INEFC (National Institute of Physical Education of Catalonia) is a Higher Education Centre set up by the Government of Catalonia, whose mission is to provide training, specialisation and perfecting for physical education and sports professionals, as well as to carry out scientific research and the publication of its projects and studies. 

Originally founded in 1975, INEFC joined the Barcelona Olympics’ spirit and moved to its current headquarters in the Olympic ring area in 1992.

To carry out its mission, the INEFC has two academic centres, one in Barcelona and one in Lleida, academically ascribed to the Universities of Barcelona and Lleida respectively. Both academic centres have a staff of more than one hundred fulltime professors with proven experience in the field of education and professional practice of the different areas of Physical Education and Sport, being Management and High Performance the main areas of specialisation.

Both INEFC centres are located in an excellent setting that favours learning and provide over 100.000 m² of facilities and cutting-edge installations that make them unique in their category.

The INEFC has a wide range of diverse academic options, which in conjunction with more than thirty nine years of teaching and training experience, have made the INEFC an iconic institution in the area of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences.

As refers to university education, the INEFC has fully adapted to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA).  Undergraduate degrees, master’s programs and doctorates are offered according to the ECTS credit system, facilitating and fostering academic mobility of students and faculty throughout Europe.

Currently, the INEFC has a total of 1,600 undergraduate and over 300 postgraduate students; moreover 500 people are taking part in the continuing education courses offered.

The Degree in Physical Activity and Sport Sciences, which combines knowledge of sports techniques with other subject matters, enables graduates to practice in the fields of Education, Sports Management, High Performance, and Physical Activity and Health, among others.

The INEFC is the centre of Higher Education that offers the greatest number of Master’s programs in Spain and also has the higher number of postgraduates in Spain.

The INEFC offers university master’s degrees for professionals and researchers in the area of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences.  Thanks to the adscription to the universities of Barcelona and Lleida and the collaboration with other institutions, the specialisation opportunities offered cover the main fields of professional activity. Furthermore, the master’s degrees in the area of research provide access to doctoral studies in either of the two academic sites of the INEFC.

The INEFC offers, among others, the following Master’s Degree Programs, which are directly linked with the presented program:

   -    Master’s Degree Program in Sport Management (http://masters.inefc.es/gestioesportiva/castella/)
   -    Master’s Degree Program in Sport Performance: Technification and High Level (http://php.inefc.net/master_retan/?lang=es)
   -    Master’s Degree Program Sports Director (http://masters.inefc.es/directoresportiu/?lang=ca)
   -    Master’s Degree Program in Sport Law (http://masters.inefc.es/dretesport/cas/ )

Also the Erasmus program and other programs outside the EU can provide a valuable complement to studies at the INEFC, favouring mobility and cooperation in countries around the world.

INEFC is a leading contributor at the European level in research and innovation in the fields of physical education and sports. Research is undertaken by means of in-house projects through its 5 research groups sponsored by the Government of Catalonia:

       √  The Group of Social and Educational Research on Physical Activity and Sport (ID: 2014 SGR 1240).
       √  Research Group on Sport Games (ID: 2014 SGR 87).
       √  The INEFC Barcelona Sport Sciences Research Group (ID: 2014 SGR 1665).
       √  Physical Activity and Health Research Group (ID: 2014 SGR 1629)
       √ Complex systems and sport (ID: 2014 SGR 975)

In addition, INEFC sponsors its own research groups, such as this on Sports and Physical Activity – Sustainability and Well-being, which is of special relevance to the purpose of the project. 

At the same time, joint projects with other institutions, such as the High Performance Sports Centre (CAR), the Catalan Sports Council (CSC), or fellow universities (University of Barcelona and University of Lleida) are developed.

INEFC offers annual grants valued at over 400.000 EUR to support PhD students to develop research joining some of the INEFC high-profile research teams. Both centres, Barcelona and Lleida, have highly specialised laboratories in Biomechanics; Physiology and functional assessment; Kinanthropometry; Technological Innovation; Social and Educational research; Psychology and motor learning; Motor behaviour; and Motor skills observation.

In addition, the Catalan Sports Observatory, developed by INEFC, gathers, processes and publishes information on the sport phenomenon in Catalonia to help policy makers and decision makers in the field of sports. It is remarkable the fact that FFCH project results will be of interest to the Observatory in terms of its contribution towards improving the adoption of healthy habits and physical activity in school policy-making and programmes at regional level.

Similarly, INEFC sponsors the scientific journal Apunts.Educación Física y Deportes, which has been the institute’s best ambassador in all Spanish-speaking countries for over 25 years. This and other INEFC publications will be significant means contributing towards the visibility of the actions and the dissemination of project results.

Furthermore, INEFC has a grat experience in European Union funded projects, as a participant and also as a project leader institution. This was the case of POCTEFA project, with a global estimated cost of 2.846.772€. The European Union funding amount was of 1.809.452€ managed by INEFC.
INEFC was the leader in European Project EFA 104/09 HFCF, UE- FEDER founds since 2009 until 2013.
http://www.inefc.net/inefc/AppPHP/imatges_continguts/POCTEFA/RESUM520PROYECTO%20POCTEFA.pdf