Sportek Hub, the innovation and technology hub for the sports industry, has just closed its second call aimed at researchers and research groups in Gipuzkoa. The registration process, which was open from October 15 to November 15, has received applications from projects that apply AI, new processes and sustainable materials with the aim of innovating in different areas of the sports industry.
Among the proposals received to evaluate their viability in the market, there are several projects from the main centers and universities of Gipuzkoa, such as the Faculty of Physical Activity and Sport of the University of Deusto, the University of Mondragon and the Center for Applied Research of FP Euskadi, Tknika.
Some of these projects rely on AI to apply improvements to the rehabilitation processes of athletes, innovation in technical sports footwear or the generation of new sustainable materials for different sports fields.
Once the applications have been received, Sportek Hub will begin the first phase of evaluation of the projects with personal meetings with the researchers to decide which projects will be selected. Once selected, these research proposals will receive an economic endowment of €15,000 for the analysis of the commercial opportunities of their technologies under development and receive specialized consultancy.
Sportek Hub is a public-private initiative promoted by the Basque Government and the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa (from the areas of Sport and Economic Promotion/Entrepreneurship), Eibar City Council, Donostia City Council, Real Sociedad Foundation, Fundación Sociedad Deportiva Eibar, with BIC Gipuzkoa as the managing body, with the aim of growing the sports industry and improving its competitiveness.
Benefits of being part of the ecosystem
After this selection phase, Sportek Hub will initiate with the researchers the configuration of the project and once created, those selected will be eligible for the entrepreneurship programs managed by BIC Gipuzkoa (Prog. Barnetekin/Barnekintzaile -Prog. Ekintzaile/Txekintek), with a possibility of funding of up to €60,000.
In addition, the selected researchers will become part of the Sportek Hub ecosystem, where in addition to the promotion and visibility of the project, the connection with the industry and sports innovation agents, they will be able to enjoy benefits such as:
- Assistance with the strategic business plan
- Collaboration opportunities under Venture Client proposal
- Labs for validation and MVP testing
- Coworking spaces and specialized incubation spaces
- Specialized training in business management
- Advice on first rounds of financing
