Research Area | Established Structure

1. Health & Physical Activity (PE in Schools)

A dedicated Research Track on Health & Physical Activity is operational under the FEFS Research Steering Group, with appointed Track Leads (senior + early-career) and formal partnerships with MAShTI, municipalities, school directorates, and public health institutions.

2. Sports Rehabilitation (Injury Prevention & Return-to-Sport)

A Rehabilitation Research Track is operational through the Institute of Sports Sciences, with a standardized Injury Registry established in collaboration with federations and clubs across multiple sports. A clinic-to-publication pathway is functional.

3. Elite Sports Performance (Mediterranean Games Prishtina 2030)

An Elite Performance Research Track is operational with formal Performance Support Agreements with MKRS, KOK, federations, and elite clubs. Sport-specific testing batteries and longitudinal monitoring systems are institutionalized.

Cross-Cutting Research Support (All Tracks)

The FEFS Research Steering Group is operational, with monthly Research Forums, a Data & Methods Desk, and an established Research Practicum for students.

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Implemented Activities

Longitudinal school-based studies are conducted to examine PE dose-response effects (1–3 hours/week) on fitness, wellbeing, and academic-related indicators; implementation studies with school leadership are carried out to identify barriers and enablers for increasing PE hours; cost-benefit and workforce impact analyses are implemented to evidence employment pathways for FEFS graduates.

Continuous injury surveillance is implemented across football, judo, basketball, volleyball, handball, athletics, gymnastics, and swimming; risk profiling protocols (strength asymmetries, ROM, jump mechanics) are applied; standardized return-to-sport criteria and outcome tracking are used in applied settings.

National performance profiling is conducted by sport; training load, recovery, and competition density are monitored longitudinally; talent pathway analyses (youth-to-elite transitions, bio-banding) are implemented to inform high-performance planning.

Regular workshops on study design, ethics, statistics, and scientific writing are delivered; guest lectures from international research leaders are hosted; publication accelerators provide support for APCs, editing, and conference dissemination.

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Faculty & Student Integration

Bachelor and Master students are embedded as research assistants in school clusters with defined roles in data collection, coordination, and reporting; each project includes at least two Master students with clear co-authorship criteria; faculty mentors supervise thematic sub-teams.

Students are integrated as clinical research assistants for data capture, follow-ups, and analysis; Master theses are embedded within registry sub-studies; faculty lead applied research clinics and supervise publication pipelines.

Students are embedded in performance support teams for testing, monitoring, and reporting; Master projects are aligned with sport-specific datasets; faculty supervise applied analytics and reporting to federations.

All projects include student roles with defined learning outcomes; mentorship structures pair senior and early-career faculty; co-authorship pathways are formalized and transparent.

Outputs & Deliverables

Annual policy briefs on PE hours and physical activity; two peer-reviewed manuscripts per year (epidemiological and implementation-focused); annual “School Fitness Dashboard” reporting outcomes at municipal level.

Annual Injury Reports by sport; evidence-based RTS and prevention guidelines updated every 18–24 months; 2–3 peer-reviewed manuscripts per year (registry, risk factors, RTS outcomes).

Annual “Mediterranean Games Performance Roadmap” updates; 2–3 peer-reviewed manuscripts per year (profiling, load–performance, taper/recovery); standardized testing and reporting protocols for coaches.

Annual FEFS Research Report; public Research Outputs Dashboard; submissions to Q1/Q2 journals; datasets archived with documentation.

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Monitoring & KPIs

Number of schools enrolled; completeness of datasets; number of policy briefs adopted by municipalities/MAShTI; peer-reviewed submissions/acceptances; student co-authorships.

Registry coverage (% clubs/athletes); follow-up rates; time-loss injury trends in partner teams; guideline uptake by federations; publications and citations.

Number of elite athletes monitored longitudinally; federation utilization of reports; improvements in performance benchmarks; publications and international collaborations.

Number of workshops delivered; participation rates; grant submissions/awards; indexed publications; student research placements and co-authorships.