Strava Opens Applications for Third Year of Strava Metro for Academic Researchers Program
San Francisco, CA – September 9, 2026 Strava, the app for active people with a community of over 200 million users, announced today that the application window for the Strava Metro for Academic Researchers Program is now open.
Designed for college and university students, as well as academic researchers, the program supports projects that aim to enhance biking and pedestrian infrastructure in both urban and rural settings.
Strava Metro provides qualified partners with free of charge de-identified, aggregated data insights on bicycle and pedestrian trips recorded on Strava. To date, more than 4,500 city planners, government agencies, and infrastructure decision-makers worldwide have used the dataset to understand commuting patterns and implement infrastructure enhancements.
Through Strava Metro’s partnerships with these organizations, nearly 1 billion people worldwide have been positively impacted. This initiative aims to build on that by empowering students and academic researchers with data that will further support the development of active transportation.
Since the program was introduced in 2024, students and researchers from some of the world’s leading academic institutions have participated. Through it, Strava Metro insights have been paired with local expertise to enact real infrastructure changes in major cities and towns spanning North America, the UK, Europe, and Asia-Pacific.
Program Information
Applications for the Strava Metro for Academic Researchers Program are now open and close on October 23, 2026 at 5 p.m. PT.
Accepted participants will receive:
One-year access to the Strava Metro platform: Unlock comprehensive, aggregated, and de-identified data to support research initiatives.
Interdisciplinary collaboration opportunities: Connect with academic researchers, transportation experts, urban planners, environmental scientists, and public health professionals.
Support from the Strava Metro team: Benefit from online training sessions and dedicated check-in meetings to ensure your project’s success.
All submissions will be evaluated by a Strava committee, which will review, score, and select the final cohort of academic researchers for this year’s program. Accepted applicants will then be notified in November 2026.
Apply and Learn More
To apply and learn more about the Strava Metro for Academic Researchers Program, visit: metro.strava.com/academics
To see how the program has supported academic institutions since it began in 2024, visit here: Year 1 Cohort and Year 2 Cohort
To understand more about Strava Metro, visit metro.strava.com
About Strava
Strava is the app for active people, a community of over 200 million users in more than 185 countries. It’s more than tracking workouts - it’s where people make progress together, from new habits to new personal bests. No matter your sport or how you track it, Strava’s got you covered. Find your crew, crush your goals, and make every effort count. Start your journey with Strava today.
Join the Strava Club or follow Strava on Instagram, X, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn. Visit www.strava.com for more information.
