New Sports Research and Innovation Hub
On Friday 23 October, AUT and the New Zealand Campus of Innovation and Sport (NZCIS) launched a new Research and Innovation Hub in Upper Hutt, creating new opportunities to advance sports-related disciplines, work with elite athletes and translate research into real-world impact.
The partnership brings together AUT’s internationally recognised expertise in sport, exercise and health research with NZCIS’ world-class sporting facilities, technology and deep connections across New Zealand’s sporting sector.
Ranked in the top 25 in the world for sport-related subjects, AUT is globally known for its leading sport and exercise science research through AUT Millennium and the AUT Sport Research Institute New Zealand (SPRINZ). This new partnership with NZCIS deepens AUT's position as a national leader in sport.
AUT Vice-Chancellor, Professor Damon Salesa says the partnership will help strengthen New Zealand’s sports capability and create new pathways for research, education and innovation.
“As Aotearoa New Zealand's university of technology and opportunity, this partnership is about building on what we already do really well," says Professor Salesa.
"It provides an exciting opportunity to build on our strengths in sport while bringing together expertise across health, rehabilitation, wellbeing and innovation. Together, we can develop solutions that deliver even more meaningful and lasting impact for communities.”
AUT Professor of Sport, Exercise and Health, John Cronin, says the partnership offers the University major opportunities for access to technology, data assets and research, while giving NZCIS the benefit of insights and innovation to strengthen their work with elite athletes and other partners.
“AUT Millennium in Auckland already produces world-leading sports and human performance research through SPRINZ. NZCIS adds opportunities to innovate and research in complimentary areas to our foci at AUT Millennium," says Professor Cronin.
"Its state-of-the-art facilities, including a climate controlled Wattbike studio, interactive skill screens and multiple FIFA-approved turf fields with tracking cameras, allow for experiments in extreme environments, skill acquisition and biomechanics, beyond what we currently have access to at AUT Millennium.
"NZCIS is also home to elite teams across some of the country’s most popular sports, including rugby and football, in both the men's and women's games. With instrumented training facilities on the indoor and outdoor fields, this enables detailed data collection and allows for a more targeted focus on team sports. We're hoping the proximity to these athletes allows AUT to add real value and insight across a range of areas within sport and performance,” says Professor Cronin.
NZCIS CEO Belinda Wotton says the launch is an important milestone, but it is also the beginning of a journey. “We’re looking forward to growing this partnership with AUT and are excited to see where it leads. Bringing our facilities and expertise together opens up a multitude of possibilities for athletes, researchers and the wider sports community.”