EPAM and INEFC awarded 2026 grants through EA Innovation Hub for water polo and artistic swimming research

Two research projects – one undertaken by EPAM in Hungary, one being conducted by the National Institute of Physical Education of Catalonia (INEFC) in Barcelona – have been awarded major grants for 2026 through the European Aquatic Innovation Hub.

The first project – Water Polo Digital Development Transformation using Data and Sensors – is being undertaken by European Aquatics’ commercial partner EPAM, a global leader in digital engineering, cloud and AI-enabled transformation services.

The initiative proposes a pioneering method of transforming water polo by integrating advanced sensor technology – to be located on players’ headgear and the within the ball itself – and real-time data analytics.

The long-term goal is to digitise water polo to support coaches, teams, and federation decision-making with actionable insights, improving performance management and match analysis.

EPAM, which has its headquarters in Budapest, will be funded by 2026 Aquatics Research Grants 2026, which relate to more conceptual phases of system development, and also by 2026 Products and Processes in Sports Technology Grants, which aid phases related to the testing and implementation of systems.

“We will be building this system for European Aquatics and closely working in partnership with the Ferencvaros Water Polo Club for our initial testing and fine-tuning,” Balazs Magyar, Senior Director of Account Management at EPAM Hungary, told European Aquatics.

“There is a huge range of applications for the data collected from the sensors. This can enrich the sport and make it more visual, more understandable and more entertaining.

“The insights provided would be useful for coaches in terms of tactics during key periods of play. We could see more action, more variation, more attacking, better defence.

“This new digitalised insight into the sport could also improve fan engagement as well as supplementing live transmission of games.”

The INEFC project – Monitoring Cardiac Responses and Adaptations to Apnea in Artistic Swimming – will receive a 2026 Aquatics Research Grant.

INEFC signed a four-year Memorandum of Understanding with European Aquatics last February, and high on the immediate agenda was joint work on developing the “apnea project” within artistic swimming, which concentrates on breathing irregularities that can occur when athletes compete with their head below the level of their hips.

The aim of this tranche of work will be to elucidate the acute cardiovascular responses to apnea in female artistic swimmers, generating high-quality evidence to optimise performance while ensuring athlete health and safety.

Dr Xavier Iglesias Reig of INEFC Barcelona told European Aquatics: “This support from European Aquatics allows us to advance a much-needed line of research in artistic swimming, a sport with very high physiological demands in which important questions still remain unanswered.

“Our aspiration is to generate high-quality scientific evidence on the cardiovascular response to apnea across different age categories and performance levels, including a group of athletes with a history of syncope, through standardised situations that simulate the specific demands of artistic swimming.

“In doing so, we hope to contribute to a better understanding and monitoring of cardiovascular adaptations, as well as to strengthening athlete health and safety.”

Meanwhile, other applications for 2026 grants are under review.

Mike Rowbottom for European Aquatics

The post EPAM and INEFC awarded 2026 grants through EA Innovation Hub for water polo and artistic swimming research first appeared on European Aquatics®.