With an increasing number of sports science conferences postponed or cancelled this summer due to COVID-19, Output Sports, the NovaUCD-headquartered sports technology startup, has unveiled the #OutputSoapbox Showdown Competition.

The aim of the #OutputSoapbox competition is to provide a forum for sport science researchers and practitioners to share high quality knowledge and expertise to a wide audience, from even their own homes.

Advanced signal processing and machine learning techniques

Output Sports (www.outputsports.com), a UCD spin-out company, has developed an end-to-end solution, using advanced signal processing and machine learning techniques, that can test multiple components of athletic performance and track training programmes with a single wearable sensor.

Dr Martin O’Reilly, CEO, Output Sports (pictured), said: “As a company founded based on 6-years of research at University College Dublin, we really value the importance of dissemination of knowledge in sports science.

“With so many conferences and other speaking opportunities affected by COVID-19 we decided to launch an engaging and fun competition called #OutputSoapbox. The aim of the competition is to allow sport science researchers and practitioners, from around the world, share their knowledge and expertise to the wider sports science community.”

There are two streams in the #OutputSoapbox competition, the research stream, to allow undergraduate and postgraduate students and postdocs to talk about their research, and the practitioner stream, to allow sports science practitioners to talk about their favourite topic.

To enter #OutputSoapbox entrants need to record and upload a two-minute or less video (fun and engaging) to Twitter, tagging @OutputSports and #OutputSoapbox.

Both competition streams will be judged by a panel of world-class sports science researchers and practitioners including; Adam Virgile, Sports Science Coordinator at University of Vermont and a former sports scientist for the New York Rangers; Hilary Gannon, Women’s Head Physiotherapist, Football Association of Wales and Dr Eamonn Flanagan, Head, Strength and Conditioning, Sport Ireland Institute.

Assessment criteria for choosing the winners are: clarity of message; quality of content and innovation and impact.

The deadline for submission of entries is May 31, 2020.

Automatically entered for audience prize

All entries will also be automatically entered for an audience prize. The judges will decide on a shortlist for this prize, which will be tweeted soon after the competition deadline, with a poll, to allow the general public decide a winner.

Output Sports will provide a cash prize of €500 for both the Research and Practitioner stream winners and a €200 cash prize for the Audience winner. Winners will be announced in mid-June.

Output Sports was co-founded in 2018 by Dr Martin O'Reilly, Dr Darragh Whelan, Julian Eberle and Professor Brian Caulfield as a spin-out from the UCD School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science and the Insight SFI Research Centre for Data Analytics following the completion of Enterprise Ireland Commercialisation Funding.

Earlier this year the company closed a €1.3 million seed funding round led by the Atlantic Bridge University Fund, with Elkstone Partners, Enterprise Ireland, and angel investors including; Leinster Rugby players, Adam Byrne and Dan Leavy; and John Hearne, co-founder and former CEO of Curám Software.