The University of Florida announced Friday that it is embarking on a five-part, $2.5 million strategic sports initiative project that will be known as the UF & Sport Collaborative.

According to a UF press release, the multi-faceted initiative hopes to propel the university onto the global stage in sports performance, communication and healthcare while illuminating its sports facilities and partnerships. The project will receive $2.5 million from UF President Ben Sasse’s strategic funding initiative.

“UF is a national leader in sports performance and healthcare, and we’re ready to showcase our offerings and strengthen our partnerships on a much larger scale,” said Sasse in the release. “The UF & Sport Collaborative will help take our reputation in sports to the next level and greatly improve our already outstanding athletics.”

According to the release, in partnership with the University Athletic Association (UAA), five units at UF (the College of Health and Human Performance, the Warrington College of Business, the College of Journalism and Communications, the College of Medicine, and the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering) are collaborating to launch the following projects as part of the comprehensive initiative:

• Sport and Health Leaders: A new certificate program through the College of Health and Human Performance that will increase students’ understanding of athletes and the factors that influence their wellbeing. Available courses will include Personal and Family Health, Athlete Health and Wellbeing, Athlete Career Management, and Worksite and Health Promotion.
• Gator AccelerAItor for Sport Analytics: The College of Health and Human Performance and the Warrington College of Business will partner with the UF’s men’s basketball team to improve recruitment, player evaluation, scouting, and game strategy through artificial intelligence (AI) tools. The project will also develop a master’s degree program in AI and Sports Analytics and provide students with a real-world laboratory for working directly with teams and athletes.
• AI-Powered Athletics: The Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering, the College of Health and Human Performance, and the UAA will build an infrastructure to enable AI-powered athletics based on the wearable sensor and health data of student athletes. Funded projects may generate pilot data and initial publications that lead to large-scale research proposals for federal agencies.
• Transforming Sport Science Research for Every Body: The College of Medicine will help advance the analytic capacity of the UF Health Sports Performance Center, making it a centerpiece of research and testing for able-bodied and para-athletes of all ages and fitness levels. The Center will advance precision treatment, performance training, and research inclusivity for athletes.
• Gator Nation Gameday Live: The College of Journalism and Communications will offer students an opportunity to produce a live, one-hour sports preview show, modeled after ESPN’s “College GameDay” program. Students will gain experience in anchoring, reporting, producing, and directing. The program will air live on various platforms on the Saturday mornings of Gator football home games, starting in Fall 2024. Students will provide a preview of that day’s game, insightful breakdowns and analytics, profiles of UF athletes and coaches, and highlights of the game-day experience.

Monies for the UF & Sports Collaborative will come from the $130 million in new funding that the Florida Legislature gave UF this year.

Sasse established that half of the funds would be directed to units for special strategic purposes. To date, the first round of 19 proposals received $13.4 million in funding on Oct. 3,  seven proposals were awarded $5.4 million on Nov. 13 and a third round of proposals were awarded $11 million on Dec. 4. UF received more than 250 submissions with 40 proposals selected. Each proposal is aimed at enhancing the student experience and advancing interdisciplinary scholarship.