GoBuddy × Europe

Help us test a simple question across Europe.

Can reduced friction, human accountability and immediate structured action help more people actually start moving — and keep going?

GoBuddy is exploring academic dialogue with researchers and preparing for a future Erasmus+ Sport funding round. We are looking for potential partners who want to help design, deliver and independently evaluate a European pilot. Nothing here is funded, agreed or proven yet — that is precisely the point.

The research question

Three ingredients, one open question.

01 · Reduced decision friction

Fewer choices, less coordination and less opportunity for intention to disappear.

02 · Human accountability

A lightweight commitment to another real person.

03 · Immediate structured action

A short transition from readiness into guided physical activity.

Could this combination improve activity initiation, completion and repeat participation?

This is a hypothesis, not a proven outcome. It has not been tested under independent research conditions, and the purpose of a European pilot would be to find out whether it holds — including the possibility that it does not.

Academic dialogue

Building the evidence before making the claims.

Academic dialogue initiated

University of the Balearic Islands (UIB)

GoBuddy has initiated dialogue with researchers at the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB) to explore how the methodology could be scientifically evaluated.

The discussion includes potential approaches to research questions, participant populations, measurable outcomes, study design and independent evaluation.

No partnership, evaluation mandate or endorsement has been agreed. This page describes exploratory dialogue only.

Why a European consortium?

One country cannot answer this.

Inactivity, loneliness and drop-off look different in different countries, cultures and municipal systems. A potential Erasmus+ Sport consortium would let the same question be examined across several contexts, with shared outcome measures and independent evaluation, so that whatever is learned can transfer rather than stay local.

MOVE

Physical activity participation

CONNECT

Human and social connection

INCLUDE

Accessible participation

LEARN

Cross-country evidence

TRANSFER

Reusable European methodology

Funding is not secured. No application has been submitted or approved. The composition of a potential consortium — including which organisation would coordinate the application — is still being formed and has not been decided.

Who we want to hear from

Potential contributors.

Universities & Research Institutions

Behavioural scienceSports sciencePublic healthPsychologyResearch designEvaluationData analysis

Municipalities & Public Bodies

Pilot environmentsCitizen participationPublic healthCommunity accessLocal implementation

Sports & Physical Activity Organisations

Participant recruitmentActivity expertiseGrassroots implementationCoaching networks

NGOs & Community Organisations

InclusionUnderserved populationsSocial connectionCommunity implementation

Strategic / Implementation Partners

TechnologyDisseminationCommunicationEuropean networksProject delivery

Expressing interest is not an application and does not create any commitment on either side. Not every organisation that gets in touch becomes a consortium member.

How a European pilot could work

Three tracks, one shared evidence base.

Diagram: three parallel and evenly weighted tracks — Research (an independent academic partner contributing evidence, evaluation design, ethics and methodology), Implementation (municipalities, schools and sports clubs contributing real-world delivery and pilot environments) and Communities (participants and local organisations contributing lived experience, feedback and inclusion). All three feed into a shared evidence base. Separately, GoBuddy is listed as one contributor among others: a digital tool used within the pilot.

Illustrative only — final consortium structure and the coordinating organisation will be confirmed as partners are onboarded.

Expression of interest

Tell us how you could contribute.

A few fields is enough. We read everything and reply by email where there is a potential fit for a future funding round.

Areas of expertise

Previous roles in EU-funded projects, if any.