The IPR-A (Evolving Intellectual Property Rights Skills for Athletes) project addresses the objective of “encouraging Athletes’ Dual Careers” by formulating and delivering a training programme for athletes during and after the end of their involvement in sport, focused on training them in a specific field of entrepreneurial skills, Intellectual Property Rights Skills. The project concept approach is spread over three phases that relate to the structure of the work packages and address specific objectives. 

This project will work on three levels: supporting the community (through the development of educational programmes and skills based on IPR entrepreneurship), affecting the social aspect by involving athletes in the process and organising seminars for the immediate application of knowledge through a specific educational method, and affecting the personal level by increasing beliefs about IPR and building skills in order to equip athletes for successful and active action with entrepreneurship. 

The first phase of the project incorporates activities related to the design and will define the learning outcomes of our project programme. During this phase, the partners will focus on developing the trainer’s manual and making the educational course available online. In the second phase, a co-creation studio will be organised, where the modules will be co-designed with the effort of the participants, and together with the other activities in this phase, the training programme will be delivered to the participants in the form of educational seminars using a specific educational method. This will give them confidence and a deeper understanding of the IPR skills they have acquired, in order to encourage them to tackle entrepreneurship more effectively. The third phase is horizontal and will run from day one to the end. It will focus on promoting IPR skills among retired athletes.