Taiwan’s Ministry of Sports and NYCU IAPS Launch Global Call for ASPN Sports Tech Accelerator Cohort 3

(中央社訊息服務20260122 14:39:57)As Taiwan’s newly established Ministry of Sports officially begins operations, the country’s sports policy and sports-industry development are entering a new phase. Supported by the Ministry of Sports and operated by National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU)’s Center of Industry Accelerator and Patent Strategy (IAPS), the ASPN Sports Tech Accelerator announced on Wednesday the official launch of its third global cohort, inviting sports technology startups worldwide to apply.

The program seeks teams with strong international growth potential and aims to help position Taiwan as a gateway for sports technology innovation in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.

ASPN — short for the APEC Sport Policy Network — is one of the Asia-Pacific region’s key international platforms for sports policy exchange. Building on this foundation, the ASPN Sports Tech Accelerator focuses on three pillars: international resource connectivity, real-world field validation, and sports diplomacy in practice.

By connecting startups with government agencies, industry partners, academic institutions, and major sporting events across borders, the program promotes regional collaboration while expanding Taiwan’s international visibility in sports technology and innovation.

Since its launch, ASPN has attracted more than 700 sports tech startups worldwide, ultimately selecting and supporting 130 teams from 25 countries. These startups span a wide range of fields, including AI-driven data analytics, wearable technologies, smart venues, event technologies, and mass-participation sports applications.

To date, ASPN-supported teams have generated over NT$1.2 billion (US$37 million) in investment and business-matching outcomes, underscoring the program’s growing impact on the global sports tech ecosystem.

Several alumni teams have successfully entered international competitions and markets. Among them is StatsInsight, whose data analytics technology supported Taiwan’s national baseball team during its championship run at the 2024 WBSC Premier12, and IMOTEK, which has partnered with the Standard Chartered Kuala Lumpur Marathon to deploy its technology in large-scale international events.

The third ASPN cohort further strengthens its “international linkage × field validation” model. Selected teams will receive one-on-one mentorship from an international advisory network spanning 13 countries, covering government, industry, academia, research institutions, and sporting organizations.

Participants will also gain opportunities to pilot and validate their technologies at major international sports and fitness exhibitions, sporting events, university campuses, and public venues — accelerating the transition from proof-of-concept to real-world deployment.

“ASPN has spent years cultivating deep collaboration networks across the Asia-Pacific region,” said Professor Hank Huang, Director of NYCU IAPS. “By directly connecting startups with overseas governments, international sporting events, and corporate partners, we significantly lower the barriers to cross-border collaboration and market entry. This allows Taiwan’s sports technologies to expand internationally in a more systematic and sustainable way.”

ASPN has also built a comprehensive international promotion and market-access mechanism to help startups establish visibility in key global markets. Domestically, the program maintains a strong presence at major innovation and sports events, including TaiSPO, InnoVEX (COMPUTEX), and Meet Taipei.

Internationally, ASPN leads startup delegations to flagship exhibitions and platforms, including FIBO (Germany), SPORTEC (Japan), Plug and Play (United States), and Techsauce (Thailand).

Through partnerships with organizations such as Spain’s Global Sports Innovation Center (GSIC) and Australia’s Australian Sports Technologies Network (ASTN), ASPN is gradually shaping a three-continent sports tech collaboration network, helping startups transform “R&D in Taiwan” into international partnerships and concrete commercial opportunities.

In addition to mentorship and field trials, teams selected for ASPN Cohort 3 will have opportunities to connect directly with leading global industry partners, including Decathlon, NVIDIA, Chunghwa Telecom, Foxconn, Plug and Play (U.S.), and Mizuno (Japan).

ASPN has also recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with SPORTEC, Japan’s largest sports technology exhibition. Through cross-border resource matching and field collaboration, the partnership aims to reduce overseas expansion costs for Taiwanese startups while strengthening Taiwan’s role in regional sports innovation and cooperation.

By leveraging sports technology as a bridge, ASPN continues to demonstrate how innovation can serve as a practical and long-term instrument of sports diplomacy in the Asia-Pacific region.

【ASPN Sports Tech Accelerator — Call for Applications】
•　Application period: Now through April 18, 2026
•　Eligible teams: Sports technology startups, including wearables, AI data analytics, event technologies, venue operations, sports rehabilitation, esports, and related fields
•　Application link: https://aspn-sportstech.iaps.ord.nycu.edu.tw/aspn-sports-tech-accelerator-application-form