Lovely Professional University has bagged a project of Rs 9 Crores from the European Commission to lead a consortium of 11 universities to research Sports Education in India, Sri Lanka and Indonesia under the Erasmus plus project. The said initiative is primarily aimed at capacity building in the field of sports, physiotherapy and physical education through research and community development. Out of the 1005 applications that the project received from across the globe, LPU became the only university from India to be designated as the lead coordinator.

The European Union’s Erasmus+ program is a funding scheme to support activities in the fields of education, training, youth and sport. Erasmus+ funds academic mobility and cooperation projects that involve partners from "Programme Countries" and "Partner Countries" throughout the world. Erasmus+ supports activities that are closely matched with the EU's priorities for cooperation policy with partner countries and regions. This is the third time in a row that LPU has won the Erasmus grant. The other universities which are a part of the consortium led by LPU include International School of Business & Research, Bharati Vidyapeeth University, Edulab educational exchange, Bogor agricultural university, Syiah Kuala University, Indonesia, Universitat Politecnica De Valencia, Universidade De Lisboa, Universitas Sumatera Utara,The Sabaragamuwa University Of Sri Lanka Universitry Of Peradeniya, Syiah Kuala University.

The consortium will also study the dynamics between sports and social inclusion and will put the learnings into practice

Under this project, the consortium will research models and strategies followed for imparting sports education at different levels of education (higher, vocational, secondary and primary) in India, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. It will be conducted in voluntary convergence with the industry and the learnings from the research will be shared with educational institutions and policy makers, the European Commission and also various government bodies to improve social inclusion in sports. The project was led by Supriya Mathew, Deputy Director, International Affairs under the guidance of Aman Mittal, Head Division of International Affairs, Lovely Professional University.
 

The project will address the challenges that adversely impact the delivery of quality education in sports and employability in the sector. It will support the modernization, innovation and accessibility of physiotherapy, sports and physical education and endorse sports and its diverse applications in these countries. The consortium will also study the dynamics between sports and social inclusion and will put the learnings into practice. The project is also aimed at merging the conceptual and practical links between sports and health. This will enable development for future research and practice. Ashok Mittal, Chancellor, Lovely Professional University said, “Sports can actually lead to social inclusion for many. I am confident that this project will help provide a boost to sports and physiotherapy in our country.”