EVS has joined forces with Belgium’s University of Liège to create the position of a new academic chair focused on Computer Vision and Data Analysis for Sports Understanding.
It will be led by Professor Anthony Cioppa, a specialist in computer vision and data analysis applied to sports.
The chair will aim to develop cutting-edge approaches in AI for “the automatic understanding of sports images and videos”, said EVS.
Cioppa will be tasked with developing solutions based on a number of research areas, including:
- High-dimensional data perception: Extracting and interpreting semantic information from rich and complex data such as video, which combines spatial, temporal, and colour dimensions.
- Long-form video understanding: Designing AI models capable of processing the full temporal scope of a video to extract relevant semantic information, even over long durations (e.g., a 90-minute football match).
- Memory in neural networks for video: Developing AI models that can model, organise, and efficiently use temporal memory to retain relevant context over long sequences.
- Multimodal combinations: Leveraging multiple data modalities—video, audio, and sensor signals—to enrich the understanding of sports.
- Generative AI: Plausibly generating missing information, such as new viewpoints, to offer immersive spectator experiences (e.g., watching the game from the field via a VR headset).
“Our collaboration is helping to structure a rapidly expanding field of innovation that is still under scientific development. Thanks to this chair, this theme will become a clearly identified hub for teaching and research at ULiège, capable of attracting PhD candidates, postdoctoral researchers, and high-level international collaborations. I thank EVS for its trust,” said Anne-Sophie Nyssen, rector of the University of Liège
EVS CEO Serge Van Herck added: “Innovation is a strategic pillar of EVS’s growth. This chair will allow us to deepen research in this field and remain at the forefront of innovation.”
