As part of our strategy and our role as a "national center," we have contributed to the initiation and involvement in major national collaborative projects together with other institutions. The Female Endurance Athlete (FENDURA) project, initiated by UiT, is a prime example. The background for the FENDURA project, which began in 2020, was the low number of studies conducted on female athletes, and consequently, a lack of knowledge about female-specific factors that may influence training, recovery, and performance.

Although we have gained valuable insights in recent years, there is still a long way to go before we have the same level of knowledge about female athletes as we do about male athletes. Since one of the prioritized focus areas in Norwegian elite sports is to increase medal opportunities for female athletes, we are choosing to strengthen this area in the coming years.

In the upcoming period, our main objectives are:

• Develop applied knowledge on how the menstrual cycle affects training quality, recovery, and performance in elite sports
• Develop applied knowledge on gender differences in performance demands in selected sports, and the implications for training and competition preparation
• Develop applied knowledge on gender differences in training and health, and their impact on key physiological factors in long-term athlete development
• Develop applied knowledge on gender differences in acute and long-term training responses and recovery
• Contribute to the implementation efforts of Olympiatoppen and sport-specific federations regarding knowledge for and about female elite athletes

This main project is coordinated by Associate Professor Dionne Noordhof.