review your request and connect you with the appropriate group based on your skills, experience, and current opportunities. This ensures that both the group and potential members have the best chance for meaningful collaboration.