The scientific and research, educational and consultant center for functional research in sports and kinesitherapy was created in 2009 in accordance with the  research project (RNF 01/0116) under the  National Science Fund (Contract No: ДОО2 - 54/10.12.2008), entitled "Constitution and probation of scientific complex for assessment of physiological and biomechanical parameters during physical load in kinesitherapy and sport" .

The center is situated in the University sport's complex building next to Corpus 1.

Aims and tasks

The Center is an autonomous university structure aiming at:

1. Practical training and tuition of the bachelor's and master's students, undergradiate students and PhD students in the following majors: Kinesitherapy, Physical education, Logopedics, Social works, Psychology etc.
2. Scientific, research and project activities of the stuff and students in the field of functional diagnostics of the physical effort and sport and exercise physiology investigations by anthropometric measurements, polyphysiograph registrations of the bioelectric activity, isokinetic dynamometry and biomechanical research, electro-myography in kinesiology,  spiroergometry etc.
3. Research and consultant activity with student teams, club teams, with centers for fitness and re-creation etc.

Main purpose

The main purpose is to develop scientific and research activity by fostering,  mastering and applying the relevant and contemporary methodology for assessment of the physical effort and testing of the functional parameters (physiological and electrophysiological, biomechanical, biochemical etc.) not only in healthy untrained and trained subjects, but in sportsmen as well.

 

Priorities

• Research - fundamental and applied investigations, project activities related with trends of European, national and university priority in the area of  biological and medical sciences, sports, kinesitherapy and rehabilitation etc.

• Functional testing - of the sportsmen, reconvalescents and healthy untrained, for assessment of their aerobic and anaerobic capacity, evaluation of the neuro-muscular parameters and performance and sensor and motor functional deficits.

• Training - training of the Bulgarian and international students form the University and abroad in a form of exercises, practices, observations, training courses with various duration and different forms of participation in research, consultative, diagnostic activities, etc.

• Partnership - with related university and research institutions in both Bulgaria and abroad for implementation of the common scientific and investigation-related activities, exchange of the methodology, "Good laboratory practices" (GLP) in accordance with the European criteria, common scientific meetings, workshops, seminars etc., and various forms of student and teacher mobility with different Departments, Universities and partners.

• Innovative activities - mastering of the basic methodological approaches and protocols for functional testing of the physical effort, applied in European centers and dissemination of the results.

Structure

The following units are included in the center:

1. Preliminary medical examination and medicinal control
2. Anthropometry
3. Spiroergometry
4. Biochemistry
5. Kinesiological electro-myography
6. Isokinetic dynamometry.

Partners

• European College of Sport Science
• Bulgarian Society of Physiological Sciences
• Bulgarian Academy of Sciences - Institute on biophysics and biomedicinal engineering, Sofia
• Medical University, Sofia
• Physiotherapy center, "Vyara,  nadezhda i lyubov", Blagoevgrad.