A first-of-its-kind all-island research consortium has been established to tackle the gender gap in sport and health science.
The cross-university research consortium, named míde, aims to understand and improve the health, wellbeing, participation and performance of girls and women in and through, sport and physical activity.
The consortium officially launched on Friday at the Women in Sport and Exercise Conference at Glasson Lake House, County Westmeath and was attended by over 180 academics, researchers and key opinion leaders. Attendees heard from leading Irish and international researchers, with keynotes from Professor Elizabeth Pike, Professor Anthony Hackney, Dr Patricia Jackman and former international rugby player for Ireland and Director with Sport Ireland, Nora Stapleton.
míde, derived from the old Irish word míd meaning middle or centre, consists of researchers from nine higher education institutions from across the country.
Only 6% of research in sport and exercise science globally, focuses on women and girls, presenting a significant gender data gap. míderesearch aims to address this by taking a holistic view of the various factors in girls’ and women’s lives that may act as barriers when it comes to engagement in physical activity, sport and exercise across the lifespan, including at key stages such as puberty, pregnancy and menopause.
Speaking at the event Dr Aoife Lane, Lead of SHE Research Centre at TUS and Co-Chair of míde said, “With a growing commitment to women’s sport and health, reflected in dedicated strategies, policies, and initiatives, there is an urgent need to harness current research opportunities and shape the research agenda of the future in a coordinated, strategic, and impactful approach.
Dr. Catherine Norton is an Associate Professor (Sport & Exercise Nutrition) and Registered Dietitian in the Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences at the University of Limerick and míde co-lead for Nutrition, Physiology & Athletic Development. With a commitment to leveraging nutrition to advance health and performance, Catherine’s work spans innovative research in athlete nutrition, nutrition and healthy aging, and strategies for optimising recovery and wellness across diverse populations. Catherine is an enthusiastic supporter of sports at all levels and provides performance nutrition service to professional athletes across many disciplines.
míde’s first collaborative research involved a scoping review that systematically gathered and analysed all available research about women in sport on the island of Ireland, spanning up to December 2024. This review included 274 studies, revealing a significant growth in research over the last five years—58% of studies were published between 2019 and 2024. While this increase in research is promising, this review also uncovered important trends that highlight areas for improvement.
Catherine, together with members of the consortium, was successful in in securing €75,000 in funding through the HEA Gender Equality Enhancement Fund. In a partnership between TUS, ATU, DCU, UCC, UL, SETU and UU, initiatives will be delivered around two areas; building visibility and impact and males as champions of change.
Learn more about míde: Find our more about Míde
Read more about the launch: Conference and Launch
Dr. Catherine Norton is a registered dietitian, accredited performance nutritionist, and associate professor in sport and exercise nutrition at PESS, UL.
Contact: catherine.norton@ul.ie. Follow on twitter: @NortonNutrition ORCID, Linked-In PURE
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