EU Projects

On August 25, 2025, the SS4DC Team met online to discuss the progression of the collaboratibe Partnership funded by the Erasmus+Sport programme (101133555) to encourage the dual career of young athletes of high school age (from 14 to 19 years old) through timely preparation for the labor market.

The joint effort of the SS4DC Team (Sportsko učilište PESG – projekti, HR; MindSpin, CY;, Aps Asd Margherita Sport e Vita, IT; Champions Factory, BG;  Millî Eğitim Bakanlığı, TR; and EAS – The Dual Career Network, MT) almost completed the educational modules of the SS4DC Massive Open Online Course (MOOC).

During this year, the SS4DC Team intensified the dissemination of the project and the official launch of the platform is just around the corner!

Stay tuned, exciting updates are on the way!

The Smart Start for DC project is funded by the European Union coordinated by PEGS. 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 30, 2025, EAS in cooperation with Mr. Envic Galea (IJF Academy) organized the Smart Start for Dual Career (SS4DC) motivational workshop at the Malta Judo Academy. Overall, 29 participants attended the event, 13 youth student-athletes and 16 adults (parents/judo coaches and judo managers). In a country where dual career is at its infancy level, the Smart Start 4 DC motivational workshop represented an important event to raise the awareness of the youth athlete’s right to combine academic and sport commitments and to prepare them for future transition at higher education and/or working levels.

Initially, basic information on the importance of dual career for personal and future professional perspectives of athletes was provided. Some of the youth athletes as students indicated their favorite profession and the relative requirements. A short discussion regarding the relevance of soft skills in managing their future career followed. In presenting the aims, structure and contents of the SS4DC platform, the participants particularly appreciated the possibility to freely navigate the modules and the project website (www.SS4DC) containing more information of their interest. Surely, the presence of parents and coaches was crucial to engage the most relevant actors of the athletes’ entourage in supporting the efforts of the youth athletes during their dual career paths. In particular, their interest in the SS4DC platform and its contents might further support the future engagement of youth athletes in the mooc SS4DC educational programme, which is expected next September 2025.

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 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.

On May 16, 2025, the Partners of the FIND ME ERASMUS+Sport project gathered in Oslo, Norway, to participate in the third transnational meeting, hosted by Collective Innovation AS (COLIN). FIND ME aims to support student-athletes by providing a multilingual, user-friendly platform to access dual career opportunities in higher education.

Burak Caliskan and Ege Hakon welcomed the participants and summarized the progression of the project, including the two scientific papers summarizing the evidence- (https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sports-and-active-living/articles/10.3389/fspor.2025.1566208/abstract) and eminence-based (https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sports-and-active-living/articles/10.3389/fspor.2025.1507951/full?utm_source=F-NTF)

research necessary to develop a sound FIND ME platform. The Partners agreed to further analyse the findings of the FIND ME survey and semi-structured interview to be disseminated to the scientific community.

Matteo Perissinotto (OKKAM),  presented the technical architecture of the platform, including its multilingual and modular design, and highlighted the data gathering based on previous research and stakeholder inputs. Then, the Partners discussed how to engage universities in the project, also considering the resources available at www.whed.net. Nenad Stojiljkovic (University of Nis) proposed to increment the visibility of FIND Me through promotional gadget with the project logo (e.g., bags, notebooks, patches, etc.), whereas partners will keep sharing posts and pictures of the project activities and communication/dissemination.

At the end of the meeting, the Partners had the opportunity to visit the museum of winter sports and the sky jumping trampoline.

More information on the project will be provided during the 2025 EAS Conference to be held in Riga, Latvia, next October 6-8.

FIND ME 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.

The COMPATH (101050955) Project’s final transnational meeting took place in Oslo on May 6, hosted by Collective Innovation (COLIN), with the active participation of all project partners. The meeting focused on reviewing the project’s progress and discussing the remaining tasks as the project approaches its conclusion.

The meeting opened with a welcome by the host institution, from Håkon Ege by COLIN, followed by updates on the development and piloting of the digital learning modules that form the backbone of the COMPATH platform. A detailed review was presented regarding the assignment of piloting responsibilities for the 12 modules across the project partners.

Each partner is now carrying out localized implementations of the modules based on their expertise and regional needs. The participants expressed overall satisfaction with the progress achieved and the collaborative spirit demonstrated throughout the COMPATH project.

Following this, discussions were held on ongoing and upcoming dissemination activities. For a multiplier event, EAS committed to launch the 16th EAS online Cafè on “Sport Innovation: Promoting employability of student-athletes and sport professionals” to be held on Monday May 19, 2025 (from 13:00 CET), which is central to sharing the project results with wider audiences.

The meeting concluded with reflections from all project partners, reassuring their commitment to disseminating the project’s outcomes and sustaining its impact beyond the project’s official end.

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.

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.

On April 28–29, 2025, a transantional meeting of the ERASMUS+Sport Collaborative Partnership Smart Start for Dual Careers project was held in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. The project is currently in a key development phase, focusing on the creation of a test version of the online platform and the design of MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses) tools – free online courses tailored to young people, teachers, and sports coaches. The content will include video materials, interactive tasks, quizzes, and certificates, all aimed at helping students balance their education and sports development.

During the meeting, the participants from the Partner organizations (Sportsko učilište PESG, Croatia; EAS – The Dual Career Network, Malta; Champions Factory, Bulgaria – meeting host; MindSpin, Cyprus; Edirne Kırkpınar Spor Lisesi, Turkey; and APS ASD Margherita Sport e Vita, Italy) discussed in detail the platform’s structure, functionality, visual identity, accessibility, and user experience. Particular emphasis was placed on ease of use, personalized content, and user motivation. Ideas were presented for integrating instructors, customized avatars, and video materials that will be accessible through both the platform and YouTube.

In addition to technical aspects, the team also focused on communication strategy. It was concluded that a strong digital presence is essential, and that social media activities, along with outreach through schools and sports clubs, will play a vital role in the project’s dissemination efforts.

The project team agreed on the next steps, which include pilot testing with young people in partner countries, developing supporting educational materials, and final technical adjustments to the platform. Once completed, the platform will offer digital certificates upon successful completion of the modules, giving learners official recognition for their efforts.

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