QUT awarded $2.27 million boost to train data scientists for sports tech challenges

With the Australian sports tech industry facing new challenges, Queensland University of Technology (QUT) has been awarded two grants, worth a total of $2.27 million, to train a cohort of sports data scientists to tackle these challenges. 

The research will focus on creating data-driven tools to improve health and performance in both community and elite sports and provide a competitive advantage for the home Olympics.

The project was made possible by CSIRO’s Next Generation Graduates program, an initiative that provides funding and support to attract and train the next generation of technology specialists.

The grants will support 25 graduate students to work on industry-led research projects.

The multi-disciplinary research team is led by Distinguished Professor Kerrie Mengersen and Dr Paul Wu from the QUT Centre for Data Science.

“With Brisbane, and Australia, getting ready to host the 2032 Olympics and Paralympics, there is an even greater focus on the crucial importance of data in sport,” Centre Director Mengersen said.

The Australian sport tech industry generates up to $4.5 billion in revenue, with more than 600 companies that employ more than 10,000 people. 

The funded programs, involving QUT and research partners including the University of New South Wales (UNSW), aim to build capacity to tackle the analytical demands driven by these emerging sport technologies.

Dr Wu added “The proliferation of data and emerging video and sensor technologies brings new opportunities and complexity for data-evidenced insights and predictions about the athlete-centred system in sport.”

Aaron Quigley, Science Director of CSIRO’s Data61 advised “Already, QUT researchers in data science and machine learning are working with the Australian Institute of Sports (AIS), the Queensland Academy of Sports (QAS) and other sports organisations on a range of projects including enhancing data analytics practices and race profiling.

“Through the Next Generation Graduates program, we are growing the pipeline of artificial intelligence and emerging technology specialists.

"This cohort of sports tech specialists will help transform athlete health and performance through personalised outcomes in high performance sports and para-sports.”

The consortium of research partners supporting graduate students are:

NGGP AI Grant

• Australian Institute of Sport (AIS)

• Cricket NSW

• Precision Health Alliance

• Queensland Academy of Sport (QAS)

• South Australian Sports Institute (SASI)

• Surfing Australia

• Victorian Institute of Sport (VIS)

• Western Australian Institute of Sport (WAIS)

• CSIRO’s Data61

NGGP ET Grant

• Australian Institute of Sport (AIS)

• Mitosportz

• Paddle Australia

• Platypus Medtech Consulting and Reaction Performance

• Queensland Rugby Union/Queensland Reds

• Rugby Australia

• Splink

• Wear Optimo

QUT researchers also involved in the project include Dr Simon Denman, Professor Christopher Drovandi, Professor Dimitri Perrin, Professor Divya Mehta, Dr Andrew Gibson, and Associate Professor Geoff Minett.

More information on the scholarships can be found here. 

Image top from left: Associate Professor Dimitri Perrin, Distinguished Professor Kerrie Mengersen, Dr Simon Denman and Dr Paul Wu; Bottom row, from left: Professor Christopher Drovandi Professor Divha Mehta, Associate Professor Geoffrey Minett, Associate Professor Andrew Gibson.