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Open Innovation – help us to shape the future of football

News and events
Green transport proposal takes innovation award
Live 20/01/2022

Green transport proposal takes innovation award

The finalists of the Reimagine Football initiative presented their sustainability solutions with a start-up collaboration chosen as the stand-out proposal by UEFA.
Seeking innovative solutions
Live 25/11/2021

Seeking innovative solutions

The Innovation in Action and Reimagine Football ventures are exploring new ways to take the sport forward in fan engagement and carbon footprint reductions.
UEFA signs three start-ups as part of innovation drive
Live 18/10/2019

UEFA signs three start-ups as part of innovation drive

As part of its commitment to using technology and innovation to stay ahead of the game, UEFA has signed three start-ups while also launching its own Open Innovation platform in order to help shape the footballing vision of European football's governing body.
UEFA highlights importance of innovation
Live 25/06/2019

UEFA highlights importance of innovation

UEFA showed its commitment to using innovation and technology to stay ahead of the game by inviting seven start-ups to see how their expertise can be implemented to help shape the future of football.
Innovation takes to the pitch
Live 13/02/2019

Innovation takes to the pitch

A total of 18 start-ups were in attendance at UEFA HQ for the first ever 'pitch day', with the hope of securing a place on a new innovation programme.
Innovation hub
Live 06/09/2019

Innovation hub

Innovation Hub 2
Live 06/09/2019

Innovation Hub 2

UEFA Innovation hub - ­Learn, Experiment, Create.

“The most dangerous thing UEFA could do is rest on its laurels.”

Aleksander Čeferin, 43rd UEFA Congress, February 2019

The world is experiencing unprecedented change and this brings great opportunities for football. The UEFA innovation hub is a vehicle for future-proofing UEFA and ensuring we stay one step ahead of the latest trends to shape the future of our sport.

What are we looking for?The UEFA innovation hub is looking for new partners to transform football. If you work as part of a start-up or for another organisation and share our philosophy, please apply now at the bottom of this page. We are looking for partners that align with our 2019–24 strategy and that have a unique and differentiated product/service that will improve UEFA. The team must be talented, passionate and professional, as well as able and willing to run a pilot with us during an acceleration period. Additionally, sustainability must remain close to their core. Please see our FAQ for more details.

Our approachThe UEFA innovation hub was established in 2018 as a response to ever-changing habits and an increasingly demanding environment for football. Through new partnerships and diverse collaborations with a wide range of stakeholders (including start-ups, academic institutions, cross-sport federations and more) the innovation hub will support UEFA in adapting to these changes and delivering the 2019–24 UEFA strategy. One important step in this direction is UEFA’s pioneering role in the canton of Vaud’s sport innovation hub, the Silicon Valley of Sport, in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Our philosophyInnovation is about more than digital transformations and using the latest technologies. It is also about how we catch trends, anticipate the future and operate with agility in order to remain relevant. We provide a framework to facilitate agility towards UEFA’s vision that sits in line with the changing football and entertainment landscapes. Not only does this involve leveraging the technologies and skills of external partners, but it relies on combining this with UEFA’s own talent and unconventional ways of thinking to drive change.

Our mission and pillars

Our mission is to ensure football is the most played, trusted, competitive and engaging sport. We will continue to protect, grow, innovate and promote football to preserve its ecosystem and to keep the game enjoyable for generations of fans and players to come. This will be done around four key pillars

Football

Growing the game by increasing participation and accessibility for all (through its promotion and the development of infrastructure).
Read more

Trust

Maintaining integrity and trust in our competitions and our institutions through good governance, increased stakeholder involvement and increased transparency.
Read more

Competitiveness

Protecting and improving competitive balance while preserving sustainability and fiscal responsibility (to promote European football).
Read more

Prosperity

Optimising revenue streams through research and investment in new opportunities, enhancing fan engagement and broadening our reach.
Read more
View our full mission and pillars

How it works

01
Apply online
Complete the short online application form below.
02
Application review
Application reviewed in line with UEFA's strategy and business priorities. More details can be found here.
03
Initial discussion
Innovation hub and relevant UEFA business unit to arrange initial discussion with successful applicants.
04
Acceleration programme
Collaboration with your organisation, providing access to live UEFA events, insights and data to test your proposition(s).
05
Partnership assessment
Acceleration phase reviewed to determine any future partnership.

Most recent collaborations

honer
livelike
mycoach
secondspectrum
track160
greenfly
"Being a part of the UEFA innovation journey gave LiveLike an inside look at the challenges and future ambitions of a global organisation such as UEFA. Through collaborations between international associations like UEFA and companies like LiveLike, we can work towards the best possible future for fans and the sporting industry as a whole."
Live 09/09/2019

"Being a part of the UEFA innovation journey gave LiveLike an inside look at the challenges and future ambitions of a global organisation such as UEFA. Through collaborations between international associations like UEFA and companies like LiveLike, we can work towards the best possible future for fans and the sporting industry as a whole."

Miheer Walavalkar, CEO, LiveLike
"We're proud to work with UEFA to power the distribution and creation of social content to and from teams and athletes. UEFA brings clubs and federations together for some of the most memorable events in sport, and we're thrilled to help them tell those stories through new channels."
Live 23/07/2020

"We're proud to work with UEFA to power the distribution and creation of social content to and from teams and athletes. UEFA brings clubs and federations together for some of the most memorable events in sport, and we're thrilled to help them tell those stories through new channels."

Daniel Kirschner, president & CEO, Greenfly
"Covering the Woman's Under-19 Championship in Scotland, and providing unified data from the matches, gave us the perfect opportunity to get a better understanding of UEFA's needs as a leading football organisation. This unique coverage was also an excellent operational opportunity to test how our system scales up at a live tournament."
Live 23/07/2020

"Covering the Woman's Under-19 Championship in Scotland, and providing unified data from the matches, gave us the perfect opportunity to get a better understanding of UEFA's needs as a leading football organisation. This unique coverage was also an excellent operational opportunity to test how our system scales up at a live tournament."

Doron Houminer, CEO, Track160
“The accelerator programme was just the start of our journey with UEFA as, with our technical expertise and UEFA’s football expertise, we see a perfect innovation partnership – this partnership can further develop our beautiful game and benefit new generations of football fans for many years to come.”
Live 09/09/2019

“The accelerator programme was just the start of our journey with UEFA as, with our technical expertise and UEFA’s football expertise, we see a perfect innovation partnership – this partnership can further develop our beautiful game and benefit new generations of football fans for many years to come.”

Second Spectrum
"Our partnership with UEFA has accelerated our product and technology to become a world leader in player development and fan engagement."
Live 09/09/2019

"Our partnership with UEFA has accelerated our product and technology to become a world leader in player development and fan engagement."

Andrew Hall, CEO and co-founder, Formalytics
“The opportunity to be part of the UEFA innovation hub has been an incredible leverage at both mediatisation and internationalisation levels. We are very proud to represent France among the best Sport Tech start-ups worldwide.”
Live 09/09/2019

“The opportunity to be part of the UEFA innovation hub has been an incredible leverage at both mediatisation and internationalisation levels. We are very proud to represent France among the best Sport Tech start-ups worldwide.”

Cédric Messina, CEO, My Coach
Frequently asked questions

1. What is the journey for UEFA’s open innovation scheme?

  • Apply online: Complete the short online application form found here
  • Application review: Application reviewed in line with UEFA’s strategy and business priorities. More details on the assessment criteria can be found below in the FAQ.
  • Initial discussion: Innovation hub and relevant UEFA business unit to arrange initial discussion with successful applicants.
  • Acceleration programme: Collaboration with your organisation, providing access to live UEFA events, insights and data to test your proposition(s), typically over a 3–6 month period.
  • Partnership assessment: Acceleration phase reviewed to determine any future partnership.

2. What supporting material do I need to provide?

In order for UEFA to complete the necessary due diligence on your application, please include a presentation when prompted on the application form that includes (where applicable):

View all

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