CA20104 – Ne wo k on e idence-based physical ac i i y
in old age (PhysAgeNe )
Deli e able D4.3
D4.3: Repo on PhysAgeNe composi ion, de elopmen and sus ainabili y,
including s a us and s a egy
CBO 1, CBO 2
Con ibu o s
Wo king G oup 4
Jona han Gómez-Raja (Chie Scien i ic O ice /WG4 ice-leade ), Signe Tomsone (Associa e
P o esso /WG4 leade )
CONTENTS
1. In oduc ion ........................................................................................................................................... 3
2. Ne wo k composi ion ........................................................................................................................................... 3
3. De elopmen and Ac i i ies ................................................................................................................................. 5
4. Sus ainabili y S a egy .......................................................................................................................................... 8
5. Alignmen wi h COST Policy Pa ame e s ........................................................................................................... 10
6. S a egic Impac and Fu u e Plans ..................................................................................................................... 11
1. INTRODUCTION
PhysAgeNe (COST Ac ion CA20104) is a Eu opean ne wo k ocused on p omo ing e idence-based physical ac i i y
in olde adul s. The ne wo k in eg a es in e disciplina y esea ch and p ac ice ac oss Eu ope, aiming o enhance
heal h ou comes and educe inac i i y- ela ed bu dens h ough inno a i e ICT solu ions and open da a amewo ks.
This epo p o ides a comp ehensi e o e iew o he cu en s a us, s a egic de elopmen , and sus ainabili y
ambi ions o he ne wo k. This documen aims o assess he ne wo k’s composi ion, e olu ion, and alignmen wi h
COST policy pa ame e s, while ou lining he s a egic measu es aken o ensu e i s long- e m sus ainabili y beyond
he unding pe iod.
By highligh ing key achie emen s, s uc u al de elopmen s, and u u e-o ien ed s a egies, his epo se es as a
e e ence o s akeholde s, policymake s, and collabo a o s in e es ed in he impac and con inui y o PhysAgeNe ’s
mission.
2. NETWORK COMPOSITION
O e he ou -yea du a ion o he COST Ac ion CA20104, PhysAgeNe has g own in o a obus and in e disciplina y
Eu opean ne wo k dedica ed o p omo ing e idence-based physical ac i i y in olde adul s. F om i s ini ial o ma ion,
he ne wo k expanded signi ican ly in bo h size and scope, eaching 439 ac i e membe s om 55 coun ies, wi h
s ong ep esen a ion om Inclusi eness Ta ge Coun ies (ITCs) and Young Resea che s and Inno a o s (YRIs).
The ne wo k's composi ion e ol ed s a egically o e lec COST policy p io i ies. ITC pa icipa ion was consis en ly
abo e 50%, wi h a ge ed ou each success ully in eg a ing coun ies like Uk aine and ongoing e o s in Geo gia.
YRIs became inc easingly in ol ed, no only as con ibu o s bu also in leade ship oles, suppo ed by a s uc u ed
g an p og am ha included ITC g an s, i ual mobili y, and sho - e m scien i ic missions.
Gende balance was ano he key achie emen , wi h emale ep esen a ion exceeding 50% in bo h wo king g oups
and leade ship posi ions. This was acili a ed by a andem leade ship model and con inuous moni o ing o di e si y
me ics.
The ne wo k's s uc u e ma u ed h ough he de elopmen o ou dedica ed Wo king G oups (WG1–WG4), each
deli e ing key ou pu s such as da abases, open da a amewo ks, in e en ion guidelines, and sus ainabili y
s a egies. S a egic pa ne ships, no ably wi h EGRAPA, ensu ed con inui y beyond he Ac ion, including join
con e ences and hema ic se ies in high-impac jou nals like EURAPA.
PhysAgeNe also emb aced hyb id collabo a ion o ma s, enabling inclusi e pa icipa ion and e icien knowledge
exchange. The adop ion o i ual ne wo king ools and empla es suppo ed a dynamic and esilien ne wo k
cul u e.
In summa y, PhysAgeNe e ol ed om a p omising ini ia i e in o a well-es ablished, inclusi e, and sus ainable
Eu opean esea ch communi y, wi h las ing impac on scien i ic collabo a ion, policy alignmen , and capaci y
building in he ield o ageing and physical ac i i y.
This able summa izes he e olu ion o membe dis ibu ion me ics ac oss h ee key epo s o he COST Ac ion
CA20104 – PhysAgeNe : PR1 (2022), PR2 (2023), and he Final Achie emen Repo (2025).
Me ic
PR1 (2022)
PR2 (2023)
Final Repo (2025)
WG Membe ship
287 om 43 coun ies
330 membe s om 45
coun ies
439 membe s om 55
coun ies
ITC Rep esen a ion
53%-56%
>50%
>50%
Missing ITC Coun ies
Bulga ia, Hunga y,
Mal a, Mon eneg o,
No h Macedonia
Mal a, Hunga y,
Geo gia
None.
New ITC Addi ions
Uk aine added
Uk aine added
Uk aine added;
ou each in Geo gia
YRI WG Membe s
47%
>50%
>50%
YRI in Leade ship Roles
38%
Ac i e in ice leade ship
and coo dina ion
Ac i e in ice leade ship
and coo dina ion
Gende Balance (WG
Membe s)
54% Female / 46% Male
>50% Female
>50% Female
Leade ship Gende
Balance
62% Female / 38% Male
Balanced h ough
andem leade ship
Balanced h ough
andem leade ship
G an Suppo
GP1: 3 ITC
(3.575€), 15
VM(16.237,24€), 0
STSM. 1 VNS 4.000€)
To al: 23.812,34€
GP2:
6 ITC (6.900€), 21 VM
(19.665,22€), 3 STSM
(6.630,57€). 1 VM
(4.000€)
To al: 37.195,27€
GP3:
6 ITC (7.875€), 31 VM
(26.118,32€), 9 STSM
(16.665€), 1 VM (4.000€)
To al: 54.658,32€
2
GP4: 2 ITC (3.406€), 4
YRI (3.628€),
21 VM (30.750€), 9
STSM (26.098€), 1 DCG
(1.424€), 1 VNS
(2.000€)
To al: 68.056€
Wo king G oups
WG1–WG4 ac i e
WG1: 151, WG2: 151,
WG3: 213, WG4: 97
WG1: 198
WG2: 199
WG3: 279
WG4: 146
S a egic Pa ne ships
No speci ied
EGRAPA collabo a ion
ini ia ed
EGRAPA collabo a ion
and EURAPA hema ic
se ies
3. DEVELOPMENT AND ACTIVITIES
The PhysAgeNe ne wo k has unde gone signi ican de elopmen since i s incep ion, e ol ing in o a dynamic and
in e disciplina y Eu opean collabo a ion ocused on p omo ing e idence-based physical ac i i y in olde adul s.
Ini ially o med wi h a co e g oup o esea che s, he ne wo k expanded o include 439 membe s om 55 coun ies,
wi h s ong ep esen a ion om Inclusi eness Ta ge Coun ies (ITCs) and Young Resea che s and Inno a o s
(YRIs).
To ensu e s uc u ed p og ess, he ne wo k was o ganized in o ou Wo king G oups (WG1–WG4), each asked wi h
speci ic objec i es:
• WG1 ocused on compiling da abases and de eloping ools based on e idence-based medicine (EBM)
s anda ds.
• WG2 add essed bioma ke s and en i onmen al ac o s, c ea ing open da a amewo ks and a p o o ype
eposi o y.
• WG3 de eloped guidelines o ec ui men and in e en ion design, using o mal consensus p ocesses.
• WG4 led e o s in sus ainabili y, s akeholde engagemen , and dissemina ion.
Th oughou he Ac ion, PhysAgeNe conduc ed a wide ange o ac i i ies:
• Scien i ic Ou pu s: 17 pee - e iewed publica ions, including sys ema ic e iews, p o ocols, and consensus
pape s (see epo on publica ions).
• G an s and Mobili y: Mo e han 100 g an s we e awa ded ac oss ou g an pe iods, suppo ing ITC
esea che s, i ual mobili y, and sho - e m scien i ic missions (see epo o COST).
• Hyb id Collabo a ion: The ne wo k pionee ed hyb id mee ing o ma s, suppo ed by empla es and i ual
ne wo king ools.
• Dissemina ion: Ac i i ies included webina s, academic p esen a ions, aining schools, and an anima ed
ideo in oducing PhysAgeNe .
• S a egic Pa ne ships: Collabo a ion wi h EGRAPA ensu ed long- e m sus ainabili y, including join
con e ences and hema ic se ies in EURAPA.
• S akeholde Engagemen : A s akeholde analysis ma ix was de eloped, and ou each e o s a ge ed
p ac i ione s, policymake s, and academic ins i u ions (see deli e able 4.2).
The ne wo k’s de elopmen was ma ked by inclusi i y, inno a ion, and s a egic planning, esul ing in a sus ainable
pla o m ha con inues o in luence esea ch, policy, and p ac ice in ageing and physical ac i i y.
Main Ac i i ies Repo ed in PhysAgeNe COST Ac ion (CA20104)
1. G an Ac i i ies
• To al g an men ions: 100+
• ITC G an s: 17
• Vi ual Mobili y G an s: 88
• Sho -Te m Scien i ic Missions (STSMs): 21
2. Dissemina ion
• Publica ions: GP1: 0, GP2: 5, GP3: 5, GP4: 7 (To al = 17)
• Dissemina ion E en s: F om 2022-2025, la leas once a yea , one huge ne wo king e en pe yea was
conduc ed. The i s wo yea s, he o ma was a gene al mee ing. In he inal wo yea s, join con e ences
we e conduc ed. Mo e de ails can be accessed below:
Loca ion and yea
o PhysAgeNe Con e ence
Coun y and numbe o pa icipan s onsi e
Coun y and numbe o pa icipan s online
Pi an (2022) - Mee ing
To al: 33 pa icipan s
Albania: 1; Aus ia: 1; Aze baijan: 1; Cyp us: 1;
Ge many: 8; G eece: 1; Spain: 1; Finland: 1;
F ance: 1; I eland: 1; Is ael: 2; I aly: 1; La ia: 1
No h Macedonia: 1; The Ne he lands: 1; Se bia:
3; Slo enia: 3; Slo akia: 1; Tü kiye: 3
To al: 85 pa icipan s
Aus ia: 2; Aze baijan: 1; Belgium: 2; Swi ze land:
3; C oa ia: 1; Cyp us: 1; Czech Republic: 3;
Ge many: 4; G eece: 2; Denma k: 2; Es onia: 1;
Spain: 6; Finland: 1; F ance: 1; I eland: 2;
Iceland: 1; I aly: 1; Li huania: 2; La ia: 1;
No h Macedonia: 1; The Ne he lands: 1;
No way: 3; Poland: 2; Po ugal: 3Se bia: 1;
Romania: 1; Slo enia: 2; Slo akia: 1; Tü kiye: 10;
Uni ed Kingdom: 3; Unknown: 20
Riga (2023) - Mee ing
To al: 66 pa icipan s
Albania: 1; Aus ia: 1; Aze baijan: 1; Bosnia
He zego ina: 1; Belgium: 1; Cyp us: 2;
Czech Republic: 3; Ge many: 11; Spain: 3;
F ance: 1; C oa ia: 1; I eland: 1; Is ael: 2;
Iceland: 1; I aly: 2; Li huania: 1; La ia: 2;
Mon eneg o: 1; No h Macedonia: 1;
The Ne he lands: 1; Poland: 2; Po ugal: 1;
Se bia: 2; Slo akia: 1; Tü kiye: 19; Uk aine: 1
Uni ed Kingdom: 2
To al: 44 pa icipan s
Albania: 1; Aus ia: 2; Belgium: 4; B azil: 1;
Swi ze land: 2; Ge many: 4; Denma k: 2;
Spain: 3; Finland: 2; G eece: 2; I an: 1; I aly: 1
Li huania: 1; The Ne he lands: 1; No way: 2;
Po ugal: 2; Se bia: 1; Tü kiye: 5; Unknown: 7
Kaunas (2024) -
Con e ence
To al: 105 pa icipan s
Albania: 1; Aus ia: 1; Aze baijan: 1; Belgium: 3;
Swi ze land: 4; China: 1; Cyp us: 2; Czech
Republic: 2; Ge many: 11; G eece: 2; Spain: 4;
Finland: 1; F ance: 3; C oa ia: 1; Hunga y: 1;
Is ael: 1; Iceland: 1; I aly: 1; Li huania: 2; La ia: 3;
Mon eneg o: 1; No h Macedonia: 1; Mal a: 1;
The Ne he lands: 1; No way: 1; Poland: 7;
Po ugal: 2; Sweden: 1; Slo enia: 3; Tü kiye: 16;
Uk aine: 3; Uni ed Kingdom: 3; Unknown: 19
To al: 54 pa icipan s
Bulga ia: 1; B azil: 1; Cyp us: 2; Czech Republic: 2;
Ge many: 1; G eece: 1; Denma k: 1; Finland: 1;
F ance: 1; Geo gia: 1; Is ael: 1; I aly: 2; La ia: 1;
No h Macedonia: 1; The Ne he lands: 1;
Poland: 2; Po ugal: 2; Saudi A abia: 1;
Slo akia: 1; Tü kiye: 9; Uni ed Kingdom: 1;
Unknown: 20
T abzon (2025) -
Con e ence
To al: 87 pa icipan s
Aze baijan: 1; Bosnia & He zego ina: 1;
Belgium: 3; Swi ze land: 4; Czech Republic: 4;
Ge many: 13; G eece: 1; Spain: 3; F ance: 3;
C oa ia: 1; Hunga y: 2; I eland: 1; I an: 1
I aly: 1; Koso o: 1; Li huania: 1; La ia: 1;
Mon eneg o: 2; The Ne he lands: 2; No way: 1;
To al: 42 pa icipan s
Swi ze land: 1; China: 2; Cyp us: 1;
Czech Republic: 1; Ge many: 3; Denma k: 1;
Finland: 1; Is ael: 2; Li huania: 1; La ia: 1;
The Ne he lands: 1; Poland: 3; Slo akia: 1;
Tü kiye: 9; Unknown: 14
Poland: 2; Po ugal: 2; Saudi A abia: 1;
Tü kiye: 31; Uk aine: 2; Uni ed Kingdom: 2
3. Scien i ic and S a egic Ou pu s
• P oposals and P ojec s esul ing om Ac ion ne wo king: 8+
• O he Ou pu s and Achie emen s: 12+, including s akeholde ma ices, aining ools, and hema ic
publica ions
This wide ange o coo dina ed ac i i ies we e implemen ed o ad ance he ne wo k’s objec i es in p omo ing
e idence-based physical ac i i y in olde adul s. These ac i i ies e ol ed and expanded ac oss he h ee epo ing
phases:
• P og ess Repo 1 (PR1)
• Ne wo k Fo ma ion: Ini ial se up o he Managemen Commi ee and Wo king G oups (WG1–
WG4).
• Inclusi eness S a egy: In eg a ion o ITC coun ies, wi h Uk aine added and ou each o o he s
ini ia ed.
• Leade ship S uc u e: Tandem leade ship model in oduced o ensu e di e si y and sha ed
esponsibili y.
• Communica ion Tools: De elopmen o in e nal ools, mailing lis s, and p omo ional ma e ials.
• G an Ac i i ies: Launch o ITC and i ual mobili y g an s, suppo ing ea ly-ca ee esea che s.
• Ini ial Deli e ables: Da abase c ea ion (D1.1), s akeholde analysis, and dissemina ion planning.
• P og ess Repo 2 (PR2)
• Ne wo k Expansion: Membe ship g ew o 330 pa icipan s om 45 coun ies.
• Scien i ic Ou pu s: Submission and publica ion o mul iple sys ema ic e iews and p o ocols.
• Hyb id Collabo a ion: Implemen a ion o hyb id mee ing o ma s and i ual ne wo king suppo .
• T aining and Dissemina ion: Webina s, aining schools, and anima ed ideo ou each.
• S a egic Pa ne ships: Collabo a ion wi h EGRAPA ini ia ed; join e en s planned.
• Moni o ing and E alua ion: Mon hly acking o WG membe ship and deli e able p og ess.
• Final Achie emen Repo
• Ne wo k Expansion: Membe ship g ew o 439 pa icipan s om 55 coun ies.
• Comple ion o Deli e ables: All planned ou pu s deli e ed, including guidelines, amewo ks, and
s a egic epo s.
• Sus ainabili y Planning: Long- e m collabo a ion wi h EGRAPA and hema ic se ies in EURAPA.
• Li ing Re iews: Two ongoing e iews o ensu e con inued scien i ic ele ance.
• S akeholde Engagemen : Expanded ou each and s akeholde ma ix de elopmen .
• Impac Documen a ion: E idence o ins i u ional collabo a ions, hyb id wo king adop ion, and
policy alignmen .
• Funding and P ojec s: Mul iple unded p oposals and p ojec s esul ing di ec ly om Ac ion
ne wo king.
4. SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGY
The sus ainabili y o PhysAgeNe (COST Ac ion CA20104) has been ca e ully designed o ensu e he ne wo k’s long-
e m impac and con inui y beyond he ini ial COST unding pe iod. This s a egy is buil on six in e connec ed pilla s:
ins i u ional pa ne ships, scien i ic legacy, s akeholde engagemen , EU-le el suppo , capaci y building, and digi al
dissemina ion in as uc u e.
1. S a egic Pa ne ships and Ins i u ional Ancho ing
PhysAgeNe has secu ed a long- e m collabo a ion wi h EGRAPA (Eu opean G oup o Resea ch on Aging and
Physical Ac i i y), which will:
• Hos join con e ences (e.g., Kaunas 2024, T abzon 2025)
• In eg a e PhysAgeNe hemes in o i s jou nal EURAPA
• O e u u e g an s and membe ship oppo uni ies o PhysAgeNe pa icipan s
• Suppo hema ic se ies on eme ging opics such as AI in physical ac i i y in e en ions
This pa ne ship ensu es academic con inui y and p o ides a pla o m o ongoing dissemina ion and collabo a ion.
2. Ho izon Resul s Boos e (HRB) In eg a ion
PhysAgeNe pa icipa ed in HRB Module A – Po olio Dissemina ion and Exploi a ion S a egy, o ming a P ojec
G oup (PG) wi h DE-PASS and PROGRAMMING. The HRB se ice p o ided:
• A po olio o 10 key esea ch and inno a ion esul s, including ools, me hodologies, and amewo ks
• A SWOT analysis highligh ing s eng hs such as s anda disa ion, echnological in eg a ion, and
mul idisciplina y collabo a ion
• A s akeholde mapping iden i ying p io i y audiences: esea che s, heal hca e p o essionals, policy expe s,
and olde adul s
• Recommenda ions o applying o HRB2 in Q4 2024 o suppo join dissemina ion ac i i ies like webina s,
policy b ie s, and public- acing epo s
Key PhysAgeNe esul s included:
• A desc ip ion ool o PA in e en ions (TRL 2)
• A cu iculum o aining young scien is s (TRL 6)
• Guidelines o ec ui men and sampling (TRL 6)
• A demons a o eposi o y o echnology-assis ed PA in e en ions (TRL 3)
3. Li ing Scien i ic Ou pu s and Open Da a
PhysAgeNe ini ia ed li ing e iews, including one p o ocol app o ed by he Coch ane Lib a y. These e iews a e
designed o be con inuously upda ed, ensu ing ongoing ele ance and engagemen wi h he esea ch communi y.
The ne wo k also de eloped an open da a eposi o y p o o ype, enabling u u e seconda y analyses and c oss-
p ojec collabo a ion.
4. S akeholde Engagemen and Dissemina ion Ne wo ks
PhysAgeNe c ea ed a S akeholde Analysis Ma ix and a Science Communica ion Plan o guide ou each. The HRB
epo iden i ied o e 25 dissemina ion pa ne s, including:
• SHARE-ERIC
• EIT Heal h
• AGE Pla o m Eu ope
• HelpAge In e na ional
• Eu opean Ge ia ic Medicine Socie y
Dissemina ion channels include:
• Demos and explaine ideos
• Social media campaigns (LinkedIn, X, Ins ag am)
• E en s, wo kshops, and webina s
5. Capaci y Building and G an Legacy
O e 100 g an s we e awa ded du ing he Ac ion, including:
• ITC g an s
• Vi ual mobili y g an s
• Sho - e m scien i ic missions (STSMs)
These g an s suppo ed ea ly-ca ee esea che s and os e ed long- e m collabo a ions. Se e al unded p ojec s and
p oposals eme ged di ec ly om PhysAgeNe ne wo king, including E asmus+ and Ho izon Eu ope applica ions.
