| Director’s Message |

“The Research Centre in Sports Sciences, Health and Human Development (CIDESD) was founded in 2007 and works as a cross-institutional unity of applied research, located all over the Portuguese territory.

The CIDESD activity plans are carried by 150 members (103 integrated and 47 collaborators), spread by two research communities: Heart and Elite. This R&D Unit has built a strong national and international network, counting with different bilateral agreements with diverse institutions worldwide. The goals of CIDESD are articulated in three major domains:

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Research: The research projects and activities of the CIDESD are articulated in two research communities: A) are articulated in the domains of research, community intervention, and continuous education, focusing on the following research groups:

HEART (Health Empowering Activities and Responsive Technology) is at the forefront of investigating the feasibility and efficacy of physical exercise, focusing on healthy aging and chronic diseases such as chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer.

ELITE (Enhanced Learning and Integrated Training for Excellence), leading advancements in training methodologies, cutting-edge technologies, and pedagogical approaches for enhancing youth and elite sports performance.

Community Intervention: Providing services to the community and developing effective interventions specifically in the domains of sports performance and health promotion in the domains of physical activity and exercise programs related to health promotion.

Continuous Education: CIDESD members are involved in several educational activities, namely with a close cooperation with the First Degree courses, Master Courses and Ph.D. courses accredited by the Portuguese Agency of Assessment and Accreditation of Higher Education. The R&D unit delivers several educational programs to enhance the knowledge and skills under the domain of sports sciences and health.

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Therefore, our research consortium seeks to continuing developing these activities, allowing contributing with specific expertise under the sports sciences domain.”

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