Author: duponam
The members of the EAS Executive Board Laura Capranica, Risto Keskitalo, and António Figueiredo were invited as guest speakers at the Dual Career International Seminar of Associação Brasileira Sobre Dupla Carreira Esportiva (V SIDUCA, https://www.dcbrasil.org) in Brasília, Brazil. The seminar hosted by the University of Brasília took place from 31 August to 2 September.
The event brought together 116 delegates from eight countries: Brazil, Portugal, Italy, Finland, Spain, Türkiye, Uruguay, and Colombia. Discussions focused on good practices from different countries and universities, while also providing an important platform for exchanging views on emerging trends and future perspectives in dual career.
The seminar represented an important opportunity to strengthen relationships between countries, associations, universities, and the sport sector, with the aim of fostering a shared global understanding of the main challenges, needs, and expectations related to dual career. These exchanges provide a valuable foundation for future international collaboration.
On the first day, Laura Capranica delivered a keynote presentation entitled “European Sport and Education: Dual Career as an Alliance for Health.” Addressing the relevance of dual career from a European perspective, Professor Capranica highlighted European efforts to strengthen partnerships in sport and education, as well as ongoing projects in which EAS is a partner: DiscoverU (101134052), which aims to enhance university sport and the qualifications of elite athletes in preparation for the labour market; FIND ME (101134043), which aims to develop an evidence-based, user-friendly European platform specifically tailored to dual career at university level; FOCUS (101243801), which supports dual career athletes in their transition towards professional sport; and Give Sport a Say (101253838), which aims to implement 16 events across Europe to facilitate in-depth discussions and gather ideas to advance European culture in and through sport. The latter is co-funded by the European Union through the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) Programme, under the Citizens’ Engagement call.
Risto Keskitalo contributed to the session on international experiences in dual career, presenting the main aspects of the Kastelli Upper Secondary Sports School (Finland) approach. His presentation was very well received and generated considerable interest among the participants.
The final conference of the seminar, held on the third day, was delivered by Professor António Figueiredo under the title “Dual Career: Policies, Praxis and Innovation for a Sustainable Future.” His presentation provided an opportunity to bring together the main contributions and discussions from the seminar, while also highlighting key directions and priorities for the future development of dual career.
A final word of appreciation goes to the organisers of this important event, with a special mention to Professor Felipe Costa, a key driving force behind dual career initiatives and development efforts in South America. His commitment has been instrumental in strengthening the dual career community and promoting international dialogue in the field.
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 “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.
From August 24–28, 2026, the Mid Sweden University and the Swedish University Sports Federation (SAIF) hosted the FISU World Forum in Östersund, Sweden. This event is a global meeting point for 150 students, university sports officials, Healthy Campus University representatives and professionals from 40 countries worldwide, who explored the theme “Active Body Healthy Mind: How Impactful Sport can be at Universities” through three sub-themes: 1) Healthy Campus – the key for Wellbeing and Excellence; 2) University Sport Events: Driving Change Through Inclusivity and Good Governance; and 3) Dual Career friendly Universities.
Through the years, EAS has collaborated in various projects and events with FISU and EUSA, which represent the major sports organizations at International and European Organizations of university sports, respectively.
On September 25, Ms. Lovisa Groms, President of the Organizing Committee, Mr. Anders Fallstrom, Vice-Chancellor of the Mid Sweden University, Mr. Leonz Eder, President of FISU, and Ms. Verena Burk, Chair of the Education Committee of FISU welcome the participants. The theme of Healthy Campus was addressed by the keynote presentation of Ms. Michelle Tanner, Director of Sport and Physical Activity at the Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, who lectured on “How do we create environments where people really can thrive?””. A panel moderated by Mr. Martin Doulton (Executive Committee Member of FISU), with the participation of Ms. Megan Skeels (University of Doha for Science and Technology), Ms. Marc Poulin (Calgary University) and Joakim Abrahamsson (Umeå University) discussed “Why Does Healthy Campus Matters?”. More information is available at https://www.fisu.net/2026/08/24/healthy-campus-isnt-a-department-its-an-ecosystem/
Dual Career was the main topic of the second day, encompassing a dual career workshop on “Encompassing the past and moving into the future”, and the keynote presentations on Dual Career Friendly Universities by Mr. Miquel Torregrossa (Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain), who discussed ““The Promotion of Mental Health in Dual Career Friendly Universities”, and the 2017 Bengt Nybelius Scholarshio Winner Mr. Lukas Linner (Halmstad University, Sweden), who illustrated “The Swedish model of Dual Career”. The keynote speakers also participated in the panel discussion moderated by Mr. Aku Nikandar (University of Jyväskylä) with the contribution of Ms. Lara Chehayeb (Lebanese student-athlete and FISU Student Ambassador), Mr. Kent Lindahl (Head of Dual Career Development at the Swedish Sport Federation), and Ms. Laura Capranica (President of EAS, University of Rome Foro Italico). More information is available at https://www.fisu.net/2026/08/25/dual-career-is-a-human-right/.
The event allowed also to present the European efforts in supporting partnerships is sport as well as to inform on the ongoing projects in which EAS is partner: DiscoverU (101134052) aiming to enhance university sport and qualifications of elite athletes for preparing them to the labour market; FIND ME (101134043), aiming to structure an evidence-based European user-friendly platform specifically tailored for dual career at university level; FOCUS (101243801), aiming to help dual career players transitioning to professional sport; and Give Sport a Say (101253838), aiming 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.
During the remaining days the participants were actively engaged in workshops, discussion groups and projects. More information is available at https://ostersund2026forum.fisu.net/news/
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 “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.
On 25–26 August 2026, Mojca Doupona represented EAS at the second Transnational Project Meeting of the FOCUS project, hosted by BK Häcken at Gothia Park Academy in Gothenburg, Sweden, coordinated by NYSA, Sweden.
During the first day, project partners reviewed the project’s progress and emerging WP2 findings, discussed athlete monitoring and impact assessment, and continued developing the WP3 co-creation framework. The programme also included partner discussions and observation of a training session at the academy.
The second day brought together project partners and stakeholders for a series of exceptional, highly interactive workshops. Participants mapped athletes’ support ecosystems, explored how different stakeholders may experience the same dual-career system, and used the Cynefin framework to examine decision-making in clear, complicated, complex and chaotic situations.
Through a structured co-creation process, participants moved from evidence and stakeholder experiences to defining priority challenges, generating possible solutions and developing practical concepts. The workshops demonstrated that effective dual-career support is not simply a list of individual services, but a connected system of relationships involving athletes, families, coaches, educational institutions and other key stakeholders.
The open exchange of experiences and perspectives made the stakeholder workshops particularly valuable and provided important ideas and recommendations for the next phase of the FOCUS project.
Online Transnational Meeting of the FIND ME Project
On July 22, 2026, the FIND ME Erasmus+ consortium held an online project meeting attended by all the representatives of the partner institutions. The meeting focused on reviewing the current status of project implementation, monitoring progress across the ongoing work packages, and coordinating the next steps necessary for the successful achievement of project objectives.
During the meeting, partners provided updates on their respective activities and discussed the implementation of the current work packages and related project deliverables. Particular attention was given to the progress achieved so far, the challenges encountered, and the upcoming deadlines. The consortium confirmed that the project is progressing according to the planned timeline, while emphasizing the importance of maintaining close communication and coordination among partners during the forthcoming implementation period.
A significant part of the meeting was dedicated to the further development of the FIND ME online platform and the network of universities and faculties involved in supporting the dual career of student-athletes. Partners analysed the current number of registered higher education institutions, exchanged experiences regarding institutional outreach, and agreed on additional activities aimed at encouraging more universities and faculties to join the platform. Increasing the visibility and geographical coverage of the platform was identified as one of the key priorities for the coming months.
The meeting concluded with an overview of the agreed action points, responsibilities, and deadlines. All partners reaffirmed their commitment to the successful implementation of the FIND ME project and to strengthening collaboration in promoting sustainable dual career opportunities for student-athletes across Europe. The outcomes of the FIND ME project will be presented during the upcoming EAS Annual Conference to be held in Oulu, Finland next October 5-7, 2026.
The FIND ME project 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 European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
On July 19, 2026, the last in-person meeting of the Erasmus+Sport Collaborative Parnership Discovering University Sport and Supporting Dual Career (DiscoverU) was organized in Salerno during the 2026 EUSA Games.
Coordinated by the European University Sports Association (EUSA) Institute, the consortium encompassed the European Athlete Student (EAS) network, the Croatian Academic Sports Federation (CASF / HASS), the Hungarian University Sports Federation (HUSF / MEFS), the University Sports Association of Poland (AZS), and the University of Salerno (Italy) in cooperation with CUS Salerno.
During the 3-year of the project life course, European university sports administrators and dual-career experts aimed to promote healthy academic lifestyles by introducing new sports activities and to support the dual career of student athletes reinforcing the university systems.
In Salerno, partners reviewed the local sport activities and the events initiated and progressed during the project, highlighted the evolution of the university dual career systems at national levels, and fine-tuned upcoming project deliverables.
The participants had also the opportunity to attend the EUSA Forum and the Opening Ceremony of the 2026 EUSA Games.
The DiscoverU project 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 European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
On July 20, 2026, the University of Salerno (Unisa) hosted a panel on Student-Athletes and Dual Career, within the framework of the European University Games 2026. After offering a concise overview of European approaches to dual career, personalized academic pathways, and the psychological and institutional conditions that support student-athletes, Prof. Francesca D’Elia (Unisa) moderated the panel of leading experts in sport policy, higher education, and wellbeing.
Laura Capranica (EAS President) highlighted the European policy framework connecting sport, education, and health. She emphasized cooperation among institutions, cultural diversity across Member States, and the need for structured dialogue between sport and education stakeholders. Speciafically for the University context, she highlighted the relevance of the European cooperation projects Give Sport a Say under the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV), and the Collaborative Partnerships DiscoverU, Edmedia, Find Me, More Than Gold, and Runners4All under the ERASMUS+Sport.
Andreas Csonka (EUSA EUSA Executive Committee Member) framed dual career as a wellbeing, education, and talent policy, stressing predictable flexibility, full academic choice, and institutional reliability. He underlined the role of EUSA in enforcing the European principles: flexibility in models, consistency in outcomes, and no forced dropout.
Gaetano Raiola (Pegaso University) presented the transition from the school Personalized Learning Pathway (PFP) to university dual career programs. He illustrated regulatory tools, flexible exam scheduling, tutoring schemes, and the recognition of certified sporting activities through Italian Ministerial Decree 931/2024, enabling coherent and personalized academic pathways.
Ruggero Andrisano Ruggieri (Unisa) explored the psychological dimension of dual career through the “Double Family” construct, describing relational tensions between family, sport, and university. He proposed the university as a third space supporting autonomy, coordination, and wellbeing through mapping, clarification, direct communication, and monitoring.
Antonella Apicella, Captain of Salernitana Women Soccer Team, presented the challenges and opportunities of a university student-athlete, offering further for the implementation of dual career support policies and provisions.
The discussion reinforced a shared message: dual career requires coordinated systems, personalized pathways, and attention to wellbeing. The University of Salerno expressed its commitment to advancing dual career initiatives and exploring a dedicated institutional regulation aligned with European recommendations and the mission of EAS and EUSA.
The DiscoverU, EdMedia, Find Me, Give Sport a Say, More Than Gold, and Runners4All projects are 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.
On July 18 2026, the University of Salerno in cooperation with CUS Salerno hosted the 2026 EUSA Forum “Empowering University Sport: Grassroots & Innovation” attended by representatives from universities, university sports organisations, and international partners who have the responsibility to enhance the impact of sports knowledge and best practices to foster healthy lifestyles in the academic environments and the society at large.
The President of EUSA, Mr. Haris Pavletic, welcomed the participants and presented the EUSA’s 2025-2029 strategic vision, particularly focused on the development of the students’ health, education, and personal development in and through sport. The University of Salerno Rector, Prof. Virgilio D’Antonio, and the President of CUS Salerno, Mr. Lorenzo Lentini, emphasized their satisfaction in hosting the EUSA Games for the first time in Italy, which could promote a strong legacy for enhancing physical activity and healthy behaviours in the Campania population.
The keynote speech of Mr. Antonio Parrilla, Italy’s Representative at the Council of Europe’s EPAS Governing Board Bureau, presented the relevance of the Revised European Sports Charter and its values of integrity, inclusion, and human dignity, which should be supported by institutional responsibility and structural funding.
The Forum encompassed two panel discussions. The first panel focused the future of inclusive and sustainable university sport with the contribution of Mr. Vincenzo Cusati, Sport Educator and Mental Coach from CUS Salerno, Mr. Peter Juhasz, Secretary General of the Hungarian University Sports Federation (MEFS), Mrs. Marija Panijan from the Croatian Academic Sports Federation, Mrs. Marianna Pikul from the University Sports Association of Poland (AZS), and Mr. Liam Smith, EUSA Director of Sports Events, moderated by Mr. Andrej Pisl EUSA Director of Projects & Policy. The discussion presented the importance of innovation, supportive policy frameworks, scientific data and international cooperation for enhancing grassroots sport engagement of the majority of sedentary university students and for preventing academic or sport dropout of athletes through dual career programmes.
The second panel focused on the strengthening the long-term impact of university sport through institutional cooperation with the contribution of Prof. Francesco Paolo Adorno, Rector’s Delegate for University Sports Policy and Relations with CUS at the University of Salerno, Mr. Bruno Barracosa, EUSA 1st Vice-President and former President of the Portuguese University Sports Federation, Prof. Laura Capranica, President of the European Athlete Student (EAS) network, Mr. Leonz Eder, President of the International University Sports Federation (FISU), and Mr. Philippe Housiaux, President of the European Fair Play Movement (EFPM), moderated by Mr. Andreas Csonka, EUSA Executive Committee Member. Key themes explored the needs of students in a fast changing society, the effective approaches to elicit active lifestyles in the academic environment, the cooperation of different stakeholders in sharing visions and responsibilities, and the importance to monitor progress. The relevance of monitoring the efficacy of policies and services for allowing students to combine sport, study, and social life was highlighted, as well as the need of cooperation to share best practices across Europe for enhancing fair play, safeguarding, ethical governance, and supportive environments.
On July 2-3, 2026, the University of Cagliari in collaboration with Sardegna Ricerche, the Regional Science and Technology Park of Sardinia, and the Sporting Life and Medicine Laboratory (SLAM), organized in Pula, Italy, the 5th UniCa Sport Scientific International Conference (USSIC). This event represented a meeting point for researchers, clinicians, practitioners, and institutions who believe in the impact of translating cutting-edge sports-related knowledge into real-world.
Whilst the first day was devoted to keynote, oral, and poster presentations related to bio-medical aspects of sports for physical and mental health of the practitioners, the second day encompassed key lectures and round tables on personalized training and on building sustainable pathways for student-athletes. As invited key lecturers, Laura Capranica, president of EAS and Thalia Darnanville, INSA coordinator of the SamEUROPE project presented the “European Sport and Education: An Alliance for Health” and the “SAMEurope: Erasmus+ mobility for dual career students”, respectively. Relevance was given to the EU Funded ERASMUS+ Collaborative Partnerships for universitiies, such as More Than Gold, DiscoverU, Runners for All, and Find Me.
Myosotis Massidda and Filippo Tocco, organizers of the Conference, moderated the round table on dual caree. Alessandra Carucci (Rector’s Delegate for international relationships of the Universty of Cagliari), Laura Capranica (Rector’s Delegate for dual career of the Universty of Rome Foro Italico and EAS President), Thalia Darnanville (INSA, Lyon, France) Carlo Castagna (Pegaso Telematic University, Italy), Attilio Carraro (Free Uniersity of Bolzano, Italy), Susana Povoas (University of Maia, Portugal), Bruno Perra (President of the Sardinia Region Olympic Committee, Italy), Nardino Degortes (Coach of the Italian national track and field athletes 1984-2002), Fulvia Cappai (basketball player and student of law) discussed the challenges and opportunities of educational institutions and sport bodies in co-constructing a cohesive supportive entourage for sportspersons in pursuing their sport and academic careers.
Further information is available at https://www.ussic.it
The DiscoverU, Find Me, More Than Gold, Runners4All, and SAMEurope projects are 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.
On June 23, 2026, Olympic and Paralympic Day, Mr. Glenn Micallef, Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport of the European Commission hosted the #Be Active EU Sport Awards 2026 Ceremony at Bozar in Brussels, Belgium. Mrs. Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen, Director-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture at the European Commission, offered the opening speech, highlighting that this important event recognizes the significance of projects and individuals committed to sport across Europe.
Then, Mr. Micalef discussed the principles and power of the European Sport Model with Mrs. Athena Michaelidou, Cypriot Minister of Education, Sport and Youth, who recently hosted the EU Sport Forum under the Cypriot Presidency of the Union.
In 2026, the Award encompassed five categories: Across Generations, Inclusion, Peace, Physical Activity, and Volunteering. From the 279 applications, an independent jury selected three finalists for each category. Information on the 15 finalists is available at https://sport.ec.europa.eu/whats-new/news/beactive-eu-sport-awards-first-ever-finalists-announced
During the event, the #Be Active EU Sport Awards 2026 were attributed to:
– Physical Activity category: Fit Senior programme of the Municipality of Oeiras (POR);
– Inclusion category: Planinec initiative of the Alpine Association of Slovenia (SLO);
– Volunteering category: Flow & Learn programme of the United Way Hungary (HUN);
– Across Generations category: Drava Cross League of the Running Club Marathon 95 Varaždin (CRO);
– Peace category: Run4Unity of the New Humanity International Association (ITA).
Mr. Djibril Diop and Mr. Gilles Coudoro provided an artistic hip pop and breakdance performance, whereas Sebastien Bellin, a professional basketball player and survivor of the 2016 Brussels terrorist attacks, testified how sport can help individuals overcoming major personal hardship.
The video of the event is available at https://player.clevercast.com/?account_id=AkN3yR&item_id=W9dMpj
As an official partner of the European Week of Sport and the #BeActive Campaign, EAS was represented by its President (Laura Capranica) and Honorary Treasurer (Mojca Doupona), who had the opportunity to meet project partners and representatives of the European Commission and the Executive Agency EACEA to share information on actual and future actions and strategic opportunities in the field of sport.
On 9–10 June 2026, the FIND ME: University Dual Career Opportunities Erasmus+ Sport project consortium gathered in Trento, Italy, for a productive two-day transnational meeting hosted by the Partner OKKAM SRL. Representatives of all consortium organizations attended the meeting, reaffirming their strong commitment to supporting dual career opportunities for university student-athletes across Europe.
During the meeting, partners reviewed the progress achieved throughout the project and conducted a comprehensive analysis of the completed deliverables. Particular attention was given to the outcomes produced within the various work packages, including research activities, stakeholder engagement, development of educational resources, and the digital platform being developed to support student-athletes in balancing academic and sporting commitments.
The consortium also discussed the final phase of project implementation and agreed on the key actions required in the coming months. Partners identified remaining tasks, established timelines for their completion, and coordinated efforts to ensure the successful achievement of all project objectives before the project’s conclusion. Special emphasis was placed on dissemination activities, sustainability measures, and the promotion of project results among universities, sports organizations, policymakers, and student-athletes.
A significant focus of the meeting was the further development and launch of the FIND ME online platform. This project is particularly important and innovative because it aims to create the first European-wide online platform dedicated to dual career opportunities for student-athletes. By bringing together information on educational pathways, support services, career opportunities, and good practices from different countries, the platform will provide a unique resource for student-athletes, universities, employers, and sports organizations throughout Europe.
Universities willing to enhance the visibility of their Dual Career programmes and/or services and provisions for athletes can share information by completing in about 5-10 minutes a short survey at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSepAQGxS_ftTyxQwCancqkbVibF6uYrKiQh99K1w_dTb7pgxg/viewform
The meeting provided an excellent opportunity for partners to exchange experiences, share good practices, and strengthen collaboration. The positive atmosphere and active participation of all consortium members contributed to constructive discussions and effective planning for the final stage of the project.
The FIND ME consortium remains dedicated to enhancing dual career support systems and creating sustainable opportunities that enable student-athletes to succeed both in education and in sport, while establishing a lasting European legacy through this pioneering digital platform.
The FIND ME platform will be presented at the 23rd EAS Conference to be held in Oulu, Finland next October 5-7, 2026 where presentations of dual career progress in Europe will be shared and the EAS Bord election for the 2027-2030 term will take place (information available at https://www.dualcareer.eu/call-for-abstracts-and-nominations-for-eas-presidency-and-executive-board-members-for-the-2027-2030-term/).
The FIND-ME: University Dual Career Opportunities project [ERASMUS+Sport, 101134043) 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 European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither 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