The Instituto de Biomecánica (IBV) drives solutions for the development of sports footwear and sports surfaces to improve safety and athletic performance

Athletes are becoming increasingly demanding with respect to the products they purchase and use. In this context, maximising performance and safety – from an injury-prevention perspective – are key factors in how athletes assess a product and, consequently, in its success. In sports such as football, padel and athletics, understanding the factors involved in the interaction between the athlete, sports footwear and the sports surface is essential for the design of footwear and sports surfaces that reduce the incidence of injuries and improve athletic performance.

Within this context, IBV is developing the EFISPORT project, whose objective is to carry out in-depth research into the assessment of efficiency between the athlete, sports footwear and the sports surface in high-demand sports, and to develop new, realistic procedures for their comprehensive characterisation, aligned with emerging innovation trends and transferable to footwear and sports-surface manufacturers.

Focus on high-demand sports

EFISPORT focuses its work on sports such as football, athletics and padel, selected due to their high performance demands, popularity and international projection. Nevertheless, the research is open to expansion into other sporting disciplines.

The project has entailed an exhaustive review of trends and advances in both sports footwear design and sports surfaces, together with an in-depth analysis to identify the main knowledge gaps regarding the athlete–footwear–surface interaction.

In the words of Juan Carlos González, Director of Innovation in Sport at IBV, “As a result of our research, we are developing new procedures to simulate, in a more realistic manner, the physical–mechanical interaction between the athlete, footwear and the sports surface and, additionally, procedures for the biomechanical, physiological and perceptual characterisation of this interaction in order to assess athlete efficiency.”

Within EFISPORT, IBV is collaborating with the Biomechanics and Sports Physiotherapy Research Group and Physical Activity (BIOCAPS) at the European University of Valencia to carry out biomechanical and physiological monitoring – associated with the footwear–sports surface interaction – to assess athlete performance in real-world settings. With the participation of athletes from Valencia Club de Atletismo, parameters such as speed, angular kinematics, displacement and trajectory, temporal parameters, as well as technique and cadence, are being analysed in two athletics disciplines that combine speed, strength and technique: sprinting and long jump.

“These new procedures are being developed by considering the athlete–sports footwear–sports surface interaction as an integrated system and the degree of influence of each factor; taking into account key sport-specific movements that determine athlete efficiency and safety; and paying particular attention to new footwear concepts and athletes’ concerns,” González notes.

Results with business and social impact

The EFISPORT project benefits from the collaboration of leading companies in the footwear and sports-surface sectors in the Valencian Region, such as J’HAYBER, REALTURF, ALBERGRASS and PEGADOS DEL CORCHO. This enables the sector to participate directly in the development of the research and facilitates the rapid transfer of results to the market.

In addition to EFISPORT’s clear social impact in improving sporting practice and the safety of athletes, its results will enable footwear and sports-surface companies – particularly those in the Valencian Region, which have a strong international vocation – to strengthen their leadership position in a sector such as sport, where healthy lifestyle habits, safety in practice and the pursuit of improved performance shape consumption patterns.

“We want companies to have access to validated, realistic procedures that help them design safer and more efficient products for sport practice and compete more effectively in a global market,” González concludes.

Finally, it should be noted that the EFISPORT project is supported by the Department of Innovation, Industry, Trade and Tourism of the Generalitat Valenciana, through IVACE+i, with funding from the European Union, through the ERDF Programme Comunitat Valenciana 2021–2027 (IMDEEA/2025/42).