March 2026
Dear EAS Members and Dual Career Friends,
wishing you and your family a happy Easter, the EAS Executive Committee is pleased to update you on the recent and future activities.
Recent activities
January 24-26, the Executive Board members Ole Keldorf, António Figueiredo, and Risto Keskitalo (local organizer), conducted an official institutional visit to Oulu, Finland, the European Capital of Culture 2026, to finalize the terms of the agreement between EAS and the Kastelli Upper Secondary School to host the 23rd EAS Annual Conference next October 5-7, 2026. Further information at https://www.dualcareer.eu/institutional-visit-to-oulu-finland-in-preparation-for-the-23rd-eas-annual-conference-and-executive-board-elections-october-5-7-2026/
February 12, 2026, the EAS Executive Board launched the call of paper for the 2026 Bengt Nybelius Scholarship to facilitate the integration of outstanding scholars and young researchers up to 40 years of age in the area of dual career. Before July 1th, 2026 applicants must submit by e-mail to info@dualcareer.eu an original manuscript related to the scope of EAS. The winner will be invited to present her/his work during the EAS Conference with her/his travel, accommodation, and registration arranged by EAS. Further information at https://www.dualcareer.eu/category/news/
March 5, 2026, EAS contributed to the preparation of new proposals for ERASMUS+Sport Collaborative Partnerships coordinated by highly active and dedicated dual career partners.
March 30, 2026, the 20th virtual EAS cafè with experts and testimonials contributed to the dual career topic “Beyond Winter: Life Between Sport and Study”.
The ongoing EU-funded ERASMUS+Sport Collaborative Partnerships
DiscoverU (101134052), the Collaborative Partnership coordinated by EUSA (Slovenia) aims to enhance university sport and qualifications of elite athletes for preparing them to the labour market. After having organized Power up Workshops for Elite Athletes, events and webinars, the project entered its third year. Further information is available at https://discoveru.eusa.eu
Find Me (101134043), the Collaborative Partnership coordinated by the University of Nis aims to structure an evidence-based European user-friendly platform specifically tailored for dual career at university level. In entering its third year, a FIND ME transnational meeting was held in Ljubljana (Slovenia) on February 19-20, 2026. The European Universities willing to enhance their visibility can be included in the FIND ME platform by completing in about 5-10 minutes a survey on relevant dual career services and provisions offered to sportspersons enrolled in their courses available at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSepAQGxS_ftTyxQwCancqkbVibF6uYrKiQh99K1w_dTb7pgxg/viewform.
FOCUS (101243801), the Collaborative Partnership coordinated by NYSA SWEDEN AB aims to establish an innovative and scalable Dual Career co-created framework, ensuring that elite football players can successfully transition from youth to professional sport levels while maintaining educational and career opportunities. On January 22-23, 2026, the kick off meeting of the Project was organized at the Kisakallio Sports Institute (Finland).
The “Find Me” and “FOCUS” projects are co-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). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
The ongoing EU-funded Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) projects
Give Sport a Say: Give citizens a real say for the future of the EU in and through sports (101253838), coordinated by the Italian Organisation for Sports (OPES Italy) in cooperation with the European Network of Sport Education (ENSE, Austria), the EU Sport Link (Belgium), the European University Sports Association (EUSA Institute, Slovenia), The Association For International Sport for All (TAFISA, Germany), the Sports Federation Union of Catalonia (UFEC, Spain) and EAS, aims to implement 16 events across Europe to facilitate a thorough discussion and to collect ideas for an advancement of the European culture in and through sports.
The “Give Sport a Say: give citizens a real say for the future of the EU in and through sports” project is co-funded by the European Union through the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) Programme, within the Citizens engagement call.
Upcoming events
April 15-16, 2026: EAS will participate to the 2026 EU Sport Forum in Paphos, Cyprus, during which the future of EU sport policy, major challenges, and opportunities for cooperation at European level will be addressed. Further information is available at https://sport.ec.europa.eu/whats-new/events/eu-sport-forum-2026
April 23-24, 2026: The EAS Executive Committee will meet in Riga (Latvia) to prepare the EAS Conference, activities, and future actions.
May 2026: EAS will participate to the meeting of the EPAS Council of Europe Governing Board and joint meeting with the EPAS Consultative Committee.
August 24-28, 2026: FISU World Sport Forum “Active Body Healthy Mind: How Impactful Sport can be at Universities” to be held in Östersund (Sweden), which will encompass three subthemes: Healthy Campus – the key for Wellbeing and Excellence; University Sport Events: Driving Change Through Inclusivity and Good Governance; and Dual Career friendly Universities. Further information is available at https://www.fisu.net/events/2026-ostersund-fisu-world-forum/
August 31 to September 2, 2026: EAS will participate to the V International Seminar on Dual Career in Sport (V SIDUCA) organized by the Associação Brasileira Sobre Dupla Carreira Esportiva in Brasília (Brazil), consolidating itself as one of the leading academic and scientific forums on dual career at the international level. Further information is available at at https://www.dcbrasil.org/informações
Bengt Nybelius Scholarship
July 1 (midnight CET): To be eligible for the 2026 Bengt Nybelius Scholarship, applicants up to 40 years of age must submit their original work related to the scope of EAS by e-mail to info@dualcareer.eu. More information is available at https://www.dualcareer.eu/category/news/
Virtual EAS Cafè
Members of the dual career family are invited to suggest interesting dual career topics to be addressed during the spring, summer, fall, and winter EAS Cafè.
EAS Conference
October 5-7, 2026: the Kastelli Upper Secondary School (Finland) will host in Oulu the 2026 EAS Annual Conference, which is the most important opportunity for the members of the dual career community to elect the Executive Board Elections, and to be informed on the best practices at local, regional, and national levels, to share the findings and outcomes of EU-funded dual career projects, and to recognize the young researcher awarded the Bengt Nybelius Scholarship. The final deadline for abstract submission is September 13, 2026.
Further information will be posted on the official ES website www.dualcareer.eu and social media https://www.facebook.com/eas.dualcareer
Special thanks to the Members of the EAS Executive Committee and to the EAS family (https://www.dualcareer.eu/membership/) for their continuous commitment to the European dual career culture.
Prof. Laura Capranica,
EAS President
Dear friends of Dual Career,
On behalf of the EAS Executive Committee, I inform you that the 20th EAS Virtual Cafè on “Beyond Winter: Life Between Sport and Study” will be held on Monday March 30, 2026 (from 13:00 CET). This event is organized in conjunction with the project “Give Sport a Say” (CERV-101253838), which aims to foster the civil dialogue on future of sport policy in connection with health, equality and youth.
13:10 Welcome
Mrs. Sara Massini
Sara Massini, psychologist, is the head of European and International affair department of OPES, Italian umbrella organization for grassroots sport under the Italian Olympic Committee structure. Former secretary general of ENGSO and youth leader within the Italian youth Council and European youth forum, she has a long experience in advocacy, policy and project management in the areas of sport and youth both at National and European level.
13:10 From my dual career to the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics.
Mrs. Diana Bianchedi, MD
Diana Bianchedi is gold medallist in fencing (foil) at the 1992 and 2000 Olympic Games, and at five World Championships. Graduated in Medicine and specialized in Sport Medicine, Diana is the Vice President of the Italian Olympic Committee and the Chief Strategy Planning & Legacy Officer of 2026 Milano-Cortina Olympic and Paralympic Games. She is actively supporting the dual career of athletes, being also the mother of Giulia Amore, elite fencer graduated in Economics, Management and Computer Science.
13:20 European Week of Winter Sport – from the ERASMUS+Sport project to a movement for future outlooks.
Mr. Andrej Pisl, MS
Andrej Pisl, EUSA Director of Projects and Policy, is in charge of European projects and policy, linking university sport with European values, organisations and institutions. He has over 25 years of experience in the field of sport in higher education, and currently holds a position as a Consultative Committee bureau member of the Council of Europe’s Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS). He is an advocate for equality, inclusion and sport for all, also actively promoting and supporting dual career pathways. Andrej holds a Master’s degree in Sport Management from the University of Ljubljana, and is currently a PhD student at the University of Rome Foro Italico.
13:30 Shooting for Two Goals: What Elite Biathletes Say About Managing Sport and Education: Preliminary Findings of the ERASMUS+Sport DC4B Project. – Prof. Małgorzata Maria Sławińska, PhD
Prof. Małgorzata Maria Sławińska, PhD, is an assistant professor and Head of the Department of Social Sciences at the Institute of Sport – National Research Institute in Warsaw. Her research interests focus on sport and physical activity psychology, with particular emphasis on the role of affect in physical activity, mental health and burnout in sport, and dual-career challenges. She is the author of peer-reviewed scientific publications and integrates theoretical and empirical perspectives with practical solutions for elite sport and the general population. She leads the Erasmus+ Sport DC4Biathletes.
13:40 The Winter Olympic Athlete’s Experience
Mrs. Anina Zurbriggen
Mrs. Anina Zuebriggen is an alpine skier, born in Switzerland, living in Bulgaria, having Bulgarian and Swiss citizenship. In 2026 she represented Bulgaria at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina and she is studying Biomedical Science at the University of Fribourg (SUI).
13:50 General discussions and concluding remarks
We wish you a great weekend and we look forward to meeting you for this important dual career event.
You can join the Zoom Meeting at https://uni-lj-si.zoom.us/j/97257339611 (Meeting ID: 972 5733 9611)
Feel free to share this information with your colleagues, students, coaches, sports managers, and other sport actors.
Looking forward to meeting you again!
“Give Sport a Say is 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 granting authority European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.”
Under the European Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values programme (CERV), EAS joins experienced European partners (Italian Organisation for Sports – OPES Italy, Coordinator; the European Network of Sport Education – ENSE, Austria; the EU Sport Link, Belgium; the European University Sports Association – EUSA Institute, Slovenia; The Association For International Sport for All – TAFISA, Germany; the Sports Federation Union of Catalonia – UFEC, Spain) to promote the European fundamental values, democracy, and human rights, engaging citizens directly with policy-makers in a collective effort to shape the future of European sport policy.
From March 2026 to February 2028, The Give Sport a Say project (CERV-2025-CITIZENS-CIV-101253838) will implement 16 events across Europe to:
– Inform: Evaluating knowledge and explaining EU decision-making processes.
– Build Capacity: Providing practical skills and deeper insights into human rights in sport.
– Engage: Empowering citizens to contribute to policy dialogues and future EU sport strategies.
To facilitate a thorough discussion and to collect ideas for an advancement of the European culture in and through sports, the activities will be integrated into the regular sporting, educational, and governance events of the Partners.
“Give Sport a Say: give citizens a real say for the future of the EU in and through sports” project is co-funded by the European Union through the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) Programme, within the Citizens engagement call.
REG. NUMBER: Voluntary Organisation registration VO/1270
PIC NUMBER: 913459865
Email: info@dualcareer.eu