2026 Initiatives

Time to convene the field.

SRF's 2026 agenda centers on its 1st International Heat Therapy Research Symposium, where we are bringing together leading researchers from around the world to convene on the  Delphi Study.  

Flagship InitiativeSeptember 22–24, 2026 · The Well, Oslo, Norway

1st Intl Heat Therapy Research Symposium

The centerpiece of SRF's mission launches with the organization's inaugural research consensus meeting. SRF will convene international researchers at The Well immediately preceding the International Sauna Congress in Oslo — the first structured effort to establish standardized scientific protocols, definitions, and research priorities for sauna and heat-therapy research.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES: DELPHI STUDY

→

Research Standards

Establish consensus definitions and standardized terminology for heat therapy, sauna, and related modalities.

→

Methodology Alignment

Agree on top priorities for standardizing study design and intervention reporting.

→

Knowledge Gaps

Identify the most critical gaps in the evidence base and prioritize future research directions.

→

Delphi Statements

Develop and refine preliminary consensus statements for subsequent Delphi panel review.

21 RESEARCHERS · 14 INSTITUTIONS · 9 COUNTRIES

  • University of Portsmouth (UK)
  • University of San Francisco (USA)
  • Montreal Heart Institute (Canada)
  • Uppsala University (Sweden)
  • Maastricht University (Netherlands)
  • Oslo Metropolitan University (Norway)
  • Western Norway University of Applied Sciences
  • HULA — Helsinki (Finland)
  • Indiana University (USA)
  • Bangor University (UK)
  • Sauna Research Foundation (USA)

SUPPORT BY

The WellThe WellLongevityFP

The Delphi Study 

The Delphi method is an established consensus-building technique in medical research. It convenes an expert panel through structured, iterative rounds — anonymous responses, controlled feedback between rounds, and statistical aggregation — to produce formal consensus on a defined set of statements. Published guidelines recommend a steering committee of three to five content experts, an external expert panel of 20 to 30 members for broad topics, three rounds, and an 80 percent agreement threshold. SRF's study is designed to follow these standards.

Round 1 — Oslo, 22–24 September 2026

An in-person working meeting of the steering committee and working group. Three days of structured sessions produce and finalize the consensus statements, along with the working definition, glossary, methodology checklist, and prioritized research agenda. Sessions are chaired by participating researchers, with student presentations opening several of them.

Rounds 2 and 3 — External Expert Panel

The draft statements are distributed to an external panel of [40] researchers and clinicians identified across the globe. Each statement is rated on a five-point Likert scale, with controlled feedback provided between rounds, targeting an 80 percent agreement threshold.

Publication

The process is expected to conclude in 2027 in a peer-reviewed consensus publication. This will be SRF's first formal scientific output and is intended as a durable reference for the field.

WHAT CONSENSUS CHANGES

  • ●Studies could be meaningfully compared and pooled in meta-analysis.
  • ●Modality claims — sauna versus infrared versus immersion — would rest on comparable evidence.
  • ●Funders and journals would have a standard against which to assess proposals and submissions.
  • ●Clinical guideline bodies would have an evidence base structured in a form they can evaluate.

Delphi Objectives

  1. 01Agreed definitions of heat therapy and related terms
  2. 02Standardized terminology for modalities — sauna, water immersion, hammam, infrared, balneotherapy
  3. 03Top 5 methodological reporting priorities for heat-therapy research
  4. 04Preliminary Delphi consensus statements ready for external panel review
  5. 05Documented knowledge gaps and prioritized research agenda
  6. 06SRF future strategy and stakeholder engagement plan