IK Start and University of Agder Enter Strategic Cooperation to Advance Sports Innovation and Player Development
(From left) University Director Seunn Smith-Tønnessen, Professor Matthew Spencer, Head of Department Sveinung Berntsen Stølevik, Jean Bley (PhD), Rector Sunniva Whittaker, Dean Anders Johan Wickstrøm Andersen, Stig Nicolai Kolding, Sveinung Hedding-Valvik and Siôn Rowlands.
August 18, 2025
Kristiansand, Norway — IK Start and the University of Agder (UiA) have entered into a strategic cooperation agreement with the goal of establishing Kristiansand as a leading center of excellence for sports innovation and player development.
Through this collaboration, IK Start will gain access to UiA’s cutting-edge research, technology, and facilities in sports science to strengthen the club’s academy and first team. A doctoral fellow and several master’s students from UiA will be based at the club, bringing research-driven expertise in areas such as coaching methodology, injury prevention, nutrition, and player development monitoring. The agreement also grants IK Start players access to UiA’s state-of-the-art training and testing facilities, including performance laboratories and advanced systems for biomechanical and aquatic testing.
In return, UiA students and researchers will benefit from direct access to IK Start’s coaches, facilities, and academy players—an invaluable opportunity to conduct applied research in a professional, top-level sports environment. The partnership will also continue the successful internship program for UiA bachelor’s students, providing hands-on experience across the club’s departments, including sports science, economics, IT, and communications.
A Long-Term Collaboration
“Our collaboration with UiA is a clear statement of ambition: we want to become a leader in player development. The best clubs in the world build their success on research, and incorporating a doctoral student into our daily operations is a big step in that direction,” said Siôn Rowlands, Coach Developer at IK Start. “This is the beginning of a long-term collaboration that will benefit both our players and the global football community.”
“This multi-year partnership is the result of thorough preparation and close dialogue between our institutions,” added Jean Bley. “By combining IK Start’s sporting quality and sports medicine expertise with UiA’s academic strength, we are taking an important step forward that will strengthen both organizations and the wider Agder region.”
Opening New Opportunities
“We are also very pleased that the agreement continues the internship opportunities for UiA students,” said Stig Nicolai Kolding, Advisor at IK Start. “It has been a pleasure to collaborate with more than 25 UiA students this spring, and we are proud that many wish to continue this fall. This partnership opens exciting doors, and we look forward to learning and growing together. Practical experience in a professional football club creates value for both the university and the club.”
“This collaboration gives our students and researchers direct access to the realities of top-level sport,” said Sveinung Berntsen-Stølevik, Head of Department of Sport Science at UiA. “Together with IK Start, we will develop knowledge that informs best practice in player development both locally and internationally.”