EVENTS
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.
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.
As part of the strategic and operational preparation for the 23rd Annual Conference of the European Athlete Student – Dual Career Network (EAS), three members of the EAS Executive Committee, Ole Keldorf, António Figueiredo,and Risto Keskitalo (local organizer), conducted an official institutional visit to Oulu, Finland, the European Capital of Culture 2026 (https://www.ouka.fi/en).
Risto Keskitalo, played a fundamental role in facilitating communication between the EAS delegation and the local organizing partners in the organizational process of the conference, allowing for an in-depth evaluation of local conditions, facilities, and partnerships, and ensuring that all logistical, academic, and institutional requirements will be fully aligned with the standards and expectations of the EAS community.
To finalize the terms of the agreement between the European Athlete Student – Dual Career Network and the Kastelli Upper Secondary School (https://www.ouka.fi/kastellin-lukio), a formal working meeting was organized with members of the local organizing committee, Director Pekka Fredriksson and Principal Jani Syrjälä, who represent key educational and municipal stakeholders in Oulu. The discussions were characterized by a strong spirit of collaboration, mutual trust, and a shared commitment to promoting excellence in dual career development for athlete students across Europe.
The Hotel Lasaretti (https://lasaretti.com/en/) has been selected to host the 23rd EAS Annual Conference, which is situated in a unique and culturally rich environment, combining modern conference infrastructure with a distinctive architectural and historical character. Oulu also offer several accommodation solutions capable of hosting the diverse group of conference participants, guaranteeing accessibility, service quality, flexible booking options, and proximity to the conference venue.
The outcomes of this visit reinforce Oulu’s position as an outstanding host city for the EAS Annual Conference and highlight the city’s strong engagement with dual career policies and practices. With preparations now firmly underway, the EAS community looks forward with great anticipation to gathering in Oulu in October 2026 for what promises to be a high-quality, impactful, and inspiring conference dedicated to the advancement of dual career support for athlete students across Europe.
On December 11–12, 2025 the EAS Board Members Dr. Antonio Figueiredo and dr. Antonio Sánchez Pato actively participated in the I International Symposium on Mentoring for High-Performance Student-Athletes, held on 11–12 December 2025 at the Faculty of Sport Sciences and Physical Education in A Coruña (Spain). This event represented the first international symposium of its kind held in Spain and was organised by the Universidad Internacional de La Rioja (UNIR) and the Universidade da Coruña (UDC), funded by the Spanish Higher Sports Council (CSD), and auspiced by the University Network for Dual Career Mentoring (RUMDE). This Network is endorsed by EAS.
The symposium was conceived as an academic and scientific forum dedicated to the analysis, development and dissemination of mentoring models supporting the dual careers of high-performance student-athletes in higher education. It brought together international researchers, university representatives and sport-related stakeholders to exchange knowledge, present research evidence and discuss institutional strategies aimed at improving academic support, mentoring structures and long-term career development for student-athletes across Europe.
Dr. Antonio Figueiredo contributed his recognised international expertise in talent development, dual career transitions and programme evaluation, engaging in comparative analyses of European mentoring models and participating in strategic discussions on improving institutional frameworks and sport policies supporting high-performance student-athletes across different national and organisational contexts.
Dr. Antonio Sánchez Pato contributed through scientific coordination, academic leadership and conceptual input, particularly in relation to the design and consolidation of inter-university mentoring networks for high-performance student-athletes. His participation focused on presenting and discussing research-based evidence derived from structured mentoring initiatives, emphasising educational quality, ethical mentoring practices and the holistic development of student-athletes.
The joint participation of both EAS Board Members ensured strong alignment with the mission and strategic objectives of the EAS, particularly regarding the promotion of evidence-based dual career policies, the advancement of mentoring as a key support mechanism, international academic cooperation and knowledge exchange, and the integration of research, education and sport governance in Europe.
In fact, the symposium contributed to strengthening international research and professional networks, enhancing cooperation between universities and sport organisations, and establishing mentoring as a central component for supporting high-performance student-athletes’ academic success, personal development and long-term career sustainability, fully consistent with the values and priorities of the EAS.
On December 10, 2025, the Committee on Culture and Education (CULT) of the European Parliament invited EAS to participate in the key stakeholder consultation in preparation of the 2028-2034 ERASMUS+ programme. Mr. Bogdan Zdrojewski, Member of European Parliament, CULT Vice-President, and Rapporteur, welcomed the participants followed by the contributions of Mr. Vassos Koutsioundas, Chair of the Council Working Party on Sport of the Cyprus Presidency in 2026; Mr. Giorgio Guazzugli-Marini, Head of Unit for Sport, European Commission; and Mr. Stanislas Frossard, EPAS Secretary General, Council of Europe.
The short presentations by some Members of the Parliament and by representatives of the invited stakeholder organisations offered views to further develop the ERASMUS+Sport programme, stressing the need to ensure long-term funding to the ERASMUS+ programme for the sport and physical activity sector. In relation to dual career, the EAS President, Laura Capranica, recognized the crucial position of maintaining dual career among the priorities of the ERASMUS+Sport programme for further promoting a progressive improvement of dual career culture in the Member States. She envisaged the establishment of a European dual career observatory for the collection of harmonized data to monitor the actual dual career situation and to further progress in the full recognition of the right to combine sport and academic education for all the student populations; to support the professional figure of dual career tutor; and to promote the adoption of dual career policies and provisions for the employee-sportspersons in the labour sector.
On the second day, December 11, the EAS President attended the 2026 ERASMUS+Sport Info Day organized by the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), in cooperation with the Sport Unit of the Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture (DG EAC). This yearly event is crucial to share information on the funding opportunities for collaborative partnerships and capacity building project proposals according to the 2026 ERASMUS+ Programme Guide (https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/erasmus-programme-guide), as well as to provide network opportunities between potential partners.
After opening the event, Mrs. Sophie Beernaerts, EACEA Director, moderated the high-level round table on the future ERASMUS+ programme with the contribution of Mr. Glenn Micallef, European Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport; Mr. Bogdan Andrzej Zdrojewski, Member of the European Parliament; and Mr. Vassos Koutsioundas from the Cyprus Sport Organisation.
Two plenary sessions addressed the policy priorities and novelties of the 2026 call for projects, respectively. In particular, Mr. Giorgio Guazzugli-Marini, Head of Sport Unit at DG EAC, Mr. Peter Fischer, Mrs. Paola Ottonello and Mr. Stefano Pintus from the Sport Unit illustrated the sport priorities focused primarily on health, innovation, and green environment, whereas Mr. Theo Duivenvoorde, Head of Erasmus Mundus & Sport Unit at EACEA, Mrs. Gael Broze, Mrs. Helena Kamencikova, and Mrs. Izabela Pelczynska provided advice for preparing original proposals and successful partnerships.
Three parallel sessions were organized to address mobility opportunities for sport staff available at National Agencies; application templates, lump sum funding mechanisms and selection processes for successful projects; and the Capacity Building action and its characteristics, respectively.
During the last plenary session, Mr. Giorgio Guazzugli Marini, Mrs. Sacha Beck, Mr. Mads Lyngso Schou from the Sport Unit reported the preliminary results from the Public Consultation to shape the future of sports in Europe “A Strategic Vision for Sport in Europe: Reinforcing the European Sport Model”
Mr. Georg Hausler, Director for Culture, Creativity and Sport, at DG EAC summarized the main aspects of the day and provided the closing remarks. In the next days, presentations will be available at https://www.eacea.ec.europa.eu/news-events/events/info-session-erasmus-sport-2026-2025-12-11_en.
On the third day, December 12, EACEA, Mr. Giorgio Guazzugli Marini, Head of the Sport Unit at the European Commission, welcomed the representatives of National Coordinating Bodies, and official partners of the #BeActive campaign (including EAS) participating in the Debrief Seminar. The event aimed to stimulate ideas for future editions based on the reflection on the 10th celebration of the European Week of Sport (EWoS).
Mrs. Violeta Birzniece reported that 15,107,722 participants joined the 79,420 #BeActive events across 39 European countries, highlighting a positive trend with respect to the previous EWoS editions. Mrs. Paola Ottonello reported that Instagram resulted one of the most active social media for sharing content of the events. She also anticipated the plans for 2026 and 2027, with the launch of the #BeActive Winter (February 1-7, 2027) to be officially announced during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games. Mr. Miguel Romero presented key objectives, priorities, deadlines, submission arrangements, eligibility criteria of the 2026-2027 call, and reminded the participants of the concept of #BeActive Night to be held next September the 26-27, 2026 across Europe. Finally, Mr. Peter Fischer launched an interactive Q&A session to foresee possible opportunities and improvements.
Furthermore, Cypriot and Irish National good practices of the “Move more – Scroll less” 2025 campaign offered insights into successful national-level practices, whereas the first experiences of the new EWoS partners called for strengthening cross-sector collaboration.
Finally, based on the 2025 experience, participants shared their opinions for the implementation of the 2026 EWoS during a group work session. For further information on EWoS and the #BeActive campaign is available at sport.ec.europa.eu/european-week-of-sport
Dear friends of Dual Career,
In being an official partner of the European Week of Sport (EWoS), celebrating its 10-year anniversary under the banner of #BeActive programme, We inform you that the 18th EAS Virtual Cafè on “Dual Career Celebrates the European Week of Sport’s 10-year anniversary” will be held on Monday September 22, 2025 (from 13:00 CET).
13:00 Welcome – Prof. dr. Mojca Doupona, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Prof. Mojca Doupona is a Sport Sociologist and Treasurer of EAS. She has been the General Director of Sport during the Slovenian Presidency and participated in several ERASMUS+Sport projects, coordinating also the EMPATIA project, which established the on-line multi-lingual educational programme for parents of young and talented athletes involved in a dual career path (https://edu.empatiasport.eu/eng/).
13:10 ‘Talento & Tenacia’ (Talent & Tenacity) #BeActive recognition for educating young sportspersons with a view to social responsibility. – Massimiliano Monnanni, Asilo Savoia, Rome, Italy.
Dr. Massimiliano Monnanni is the President of “ASP Asilo Savoia”, a public autonomous body dedicated to social assistance in situations of neglect or social hardship. “Talent & Tenacity” is a sport programme for social inclusion aimed at minors and young people with educational actions on civic values and regeneration of territories where several criminal organizations were eradicated. For its activities, Asilo Savoia has been finalist of two #BeActive Awards in 2021-2022 and received several Italian recognitions.
13:25 Building Healthy Communities through Sport and Dual Career. – Dr. Duarte Lopes, Chief of Staff, Secretary of Sport, Portugal
Dr. Duarte Lopes has a long experience as Member of Sport Committees and Associations in Portugal (National Confederation of Sport, Secretary of State for Sport and Youth; Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education and the Secretary of State for Youth and Sport), and at European (Ad-hoc Group of Experts on Dual Careers and ENAS President) and International (FISU EC) levels. He organized two EAS Conference in Lisbon (2010, 2021).
13:40 EduChampDC Bringing Dual Career Actors Together – Francesca Salvia, MD, University of Rome Foro Italico, Rome, Italy.
Dr. Francesca Salvia is a former water polo athlete and the mother of two elite fencers and an international pentathlon referee. Besides her commitment as a medical doctor in a first aid unit, she is graduating in the Master’s Degree of Sports Management at the University of Rome Foro Italico and actively engaged in the EduChampDC project.
13:55 General discussions and concluding remarks
We look forward to meeting you for this important dual career event at https://op.europa.eu/o/opportal-service/download-handler?identifier=3f44deb6-8937-11f0-9af8-01aa75ed71a1&format=pdf&language=en&productionSystem=cellar&part=
We encourage you to organise meetings, workshops and activities at local and national levels in connection with the European Week of Sport!
– A dynamic programme with keynote speakers, interactive sessions and workshops designed to tackle real dual career challenges, opportunities, and strategies.
– Updated dual career insights and practical learning of resources from European dual career projects for developing capabilities be applied to your local, national, and international contexts.
– Build connections and collaborations across the dual career ecosystem that extend beyond the Conference for future European projects.
– Celebrate with the dual career community the 10th Anniversary of the European Week of Sport (https://sport.ec.europa.eu/european-week-of-sport).
– Together we can advance the European dual career culture for the benefit of the European sport
Register before August 22, 2025 at https://conferences.lu.lv/event/761/registrations/ to save with Early Bird Rates!
›
On May 14 and 15, 2025, the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS) of the Council of Europe (COE) held the annual meeting of its Governing Board and Consultative Committee in Strasbourg, France.
On May 14 the 41 country representatives of Governing board and the 30 sports organisations of the Consultative Committee participated in separate in-camera meetings. The Consultative Committee discussed the activities to promote the European Sports Charter, the implementation of its Term of Reference, and the upcoming events. They also elected Guido Battaglia (Centre for Sport and Human Rights) as a member of the bureau to complete the current mandate.
On May 15 the joint meeting and the launch of the new joint project of the European Union and Council of Europe “Sport for All – Promoting inclusion and combating discrimination against persons with disabilities” took place. The EPAS past activities and the implementation of the 2024-2025 strategy and the draft strategy for 2026-2027 were summarized, whereas the draft guidelines on “safer recruitment in sport: human rights-compliant screening of professionals and volunteers in contact with children”, the Resolution on “Collaborative governing and good governance in sport: supporting a fresh approach to match its societal importance”, and the 19th Conference of Ministers Responsible for Sport, to be hosted by Monaco in November 2026 were discussed. Then, on the lawn of the Council of Europe the participants took part in a training session of blind football.
For the next two years, the new elected Chair of the Governing Board Bureau will be Solene Charuau (France) whereas Ioanna Paraskevopoulou (Cyprus) will act as Vice-Chair, and Antonio Parrilla (Italy), Simon De Coster (Belgium), Marija Jurcevic (Croatia) and Elnur Mammadov (Azerbaijan) as members. Solene Charuau will also act as the Gender Equality Rapporteur.
More information, is available at www.coe.int/epas.
The Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS) of the Council of Europe (COE) provided also an opportunity for disseminating the ERASMUS+Sport projects in which EAS is currently collaborating: COMPATH (101050955) https://sportsinnovationshub.com; DC Mentor (101132309) https://dcmentor.eu, DiscoverU (101134052) https://discoveru.eusa.eu, Find Me (101134043) https://findmeproject.net, Smart Start for DC (101133555) https://www.facebook.com/p/Smart-Start-4-DC-61556732943039/, and Talent (101090147) https://talent-edu.eu.
Dear EAS Members and Dual Career Friends,
the EAS Executive Committee wishes you a happy Easter and takes the opportunity to update you on the recent and future activities.
Recent activities
February 20-21: The EAS Executive Board held its first in-person 2025 meeting in Frankfurt (Germany) , during which the activities of the Network have been organized and the 2024 activity and financial reports unanimously approved (https://www.dualcareer.eu/the-eas-executive-committee-meets-in-frankfurt/).
March 17: The EAS President visited the Headquarter of CISM to meet CISM Secretary General Navy Captain Roberto Recchia, CISM Academic Director Lieutenant-Commander Florentia Sfakianou, and dr. Andrea Carletti from Sport4Impact (https://www.dualcareer.eu/eas-meeting-the-international-military-sports-council-cism-and-the-sport-4-impact-in-brussels/).
March 18: The EAS President participated with other stakeholders to a consultative meeting of the European Parliament’s Committee on Culture and Education (CULT) on the role of the EU policies in shaping the European Sport Model (https://www.dualcareer.eu/eas-invited-at-the-european-parliament-as-a-stakeholders-to-the-eu-policies-in-shaping-the-european-sport-model/).
March 31: The 15th EAS online Cafè “From talent identification to talent support” has been organized in cooperation with the consortium of the ERASMUS+Sport TALENT (Cloud-based education for creative sport talents- 101090147) project (https://www.dualcareer.eu/the-15th-eas-cafe-on-dual-career-for-talented-athletes/).
April 1: EAS reminded to send long abstracts (5-15 pages) before April 27, 2025 to be published in the monograph Dual Career in School and University – Innovative Bridges between Sport and Education https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1085273800304586&set=pb.100064659286748.-2207520000
April 10-11: The EAS President participated in the EU Sport Forum 2025 in Kraków, Poland, which provided a unique opportunity to envisage the advancement of EU sport policies through a high-level dialogue. https://www.dualcareer.eu/eu-sport-forum-2025-in-krakow-poland/
April 11: The Talent Team met in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, to celebrate the project’s achievements, to share knowledge, and to plan for the future of this impactful project dedicated to fostering equal education, preventing exclusion, and supporting dual careers for young athletes. https://www.dualcareer.eu/talent-project-concludes-successful-final-event-in-sarajevo/
April 14: The Call for the Bengt Nybelius Scholarship has been launched. Researchers up to 40 years of age could be eligible for the Bengt Nybelius Scholarship by submitting as first author an original manuscript related to the scope of EAS before July 1st, 2024 (midnight CET) by e-mail to info@dualcareer.eu. By July 31, 2024, the winner will be informed that EAS will arrange travel, accommodation, and registration at the Annual EAS Conference to be held in Riga, Latvia on October 6-8, 2025. https://www.dualcareer.eu/call-for-papers-bengt-nybelius-scholarship-2025/
April 15: The EAS President participated in the EUSA-NUSA online meeting focused on possible implementation of university sport, during which the new initiatives at EUSA, Croatian Academic Sport Federation, Polish University Sport Association, University of Salerno, Hungarian University Sport Federation, and the Dual Career Network have been presented. https://www.dualcareer.eu/discoveru-at-the-online-eusa-nusa-meeting/
The ongoing EU-funded ERASMUS+Sport Collaborative Partnerships
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.
COMPATH (101050955), the Collaborative Partnership coordinated by COLLECTIVE INNOVATION AS (Norway) aims to Promote Employability of Young Student-Athletes through ‘‘Competence Hub’’ on Sport Innovation. Drawing inspiration from the findings from a study on the educational needs of young people who are aiming for a career in sports innovation, and the development of Digital Sport Innovation Competence Hub. The final event will be held in Oslo next May 6, 2025. https://sportsinnovationshub.com
DC Mentor (101132309), the Collaborative Partnership coordinated by Sports Tech Consulting Education Tourism Organization Trade Limited Company (Turkeye) aims to Advancing Athlete Employability through Career Mentorship and Education. In particular, the project is designed to offer assistance to athlete for mitigating their difficulties in pursuing dual careers through tools and solutions in relation to life skills, future skills and 21th century skills. On June 17, 2025, the University of Murcia, Spain, will host the next transnational project meeting. Further information is available at https://dcmentor.eu
DiscoverU (101134052), the Collaborative Partnership coordinated by EUSA (Slovenia) aims to assess qualifications of elite athletes and to prepare them to the labour market. The project will develop e-learning materials for a Future Skills Curriculum, an Athlete Career Mentorship Platform Work, and organize Power up Workshops for Elite Athletes. Events and webinars. Last April 15, DiscoverU presented new opportunities for university sport at the EUSA-NUSA webinar. 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. On March 10, 2025, the Find Me Team organized an online meeting to finalize the online platform providing information about dual career opportunities at university level based on the findings of a survey recently published on an open access scientific journal (https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sports-and-active-living/articles/10.3389/fspor.2025.1507951/full?utm_source=F-NTF). Further information is available at https://findmeproject.net.
Smart Start for DC (101133555), The Collaborative Partnership coordinated by Sportsko Uciliste PESG (Croatia) aims to encourage the dual career of young high school athletes aged 14 and 19. on February 4, 2025, the SmartStart4DC Team met online to align the goals and methodologies for the creation of the Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) on transversal skills for empowering youth athletes aged 14 to 19 years and helping them juggling training, classes, and personal life (https://www.dualcareer.eu/online-meeting-of-the-smart-start-for-dc-team/). Further information is available at https://www.facebook.com/p/Smart-Start-4-DC-61556732943039/
Talent (101090147), the Collaborative Partnership coordinated by the Uciliste Centar Izvrsnosti Splitsko-Dalmatinske Zupanije Ustanova Za Obrazovanje Odraslih (Croatia) aims to develop a cloud-based education for creative sport talents. Further information is available at https://talent-edu.eu. The Talent Project Consortium Board held its last online meeting on March 4, presented the Talent Guidelines during the 15th EAS cafè on March 31, and held the final transnational meeting in Sarajevo on April 10-11 https://www.dualcareer.eu/talent-project-concludes-successful-final-event-in-sarajevo/. Further information is available at https://talent-edu.eu
Upcoming events
April 27: Deadline for submission of manuscripts to the Monograph Dual Career in School and University – Innovative Bridges between Sport and Education. For further information: prof. Rajmund Tomik (r.tomik@awf.katowice.pl).
April 28-29: Transnational Meeting of the ERASMUS+Sport project Smart Start for DC to be held in Sofia, Bulgaria.
May 6: Final event of the ERASMUS+Sport project COMPATH to be held in Olso, Norvegia.
May 14-15: EAS will participate to the 19th meeting of the EPAS Council of Europe Governing Board and joint meeting with the EPAS Consultative Committee.
May 15-16: The Member of the EAS Executive Committee Laurence Blondel will take part in the event Dual Career & International Mobility: Connect with a network of universities supporting student-athletes, to be held in Lyon (France) by the ERASMUS+Sport SAMEurope Consortium. On May 15, a cocktail party with front row seats to watch the elite cycling Criterium of the Tri’Crit’Races is planned. Registration to the event is required before 20 April at https://www.sameuropeproject.eu/dual-career-event-may-2025/.
May 16-17: Transnational Meeting of the ERASMUS+Sport project Find Me to be held in Oslo, Norvegia.
May-June: The 16th EAS cafè will be organized. Invitation will be posted on the EAS website (https://www.dualcareer.eu)
Bengt Nybelius Scholarship
July 1 (midnight CET): To be eligible for the 2025 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/call-for-papers-bengt-nybelius-scholarship-2025/).
EAS Conference
October 6-8: the University of Latvia will host the 2025 EAS Annual Conference “Dual Career of Elite Athletes: Integrating Sport and Education for Future Success”.The Conference is the most important opportunity for the dual career community to be informed on the best practices at local, regional, and national levels, the findings and outcomes of EU-funded dual career projects, and the recognition of researchers awarded the Bengt Nybelius Scholarship. The final deadline for abstract submission is September 13, 2025.
Special thanks to the EAS Members for renovating their involvement in our Network (https://www.dualcareer.eu/membership/) and to the Members of the EAS Executive Committee for strong commitment to the advancement of the European dual career culture.
Prof. Laura Capranica,
EAS President
The #BeActive Award Ceremony 2024 and the ERASMUS+Sport InfoDay took place in Brussels on November 26 and December 16, respectively.
The #BeActive Award recognizes the individuals and organizations committed to the promotion active lifestyles and sports participation in Europe. Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen (Director-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture) welcomed the 12 finalists of the #BeActive Education, Workplace, Local Hero, and Across Generation award categories and Diana Bianchedi (Chief Strategy Planning & Legacy Officer of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games) delivered a keynote speech. 2024 winners were SportUnion Austria (AUT) for Education, Metropolis of Lyon (FRA) for Workplace, Alessio Bernabo (ITA) for Local Hero, and Foundation of Sport Development Espanola (POL) for Across Generation Awards, respectively. More information om the finalists and the winners is available at https://sport.ec.europa.eu/news/2024-beactive-awards-and-the-winners-are
Following the publication of the ERASMUS+ Programme Guide (https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/erasmus-programme-guide), th e European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) organized in cooperation with the Sport Unit of the Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture (DG EAC) the ERASMUS+Sport Info Day 2025. This event aims to present the policies in the field of sports and to provide a tremendous platform for networking with potential partners to the funding opportunities available in this area. Sophie Beernaerts (Director of the European Education and Culture Executive Agency – EACEA) welcomed the on-site and remote audience and Glenn Micallef (European Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport) introduced the main challenges of his mandate.
The first plenary focused on the key sports policies and development, as well as the stakeholders’ findings from the SHARE 2.0 initiative. The second plenary session was dedicated to the opportunities and challenges experienced by participants of Erasmus+ sport programme. In particular, as a good practice Andrej Pisl (EUSA Institute) mentioned the coordination of the EU-funded project Discovering university sport and supporting dual career (DiscoverU), particularly mentioning EAS as one of its partners. In the afternoon, three parallel sessions addressed opportunities for mobility of sport staff, for applying to the Sport and the Capacity Building main calls. Georg Haussler, Director of Directorate General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture closed the event. The recordings and presentations will be available at https://www.eacea.ec.europa.eu/news-events/events/info-session-erasmus-sport-2025-2024-12-16_en. Deadline for new application to the ERASMUS+projects is March 5, 2025: 17:00 CET.
REG. NUMBER: Voluntary Organisation registration VO/1270
PIC NUMBER: 913459865
Email: info@dualcareer.eu