On September 24th, in Maastricht, Netherlands , UAARE – High-Performance Support Units in Schools – was awarded a Special Recognition by EPSA – European Public Sector Awards . This distinction recognizes the long-term impact, adaptability, and sustainability of innovative public policies. The recognition was part of the 10th edition of the European Public Sector Awards , which distinguishes projects developed by European public administrations that demonstrate the ability to transform complex challenges into innovative and sustainable solutions.
For UAARE, this distinction takes on a particularly special meaning. In 2019, the Program had already received the EPSA Best Practice Certificate. Seven years later, this new European recognition values the evolution and consolidation of a Portuguese public policy that found in the Dual Career an integrated response to a particularly complex challenge: allowing young athletes to reconcile their schooling with the demands of high-performance sports. EPSA thus recognizes UAARE as a model that articulates different dimensions of the lives of student-athletes, integrating education, sport, health and well-being, inclusion and human development. More than a response focused exclusively on sporting or academic performance, UAARE seeks to look at the young person holistically and create the necessary conditions for them to simultaneously develop their educational, sporting and personal projects.
This European recognition is also an expression of a collective journey. UAARE has grown, expanded its network and its services, and extended its intervention to higher education through UAARE Superior, seeking to ensure continuity of support for student-athletes in a new stage of their academic and sporting careers.
Following the award, Victor Pardal, National Coordinator of UAARE, expressed his recognition and gratitude to all those who have contributed to this journey: "to my entire team – the National Coordination, the School Teams, the Higher Education Institutions (PPUS) and the Municipalities that participate in this process", as well as to the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation (MECI) and the Ministry of Youth and Sports (MCJD) and all the Education and Sports authorities .
It is within this collective dimension that the Special Recognition received in Maastricht gains true meaning. It is the result of a network that, in different territories and contexts, works daily to meet the needs of student-athletes and make it possible to reconcile school, sport and life projects. After the recognition in 2019, this new distinction from the European Public Sector Awards therefore represents an important milestone in UAARE's journey. It recognizes a Portuguese public policy that has evolved, adapted and consolidated itself, keeping at the center of its intervention what gives it meaning: the student-athlete and the right to build their future without having to choose between studying and competing.
From Maastricht comes European recognition which is, above all, a recognition of all those who make up UAARE.
Published in September 30, 2026
