In the heart of the Science and Technology Park, the Sport Innovation Hub, winner of the “Gijón Impulsa” award in the Margarita Salas Knowledge Mile category, is active. The company’s headquarters are also located in Brussels. In Gijón, a small business group seeks to grow the brand, not only locally, but above all, internationally. This is the key, which is its expansion beyond national borders. The Sports Innovation Center is dedicated to providing research, development and innovation (R&D&I) services in the field of physical activity and sports science. “We work with institutions such as Olympic committees, universities, clubs… and help them implement their projects,” says Marcos Lopez Flores, CEO of the company, which began its operations only a year and a half ago.
The actions implemented by the Sports Innovation Center are diverse. Training assignments, consulting or technology development are some of them. The location is usually a foreign land. “Most of the projects we manage and implement are located outside Spain,” says Marcos López Flores, who points out that one of the company’s main capabilities is its collaboration with experts, which makes it possible to create synergies and provide valuable services to clients.
The company works on several sports-related issues. It highlights environmental sustainability, doping, gender equality, dual careers, and the promotion of sporting activity itself. “We want to have an international impact,” emphasizes Lopez Flores. In 2024, the Sports Innovation Center will coordinate an initiative involving municipalities in Portugal, a network of cities based in Belgium, and a university in Denmark… “We will plan how to promote active and healthy living,” explains the head of the center. The company is led by a multidisciplinary team supported by scientific evidence.
Marcos López Flores was clear that the scientific and technological park meets the conditions for establishing a sports innovation center there. “It’s the perfect place,” he says. Of course, travel and remote work are part of everyday life. “We provide them with knowledge, we investigate them and we give them access to experts they would not have had access to otherwise,” explains Marcos López Flores about the benefits the company’s clients receive.
Currently, the Sport Innovation Hub runs more than twenty international projects on doping, programs or research with universities. “There is a lot of diversity,” Lopez-Flores says. In addition, the company promoted the celebration of the European Sports Congress, which was held last September in Laboral. There were more than 100 representatives from more than 25 countries. “We sought to attract international talent and leave a legacy for Gijon,” says Marcos López Flores, who chaired the event’s organizing committee.
The award presented by Gijón Impulsa is a morale boost for the Sport Innovation Hub. “We received it with great enthusiasm, it is an important recognition for a company that makes its small contribution,” says the director, proud of the success in his home country. “Given the activity we do, it doesn’t mean we have much local visibility,” admits López Flores, who is confident of this award. “The field of sports science is relatively unknown, so this combination is there to go somewhat unnoticed.” It serves to highlight the work of a young but well-established company.
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