One year after opening its doors at La Harinera, the GSIC Testing Lab in Valencia presented its first-year results on 4 September. In twelve months the centre has activated 34 organisations from more than 20 countries, connected more than 1,000 executives in the sports industry and given 61 startups access to real decision makers, according to figures reported by ValenciaExtra.
A test bed, not an accelerator
The lab is run by the Global Sports Innovation Center powered by Microsoft (GSIC) and promoted by the Generalitat Valenciana and Valencia City Council through the València Innovation Capital initiative. It is described as the first international lab for sports technology in Spain, with an investment of 5.5 million euros between 2025 and 2027 and around 150 jobs linked to startups, technology suppliers and digital training programmes.
The model differs from a conventional accelerator. Instead of incubating ideas, the centre combines technology validation in real environments, direct access to sports organisations, international connections and commercial opportunities. The point is not to have a good idea but to prove that it works.
GSIC powered by Microsoft also has centres in Madrid and Singapore, which gives the Valencia lab an international network from the start.
Technology from Taiwan, Estonia and Argentina, tested in Valencia
Companies from markets as varied as Taiwan, Argentina, Italy, Estonia, Germany and the United Kingdom used the city as a test bed. The centre ran six real-world testing processes, with technologies applied to sports performance, artificial intelligence, biomarkers, facility management, digital access and racket sports, in collaboration with clubs, federations and sports bodies in the Valencian Community.
The 34 organisations activated during the year employ more than 270 people between them. The lab also took part in 23 international events, reaching more than 21,000 executives outside Spain across Europe, Asia, the United States and the Middle East.
"When we launched the Testing Lab, our ambition was to turn Valencia into a place where sports innovation could be tested, validated and generate real business opportunities," said Iris Córdoba, Managing Director of the Global Sports Innovation Center powered by Microsoft (translated from Spanish).
AI training for more than 40 local organisations
More than 40 Valencian sports organisations took part in the centre's programmes or activities, and GSIC made 200 licences of its AI in Sport programme, developed with Founderz, available to the local ecosystem for specialised training in artificial intelligence applied to sport.
The city starts from a broad base: 59 sports federations, more than 380,000 federated athletes and 6,000 sports clubs. "For Valencia, having a space like the GSIC Testing Lab means turning innovation into real opportunities for the city: attracting companies and talent, creating new connections with the sports and technology sectors and offering an environment where solutions can be tested and validated in real conditions," said Paula Llobet, Valencia's councillor for Innovation and Investment Attraction (translated from Spanish).
La Harinera also hosted the national final of Red Bull Basement. The winning team, made up of students from the Universitat Politècnica de València, went on to represent Spain at the world final in Silicon Valley and finished among the top ten projects in the world.
"The Generalitat considers that the goal this centre was created for has been fully met: to be an international reference centre for technology and innovation applied to sports science," added Luis Cervera, director general of Sport at the Generalitat Valenciana (translated from Spanish).
What comes next
The lab now enters a second stage focused on expanding its testing and certification programmes, attracting new technology companies and creating more opportunities for the local sports ecosystem. The original target, set when the project was launched, was for more than 120 companies and sports organisations to benefit from its testing environment, coworking space and training over three years.
