The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and Japan-based sportswear company ASICS will establish the ASICS x Michigan Sport Innovation Center, a pioneering research effort aimed at advancing human performance and sport science, through a new multiyear research collaboration.
ASICS will commit $25 million in funding to support the research program.
This initiative will bring together an interdisciplinary team of researchers from across the university to partner with the sportswear company by uniting experts from medicine, engineering, human performance, robotics, textiles, and the social sciences to drive innovation and advance sport performance.
The Ann Arbor campus also will host ASICS’ first research hub in the United States.
“We are thrilled to partner with ASICS, an organization that shares our commitment to solving complex challenges through innovation and a human-centered approach,” says Domenico Grasso, interim president of U-M. “Welcoming ASICS’ inaugural U.S. research hub is a tremendous honor and affirms the strength of our faculty, students and collaborative research culture, both locally and globally.”
The ASICS x Michigan Sport Innovation Center seeks to create “disruptive innovations” that enhance athletic performance, blending ASICS’ global integrated enterprise of research with U-M’s comprehensive research strengths and well-established running community.
The interdisciplinary collaboration with U-M faculty is expected to further accelerate research and the development of new technologies, benefitting athletes at all levels.
ASICS and U-M will utilize cutting-edge facilities and engagement programs to collaborate directly with athletes. This collaboration is expected to deepen an understanding of human performance needs and advance data-driven solutions for peak performance by adopting ASICS’ approach toward human-centric science.
“We are honored to enter into a strategic partnership with the University of Michigan, one of the world’s leading research-oriented universities,” says Mitsuyuki Tominaga, president and COO of ASICS Corp. “Since our founding, ASICS has upheld the philosophy of ‘Anima Sana In Corpore Sano’ — ‘a sound mind in a sound body’ — and has long supported athletes of all levels in achieving peak performance through fundamental research and advanced technology.”
Tominaga added that under the company’s Mid-Term Plan 2026, it’s dividing long-term research focused on athletes to further strengthen innovation. Establishing this research entity — home to many of the world’s top athletes and a key market for its future growth — “is a source of great pride for us.”
“This initiative is part of that effort, aimed at building a global R&D network and accelerating athlete-focused research,” Tominaga says. “Going forward, we will continue to make what benefits athletes the standard for all decisions, listen sincerely to athletes’ voices, and pursue product development that contributes to their success. By integrating the latest research, we will also strive to create breakthrough innovations.”
The university’s culture of cross-disciplinary collaboration was said to be pivotal in the company’s decision to establish its first U.S.-based research presence at U-M. Innovation Partnerships, a division of the Office of the Vice President for Research and the university’s research commercialization arm, convened a broad team of researchers led by Ken Kozloff, co-director of the Human Performance & Sport Science Center, to join forces with ASICS to approach complex challenges from multiple perspectives.
Faculty representing the College of Engineering, School of Kinesiology, Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Institute for Social Research and College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, as well as Michigan Medicine, are engaged in this initiative. The inaugural faculty members of the new research initiative steering committee include Sean Ahlquist, Rich Gonzalez, Talia Moore, Elliott Rouse, Max Shtein, and Ram Vasudevan.
“The University of Michigan ecosystem is rich with experts who share a passion for making a difference in people’s lives through their research,” says Kozloff, the Steven A. Goldstein Collegiate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and professor of kinesiology and biomedical engineering at U-M. “The ASICS x Michigan Sport Innovation Center is an incredible opportunity to unite talent from different disciplines to collaborate with ASICS.
“By tackling the challenges of athletic performance from diverse vantage points, we will strengthen our impact in unique ways. The collaboration between the university and ASICS will yield new innovations in athletic footwear and training gear, supporting athletes of all levels.”
ASICS reportedly conducted a rigorous process to identify an academic collaborator, evaluating multiple universities. The company reached out to U-M through the Michigan Economic Development Corp.
