The 2024 edition of the Summit took place from 18-20 September in Ghent, Belgium.
Below you'll find a brief summary about the program, speakers, and topics.
Or take a look at the aftermovie to soak up the atmosphere!
Summit 2024
Summit 2024 aftermovie
What was it about?
A variety of topics
The STRN Summit focused on a variety of topics such as:
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The latest scientific breakthroughs and how these could lead to actual products and services to be used in the field
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Lessons learned from university-industry partnerships when it comes to innovations relevant for sports and the broader society
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Needs and desires from real-life contexts such as team or individual sports, and how to set up innovation projects including the end-user early in the process
Who attended the Summit?
The event attracted a variety of attendees, such as:
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Academics who want to explore partnerships with external stakeholders such as startups, companies, teams, federations, etc.
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Research and Innovation managers looking for inspiration, talent and good practices from like-minded people and organizations
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Practitioners looking forward to embracing the latest innovations early in the process
Some of the attending organizations
Summit speakers
Arne JaspersHealth & performance by science & technology. Sport scientist at RBFA, KU Leuven, Raw Stadia.
Tobias ConsmüllerChief Scientific Officer at Betterguards Technology
Warren GregsonDriving strategic performance initiatives in the football industry | Delivering innovation in player development through science & technology-
Tom Bertrand
Jess ZendlerBiomechanist, engineer, researcher. Science-driven sport & health tech, validation, best practices, education, communication, safety.
Stina Lundgren HögbomDirector of Sports Technology and Innovation at Svexa. National team manager for the Swedish Jujutsu Federation.
David LipmanHealth and Human Performance Specialist | Using Storytelling to Create Impact
Simon LaugsandCEO ABEL Technologies AS
Leon BrudyBusiness Development Manager - Garmin Health
Jasmine LongFIBA Equipment & Venue Centre Senior Associate
Wout HardyCo-Founder of TrackBox | MSc Business Engineering: Financial Engineering at the University of Antwerp
Kristof De MeyPhD in sports physical therapy at Ghent University and Sports Technology, Innovation & Business Developer at the same institution since 2013.
Inge EveraertDiabetes Liga, Knowledge center and Policy Manager
Wim DeraveMuscle physiology; sport nutrition; leader of the VICTORIS sport research valorization consortium at Ghent University
Marcus SchmidtExpert in the development, validation and application of MEMS/sensor systems in sports - TU Dortmund
Pedro EstevesProfessor in Sports Science | Research & Entrepreneurship | Pushing the boundaries of knowledge & innovation in the field of sports
Steve BarrettDirector of Sport Science and Research Innovation at PlayerMaker
Patrick Scott WelshHuman Performance Innovator | Doctoral Candidate | Behavioral Scientist | Mental Health Champion | Ex Corporate Lab Leader
Erika LutinData Scientist at imec | Brailsports
Petter A. H. JølstadPhD candidate at Norwegian School of Sport Sciences - Tracking technologies in elite sports | Sport Scientist at the Norwegian Alpine Skiing Team
Joris De WinterPhd Researcher in AI and Robotics @ VUB | Passionate about Rehabilitation Technology
Thibault FouquaertTeaching assistant & PhD Researcher Sportmanagement UGent. Keen interest in innovation, technology, sports, market research and coaching/teaching.
Daniel WestmattelmannAssistant Professor at University of Münster & Co-Founder at Veelz
Yannick LambrichtsHead of Performance at Raw Stadia | UEFA A Coach
Dhruv SeshadriWearable Devices | Bioelectronics | Digital Health
Anne TjønndalProfessor of Sociology of Sport & RESPONSE Leader at Nord University | Vice President of the Norwegian Boxing Federation | Boxing Coach
Susie ReinerHead of Science at Aletha Health
John KielyAssociate Professor in Performance and Innovation, University of Limerick, Ireland
Tiago MalaquiasData Scientist at Al Qadsiah FC
Ismael Fernández CuevasMBA and PhD in Sport Sciences. I turned my PhD topic in a company called ThermoHuman. We use infrared thermography to prevent and monitor injuries
Ine Van CaekenbergheScientific Coordinator @ BOIC | Ass. Professor @ VUB | Sports Biomechanics Consultant
Peter DükingProfessor for Exercise & Training Science at Technical Uni of Braunschweig. Investigating the application of data to individualize training
Matthias GilgienNorwegian School of Sport Sciences / Norwegian Alpine Ski Team / Engadin Health and Innovation Foundation.
Torstein Dalen-LorentsenResearch Manager Health and performance technology @ SINTEF one of Europe’s largest independent research organisation. MSc/PhD in sports medicine
Ben GreenhoughHead of Sports Research at Rezzil
Ellen WangCEO & Founder of SenTech AI BV; Mental Performance Pioneer; Wearable AI Tech Doctor.
Ben SmithPerformance, Innovation & Research / BreakAway Data
Sam Van RossomRecently retired professional basketball player.
Erik MannensDirector at imec UAntwerp IDLAB
Steven VerstocktProfessor - Research lead at Ghent University, IDLab. Machine Learning / Image recognition / AI & Sports / AI & Mobility.
Hans ConstandtCEO at FAQIR Institute. Passionate Tech Entrepreneur who believes in #DataSavesLives.
Wouter TimmermanPhD Student @ Edith Cowan University. Former Belgian international junior triathlete with a passion for endurance sports & their underpinning science.
Jade Haycraft
Lode GoossensFounded Hylyght; a SaaS platform dedicated to testing and screening. Injury prevention, return to sport, talent ID & development and growth/maturity.
Joeri TulkensPhD in Health Sciences | Co-Founder IntelliProve
Sam Robertson
Senne BonnaerensCo-founder & CEO of OnTracx
Simon HelleputtePostdoctoral researcher @GhentUniversity @FWOVlaanderen | PhD in Type 1 Diabetes - CV Health - CGM - Exercise Physiology-Metabolism.
Answering the big questions
The STRN Summit also aimed to collectively define and (partly) answer some of the big questions in the sports and health domain, such as:
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How to evaluate the quality of technology?
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How to facilitate the transfer of knowhow from academia to society?
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How to set up successful partnerships with limited resources?
This edition's focus
This edition, we paid special attention to the crossroads between the Sports and Health tech fields, meaning:
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We discussed how technology used in elite sport could benefit sport for all and healthy living conditions
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How advancements in the health and medical domains might be of benefit in a sports, fitness or physical activity context (+ vice versa)
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How different research, startup and funding ecosystems could be brought closer together for the benefit of sports and society
The venue
A unique setting with a history
Summit 2024 took place in the iconic Wintercircus: a former indoor circus that has recently been renovated and reopened to the public.
Built in 1885, the “New Circus” was built with the purpose of entertainment: several circus companies gave year-round performances in the building, even during winter.
In 1920 the building was heavily damaged due to a fire, and was reconstructed thereafter. After World War II the circus interior was altered for good, as car mechanic Ghislain Mahy bought and transformed the building into a car workshop.
The workshop continued its activities until 1978, after which the Wintercircus was used as a depot for vintage cars.
The revival of the circus
Fast forward to 2024: the building reopens again to the public after 5 year of intensive renovations.
Innovating start-ups and scale-ups breathe new life into the former workshops and share their knowledge in the meeting rooms or the auditorium during lectures and presentations.
The underground level houses a concert hall seating 500 spectators. A perfectly grand and unique setting for the STRN Summit!
