Loughborough University is world-leading in sport and its underpinning academic disciplines. No other UK university can match its excellent track record in sports performance, sports science and engineering.

The University’s increasing impact and exploitation of its work through partnering sports organisations is reflected in its Sports Technology Institute, a £15M initiative to enhance research, innovation and enterprise in the sports sector, that opened on the Park in 2009. This was further reinforced by the opening in 2010 of SportPark, a national hub for sports governing bodies. Both initiatives are supported by emda, the East Midlands Development Agency, in acknowledgement of the significant wealth potential that sport brings to the region.

The co-location of the Sports Technology Institute and SportPark, and their proximity to the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, the Sports Development Centre and many of the UK's leading athletes that train at Loughborough, makes the Science and Enterprise Park the ideal location for the sports industry and related organisations.

As a preferred partner to UK Sport, the Sports Technology Institute is contributing to a range of cutting-edge research projects to support athletes in preparation for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The University's world-class reputation for sport has been recognised by an agreement with the Japanese Olympic Committee that will see Japan's Olympic teams based at the University prior to the Olympic Games and other international events, and the start of a legacy of stronger research and industry links with Japan.