Last week, the representatives of the DiscoverU project gathered for the final in-person partner meeting during the European Universities Games Salerno 2026, preceding the opening of the EUSA Forum.

The meeting brought together European university sports administrators and dual-career experts to assess project milestones and align strategies for promoting healthy academic lifestyles across the continent and supporting the dual career of student athletes. Co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union, DiscoverU (Discovering University Sport and Supporting Dual Career) is a 3-year initiative designed to tackle sedentary habits among university students, introducing new sports while reinforcing support systems for high-level student-athletes.

Led by the EUSA Institute on behalf of the European University Sports Association (EUSA), the international consortium brings together key stakeholders in European higher education sports: the European Athlete as Student (EAS) network, Croatian Academic Sports Federation (CASF / HASS), Hungarian University Sports Federation (HUSF / MEFS), University Sports Association of Poland (AZS) and the University of Salerno (Italy) - in cooperation with CUS Salerno.

During the meeting, partners reviewed activities and progress across partner institutions, evaluated local sports activation events (such as new discipline launches and student festivals), and fine-tuned upcoming project deliverables.

This year's EUSA Forum was organized as an official component of the DiscoverU project framework. Held directly following the partner meeting on July 19, the Forum provided a stage to showcase the research and good practices, and reflect on future policies and directions. The integrated session, centered on "Innovations in Grassroots & Dual Career," featured roundtable discussions highlighting key experiences and good practices from the project; whereas the session "The Way Forward in University Sport" looked into the future.

By linking project proceedings directly with the European Universities Games and the EUSA Forum, DiscoverU continues to bridge policy, academic research, and direct sport delivery. Outcomes from the Salerno meeting and forum presentations will feed into the pending deliverables and resources - adding to those already available at the project website https://discoveru.eusa.eu