June 2025
We are delighted to invite you to the 22nd Annual Conference of the European Athlete as Student (EAS) Network, taking place from 6–8 October 2025 in Riga, Latvia, and hosted by the University of Latvia. The university takes pride in its rich tradition of supporting elite student-athletes who have represented both the institution and Latvia on the global stage.
Each year, the EAS Conference provides an engaging platform for knowledge exchange between representatives from sports federations, academic institutions, ERASMUS+ project partners, and dual career professionals. The event promotes collaboration, the presentation of scientific research, and the sharing of best practices.
This years theme “Dual Career of Elite Athletes: Integrating Sport and Education for Future Success” will focus on how education systems and sports institutions can work hand in hand to create a sustainable future for elite athletes. Participants will explore innovative strategies and policy frameworks to better support athletes’ academic and athletic development.
The open and friendly atmosphere of EAS Conferences consistently leads to new initiatives, enhanced cooperation, and long-lasting professional connections. We look forward to hosting a productive and inspiring conference and seeing you soon in Riga.
the EAS conference website: https://eas2025.lu.lv/
The 17th EAS Virtual Cafè on “Dual Career Mentors and Mentees getting ready for the next academic year” will be held on Monday July 7, 2025 (from 12:00 CET).
Dual career represents a tremendous opportunity to empower sportspersons through an effective mentor-mentee relationship, which is the key aim of the ERASMUS+Sport DC MENTOR project (101132309).
On behalf of the EAS Executive Committee, I inform you that the 17th EAS Virtual Cafè on “Dual Career Mentors and Mentees getting ready for the next academic year” will be held on Monday July 7, 2025 (from 12:00 CET).
12:00 Welcome – Prof. Alejandro Leiva Arcas, UCAM, Murcia, Spain
12:10 XXI Century skills for dual career athletes – Kivanc Semiz, PhD, RTEU, Rize,Turkiye
12:25 Mentors-mentees interaction: An innovative approach – Gamze Aydin, Project coordinator at Sports Tech Turkiye, Kirklareli, Turkiye
12:40 The DC MENTOR platform: Future skills for dual career – Kamil Kazim Sari, Collective Innovation, Oslo, Norway.
12:55 General discussions and concluding remarks
We look forward to meeting you for this important dual career event
More information will be available at www.dualcareer.eu
On May 28, 2025, the representatives from all six partner countries of the ERASMUS+Sport SMART START for DC project gathered online for a coordination meeting to assess the development of the SS4DC digital platform to empower young high school athletes (aged 14 to 19) by providing innovative psychological assessment tools, career guidance, and education in transferable skills through a centralized digital environment.
During the meeting, the technical development coordinated across multiple work packages resulted on time and specific focus was given to ensuring the platform’s accessibility, multilingual interface, and gamified learning components, all key to reaching and engaging the target group effectively. Thus, the project team discussed the testing phase and shared feedback from initial internal trials of the SS4DC platform before its official launch. Participants also discussed the preparation of upcoming pilot activities, which will involve around 180 student-athletes for evaluating the platform’s usability and educational impact before the broader rollout planned later this year.
The importance of inter-partner communication and consistency in the delivery of results was also emphasized. The partners agreed on detailed action points to finalize the platform content, test environment, and dissemination strategy in the coming weeks. This coordination meeting highlighted the consortium’s strong collaborative spirit and commitment to delivering a high-quality, inclusive, and sustainable digital solution for young athletes. With development in its final stages and pilot testing on the horizon, the SMART START for DC project is well on track to fulfill its mission of supporting dual career pathways across Europe.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neith er the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
REG. NUMBER: Voluntary Organisation registration VO/1270
PIC NUMBER: 913459865
Email: info@dualcareer.eu