On 17 September, we held the COMPATH project meeting in Zagreb, with the participation of all project partners. The meeting was successfully concluded. The opening speech was given by Renato Vuk on behalf of PESG. Mr. Vuk briefly mentioned the work done so far in the project and outlined the general flow of the meeting as well as the topics to be discussed.
Next, Håkon Ege from COLIN introduced the gamification-based digital platform ‘Competence Hub’, which will be developed within the framework of Work Package 3, focusing on sports innovation. Mr Ege explained that this platform is designed to promote and share innovative approaches within the world of sport. Access to the platform will be provided via https://portal.sportsinnovationshub.com and after registration, all participants had the opportunity to explore the features and usage details. During this walkthrough, Resul Erhan, representative of MOBAD, gave a comprehensive presentation on the technical details of the platform, including information on infrastructure and technical operations. In addition, Ege mentioned that the platform would be ready for testing within a week and partners would be able to provide feedback on it.
The second session of the meeting continued with a detailed review of the tasks within Work Package 4. In this session, Håkon Ege from COLIN presented the tasks, roles, responsibilities and contributions of the project partners under this work package. The distribution of modules among the project partners was also clarified during this presentation. Each partner organisation was assigned the responsibility to develop different modules. The module distribution is as follows:
UCAM
Module 6: VR and AR in sports
Module-7: eSports and sports-focused gaming
PESG
Module-12: Career planning and entry into technology-orientated sports companies
SIMORA
Module-9: Sports-adapted literacy skills
Module-10: Sports-adapted learning skills
LOUGHBOROUGH UNIVERSITY
Module-11: Entrepreneurial mindset for sports businesses
MOBAD
Module-4: Fan engagement and experience through digital tools
NYSA
Module-1: Artificial intelligence (AI) in sport
Module-8: Wearable technology
COLIN
Module-2: Data analytics in sport
Module-3: Drone technology in sport
Module-5: IoT in sport
Each module was broken down according to the expertise of the project partners, and the roles and responsibilities of each partner were detailed. These modules will be added to the project's digital learning platform to create educational content focused on sports innovation.
In addition, various local and international events under Work Package 4 were outlined in the second session. Under this work package, it is planned to organise local training seminars for coaches, teachers and experts in five countries (Norway, Poland, Croatia, UK and Sweden). Guidelines, checklists and feedback forms to be used in these seminars were presented by Ege to all partners. It was also agreed that local thematic workshops would be organised for student-athletes in these five countries, with a deadline for completion set for 20 October 2024.
Another important event discussed was the international workshop to be held in Oslo. This workshop, scheduled for 28-29 October 2024, will have 12 young participants. Each project partner will be responsible for sending a designated number of participants to this international event.
The topic of testing the digital platform was also raised. It was decided that the platform would be tested by a total of 120 young athletes from eight countries, with 15 participants from each country taking part in the digital learning activities. This testing phase was considered a critical step in terms of the platform's functionality and user experience. Finally, community building activities were planned, with six hybrid (physical/digital) meetings and various webinars to be organised throughout the project. These events aim to raise awareness of sports innovation and reach a wider audience.
In the final part of the meeting, project management, administrative and financial issues, as well as dissemination strategies were discussed in detail. Burak Caliskan from COLIN gave a presentation on dissemination strategies and it was decided that LinkedIn and Instagram should be used more effectively. It was noted that posts and videos (reels) shared on these social media platforms would increase the visibility of the project. Furthermore, the final meeting of the project was originally planned to be held in Malta; however, due to logistical reasons, it was decided to hold this meeting in Oslo. As the coordinating institution, COLIN will contact the Executive Agency to take the necessary steps to approve this change.
In the concluding section of the meeting, each project partner took turns to share their views and contributions related to their respective areas. After collecting the feedback from all partners, the meeting ended successfully, with satisfaction among all participants and a strengthening of the co-operation.
