One of the most exciting announcements that is to make waves in the sports industry across the country, IIT Madras has announced it is going to offer up to Rs 5 crore funding for sports-related startups based in the country. It will innovate AI and IoT-based products connected with the sports industry.

The fund would be made available through IIT-Madras Pravartak Technologies Foundation in collaboration with IIT Madras Centre of Excellence in Sports Science and Analytics. Such an idea is further going to cement the bond between Technology and the sporting industry, which shall lead to the creation of innovative outreach products and applications that target improved sporting excellence . Funding up to ₹ 10 lakh to ₹ 50 lakh could be made available to startups in the sports-tech space based on business potential.

IITM CESSA’s incubation pattern would also help equities-based funding. This would not only be much-needed funding support for the sports startups but also would dovetail through guidance and mentorship to get them off their feet in the competitive industry.

IIT Madras is coming up with a 4-year course on sports science apart from funding sports startups. The aim of the course is to link theory with practice in sports. Thereafter, the course would cover broad categories on strengthening, fitness, conditioning, sports nutrition, and psychology. The course would be offered online on the National MOOCs portal of India, SWAYAM, free of cost. The final examination, however will be in-person and have a nominal cost of Rs 1,000 per course.

The full package of courses at this point in time from IIT Madras certainly looks to be a game-changer so far as meeting India-centric requirements of sports and furthering the cause of sports education in an all-round manner. The courses would target sports enthusiasts, athletes, and people interested in various aspects of sports science. This shall also help the veteran professional associated with sports, be it as a PE teacher, coach, referee, analyst, manager or player.

IIT-Madras has enviable track record in terms of the number of startups which can be enabled by it and number of innovation which it can nurture. Already, the IIT-Madras Incubation Cell has incubated 351 startups with a total investment of `10,425 crore and generated 1,300 patents. This has yielded far higher success rates of 80%, compared to the average rate of only 4-6%.

This initiative will further consolidate the position of IIT Madras as a sports-tech innovation and entrepreneurship hub in India. The recent announcement by IIT-Madras to provide Rs 5-crore funding for Sports Startups and introduce a 4-yr course in sports science assumes significant importance against this backdrop. The moves would support the overall development of excellence in the Sports sector within the country by providing financial support to start-ups.