HIIT - Health, Sport, Innovation and Technology
A collaborative project between SMEs, research institutions, and larger actors in the region to strengthen the conditions for research and demand-driven innovation.
Brief summary
Sport is not just a physical activity, but a passion that unites people, creates role models and enhances the quality of life. Engagement in sport, as players, spectators or fans, contributes to a culture of togetherness and continuous improvement. This project aims to establish collaborations that drive the development of technology and innovation in sport and health. Together with SMEs, major stakeholders and the sports movement, we are working to develop innovative and well-founded solutions that meet the real needs of sport. The project also supports dual careers for student-athletes and professionals, helping them not only to balance their sporting and professional ambitions, but also to use their insights and experiences to develop and test innovations. By bringing together sport, research and industry, we strengthen the attractiveness of the region and create the conditions for a healthy and sustainable future for both individuals and society.
A slightly more detailed summary
Challenge: Norrbotten faces significant challenges that limit the region's capacity for sustainable growth and innovation, especially in sports technology. It currently lacks an integrated environment for research institutions, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and larger actors, which hinders effective research and development work. At the same time, there is an urgent need to support dual careers for elite athletes who often have to choose between career and sport, resulting in a loss of talent and affecting the region's skills supply.
Project objectives
The project aims to establish a research and innovation environment for sports technology at Luleå University of Technology, which will support the development and commercialization of new products and services. The project also aims to strengthen the conditions for dual careers through tailored education and training programs for elite athletes and professionals, as well as by integrating sustainability solutions and social innovation to address both technological and societal challenges.
Target group: The project is primarily aimed at research institutions, SMEs in the sports technology and related sectors, as well as elite athlete students and professionals in Norrbotten. Through active collaboration with major actors such as LKAB, ABB, Vattenfall, AFRY and Stegra, as well as sports associations and national federations, the project will strengthen the region's innovation power and promote sustainable and inclusive development.
Approach and activities
- Research and development: Implementation of research projects in sports technology focusing on innovative yet sustainable and circular solutions, in close collaboration with SMEs and major stakeholders.
- Innovation environment: Establishment of an innovation environment at Luleå University of Technology to drive the development of new technologies and services, supporting commercialization and dissemination.
- Education and training programs: Development of programs that support dual careers for elite athletes, enabling a balanced combination of their sporting ambitions and studies or professional life.
- Social innovations: Implementation of actions promoting public health and social inclusion through sport technologies, with a particular focus on underrepresented groups.
- Seminars and workshops: Organization of knowledge transfer through seminars and workshops to promote cooperation and disseminate research results and best practices.
Expected change in the target group
- For SMEs: Strengthened innovation capacity and competitiveness through increased collaboration with research institutions and access to the innovation hub.
- For research institutions: Increased capacity for applied research in sports technology, improved knowledge transfer and commercialization of innovations.
- For major stakeholders: recruitment of technically skilled and diverse talent and strengthened capacity for the development and implementation of new technological solutions.
- For student-athletes and professionals: improved conditions for combining career and sport, leading to stronger skills supply and long-term career development.
- For the region: Improved public health through increased participation in sport and physical activity, and strengthened conditions for sustainable and inclusive growth. The strong status of sport in society creates a heightened sense of place and thus better opportunities to attract and retain employees recruited from other parts of the world.
Through collaboration between enterprising SMEs, large well-established companies, research institutes and the sports movement, the project will create opportunities to develop and commercialize technological solutions in sport and health. The partners will thus gain access to new innovations, technical expertise and a stronger supply of skills, which will strengthen their position and increase competitiveness in the region. Finally, we would like to point out that we expect the project to attract media attention and thus also the attention of the project's financiers.
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