The UNIL has supported sport through its role housing athletes on its campus during the Lausanne 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games.

The university also serves as the headquarters for the International University Sports Federation (FISU).

The UNIL’s latest agreement will see the university collaborate with the UCI on a continuing education course "cycling coaching" aimed at National Federation coaches.

Short courses will also be proposed in both development and cycling for all, while the UCI and UNIL have pledged to work together to set up joint research projects.

"The University of Lausanne is pleased to develop its collaboration with the World Cycling Centre (WCC) of the UCI, a leading International Federation within the 'Lausanne, Olympic Capital' ecosystem," said Frédéric Herman, UNIL Rector.

"This agreement reinforces the UNIL’s positioning in sports sciences and on questions of sustainability, where the bike has an important role.

"It also participates in the UNIL’s desire to contribute to an evolving know-how that is not only academic but also put into practice.

"This agreement consolidates our relations with the WCC and the UCI, which have already seen important collaborations in the past."

UNIL is billed as a Centre of Excellence for teaching, training and applied research in the domain of sport.

The university has an Institute of Sports Sciences (ISSUL) which proposes Bachelors, Masters and Doctoral programmes.

A total of 140 researchers in its Interdisciplinary Centre for Sports Research (CIRS) are also active in researching training, biomechanics, anti-doping, governance, gender and medicine.

The UNIL said its sports centre also offers a high level of expertise in coaching and performance, while the organisation last year announced its observatory for cycling and active mobilities.

UCI President David Lappartient said the agreement would strengthen programmes offered by the World Cycling Centre, the governing body’s high level training and education centre.

"The central element of the UCI’s solidarity and development programmes, the UCI World Cycling Centre has been delivering courses to people in different professions linked to our sport for many years," he said.

"It is an essential mission to ensure the development of promising young athletes from different regions of the world.

"These athletes must be able to count on an entourage made up of qualified people.

"With the cooperation agreement signed with the UNIL, an academic institution recognised internationally, the UCI reinforces the quality of the UCI WCC’s training programmes, while expanding its offer in the rapidly growing domain of cycling for all."