According to the epidemiological situation caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, places of access to the public, such as health services or businesses, can contribute to the direct/indirect transmission of the virus. The floor of public establishments represents a contagious vehicle and, consequently, the soles of the shoes in contact with it can also be a transmission vehicle.

SM4S – Safety Materials for Shoes project aims to develop shoe soles with antiviral properties, to reduce contagion risk and allow greater safety for users. The proposed solution consists of adding one or more constituents of the polyurethane reaction with antiviral agents, without changing the intrinsic properties of the final material, namely in its mechanical characteristics.

The addition of antiviral agentes in shoe soles reduces the conditions of spread of the virus on these surfaces. In this way, the probability of these means of functioning as active viral transport between places of access to the public will be lower, thus contributing to decrease the risk of contagion and allowing greater security for users.

Main goals

Development of shoe soles, based on Polyurethane (PU), with antiviral properties, with the purpose of preventing footwear from being a means of transporting viruses in places of generalized access. It is intended to offer antiviral soles capable of helping to combat the current pandemic situation, by additive raw materials (used in the reaction of polyurethane) with active agents, without changing their intrinsic properties.

Project Number: POCI-01-02B7-FEDER-068501

Approval date: 01 July 2020

Project Duration: August 2020 to February 2021

Eligible Cost: 153 491.91 €

Financial Support EU: FEDER – 122 793.53 €

Project Type: SI I&DT Empresarial – Copromoção

Intervention Region: North of Portugal