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Leeds Beckett University to launch Sport Health Tech Incubator to boost innovation and wellbeing in West Yorkshire
Footballer Rodrigo Moreno Machado training at the Carnegie School of Sport
Backed by a £1.1million investment from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) through the West Yorkshire Investment Zone, the new Incubator will be based within the Carnegie School of Sport at the university's Headingley Campus. It will see the transformation of the ground floor of the historic Fairfax Hall into a dynamic, research-informed hub for entrepreneurs, start-ups and growing businesses.
Harnessing research to tackle real-world health challenges
The Incubator will provide access to world-leading academic expertise, collaborative innovation programmes and state-of-the-art sport science and health technology facilities. It will focus on developing technologies that promote physical activity, improve health and fitness and help prevent complex conditions such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Our new Sport Health Tech Incubator aims to address health inequalities and improve quality of life. Our research strengths at LBU align deeply with these priorities and are rooted in community collaboration. As an anchor institution, we are proud to apply our world-leading research to contribute to sustainable growth in our region, and the new Incubator will provide a unique platform to attract regional, national and international investment into West Yorkshire.
A hub for innovation, collaboration and community impact
The new space will create a vibrant innovation ecosystem at the heart of the Carnegie School of Sport, helping to attract both national and international interest and investment.
The funds will enable LBU to transform the ground floor of its Grade II listed building, Fairfax Hall, into a vibrant community of sport health tech companies, with access to the Carnegie School of Sport's state-of-the-art equipment and academic expertise to drive innovation.
Pete Mackreth, Dean of the Carnegie School of Sport at LBU, said: "The creation of a physical Sport Health Tech Incubator will stimulate further collaborations between industry, academia and healthcare providers to drive innovation and change. The Incubator aims to enhance the existing health innovation ecosystem in Leeds and support the city's position as a leader in health and life sciences. Technologies developed in the Incubator will focus on areas including the improvement of sport performance and athlete wellbeing, the promotion of physical activity, and the prevention of complex diseases, such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease."
Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said: "The first priority of our Local Growth Plan is to boost our region's fastest growing business sectors, because we know that's how we're going to drive investment, boost jobs and put more money in people's pockets.
"By bringing together cutting-edge research with fast-growing businesses, our £160million investment zone is driving the development of lifechanging technologies while creating good jobs and growing the economy.
"This pioneering initiative from Leeds Beckett University will help more people to live happier, healthier lives, contributing to our mission to build a brighter West Yorkshire that works for all."
In this article
Professor Peter Slee
Professor Peter Slee joined Leeds Beckett University as Vice Chancellor in September 2015. Peter was educated at the University of Reading, gained his PhD in Modern History from the University of Cambridge and was a postdoctoral fellow at Manchester and Durham. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and an award-winning author, teacher and trainer.
Peter joined Leeds Beckett from the University of Huddersfield where he had been Deputy Vice Chancellor since 2010. He has held a number of senior roles in higher education management at Northumbria, Durham and Aston universities and at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) where he was Head of Education Policy.
Professor Susan Backhouse
Professor Susan Backhouse is Director of Research and Knowledge Exchange in the Carnegie School of Sport at Leeds Beckett University, and a world-renowned researcher in the field of anti-doping and clean sport.
