European EdTech Alliance Update September 24
A Roadmap for the Future of European EdTech
The European EdTech Ecosystem faces numerous barriers to digital innovation: addressing a fragmented market, a lack of reliable market data, unclear definitions, directly impacting investment and reporting, unsustainable funding and support mechanisms, unclear definitions, directly impacting investment and reporting, and a need to build trust and evidence within the sector. These are represented in the key findings from the European EdTech Ecosystem Roadmap Report the EEA is publishing today as part of the EU Commission funded EmpowerED project.
“The European EdTech Ecosystem Roadmap sets a clear and strategic vision for enhancing educational innovation across Europe. By addressing key challenges such as the fragmentation of the EdTech sector and the need for standardised definitions, this report lays the groundwork for a more cohesive and supportive environment for EdTech organisations to thrive”. - Marc Durando, European Schoolnet
Against this backdrop, the mission letter for the new commissioner tasked with the next years of developing European education policy at the European Commission outlines a very clear focus: Skills development and preparing European societies by supporting competence acquisition. Interestingly, the commissioner, Roxana Mînzatu, tasked with the mandate of Education is also an Executive Vice President of the commission. It will be imperative to continue the work of the previous commissioners in their ecosystem approach to developing an innovation environment within Europe that respected the strengths of all stakeholders and aligned them with a common vision.
Additionally, responses from the EdTech community including Sweden, Italy and the EEA itself this month have outlined key changes that need to occur to more sustainably support the further development of the Digital Education Action Plan of the commission as it reaches its halfway point.
Whilst barriers do exist, there is an exiting pathway forward and we look forward to validating this with you.
- Beth Havinga
Managing Director, European Edtech Alliance
EmpowerED Roadmap Report
The European EdTech Ecosystem Roadmap Report from the EmpowerED project identifies seven key challenges:
Establishing Common Definitions and Terminologies
Addressing Fragmentation through European Frameworks
Improving Access to Market Data
Enhancing Digital Competence in Education
Creating Balanced and Representative Datasets
Strategic Funding and Support Mechanisms
Building Trust and Evidence
The report is the first of two planned versions in the EmpowerED project, with the second to be released in December 2025 and offers recommendations regarding the necessary components for building a more cohesive, innovative, and supportive European EdTech ecosystem. It not only highlights the current gaps and challenges but also provides example solutions to foster collaboration, drive innovation, and ensure that educational technologies meet the diverse needs of learners across the continent. The full report can be accessed here.
We invite you to contribute to the evaluation of this important report by participating in our first roadmap validation survey, which focuses on addressing the challenge of inconsistent definitions and terminology in EdTech and can be accessed here!
EmpowerED is a project funded by the European Union under Grant 101100704, coordinated by European Schoolnet (EUN). 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 Commission. Neither the European Union nor the European Commission can be held responsible for them
Building Trust and Innovation in EdTech Podcast
European Schoolnet has released its latest podcast episode: Building Trust and Innovation in EdTech.
In this episode, Christina Makarona, Project Coordinator at European Schoolnet, welcomes guests Beth Havinga (Managing Director, European EdTech Alliance), Andreas Klausing (Educa Switzerland), and Niko Lindholm (Helsinki Education Hub). They discuss the critical issues of trust and evidence in the EdTech sector, exploring the challenges of decentralised education systems and initiatives to bridge trust gaps. The conversation aligns with the goals of the EmpowerED project, which aims to address these challenges that are also explored in the Roadmap report mentioned above.
Listen to the episode to join the conversation on fostering innovation in education technology here!
EdTech Strategy Labs
Join the EdTech Strategy Labs Project at UNESCO headquarters in Paris on the 4th of December to understand key findings from the past year of active research and stakeholder engagement.
Learn from the workshops and listening sessions we conducted to gather insights from key stakeholders on building trust, understanding and creating evidence, and developing solutions to promote evidence-informed decision-making in EdTech. Discover the project’s key findings and come together with over 100 participants for this one-day session where we look into evidence-informed evaluation of EdTech and its integrated into the actions of all stakeholders, from development to policy implementation and classroom practice.
We invite you to join us at this informative full-day event - please register your interest here!
Welcome to Our New Members
We are excited to welcome EdTech Ukraine Association as the latest member of the EEA. We look forward to working together with you!
Female EdTech Fellowship
Introducing Cohort 6 of our Female EdTech Fellowship!
Please join us in welcoming 11 remarkable female founders from 8 countries to the latest cohort of our fellowship programme! These exceptional founders are powerful catalysts for change within the EdTech sector, driving the development of impactful educational solutions.
Over the next few weeks, we will be introducing each fellow and the innovative companies they’ve built, so be sure to follow our Female EdTech Fellowship page to learn more. You won’t want to miss their stories! Follow along here!
EEA Conversations
EEA meets EFEE Summary
Our webinar last week with the European Federation of Education Employers (EFEE) was rich with important insights - from the urgent need to rethink learning environments to the challenges posed by smartphone bans. In it, Daniel Wisniewski, PhD MBA, Secretary General of EFEE, boldly stated:
“We’re talking about the transformation of the classroom itself…the transformation of the teaching profession itself. A complete makeover of what we know as a school.”
The webinar also shed light on opportunities for collaboration between the formal education provision sector and the EdTech industry. With initiatives like EFEE’s EducAItion Project kicking off in October, the future is ripe for innovation. Read more here!
Global EdTech Testbed/Trialling Network (GETN)
The EEA participated in the latest GETN virtual meetup on the 19th September which included more than 25 organisations from Kenya, Germany, South Korea and more. The GETN community shares a common interest in how to design, implement and evaluate more systemic Edtech Testbed approaches (or “Trialling” in the US). In particular, those that generate evidence of their product’s impacts on teachers and learners (and supported by researchers). Read more about the meeting here!
Other News & Opportunities
Swedish Edtest goes to Iceland
The Swedish Edtest testbed is now being piloted in Iceland to promote the development and use of digital learning resources in Icelandic schools. The pilot project aims to strengthen Icelandic teachers, researchers and EdTech companies’ ability to evaluate, test and develop digital learning resources through the use of iFous framework Edtest. Read more here!
Llama Impact Grants
Llama 3.1 Impact Grants will incorporate both an open call for proposals as well as sourcing regionally specific use-cases from a series of events around the world. Winners will be identified in both tracks and will be eligible to receive up to $500,000 USD, at least one or more Organization per region will be selected from this track to receive up to $100,000 USD in order to continue iterating on their project. Find out more information here!
NN Social Innovation Startup Award
Rubio is teaming up with NN Group to discover and support Europe's most promising early-stage people tech startups! During ImpactWeek on November 28th in Bilbao, they are launching the NN Social Innovation Startup Award.
Startups from 11 countries focusing on equal opportunities and mental and physical well-being are invited to apply for a share of 200,000€ in up to 3 grants, along with tailored support and a year-long venture development program.
Applications are open until October 15, 2024! See the criteria and apply here!
AWS EdTech Roadshow Europe: Data & AI
Do you want to get a deeper understanding of advanced generative AI technologies that can inspire innovation across the education sector?
Join Amazon Web Services (AWS) in Stockholm or Amsterdam to explore how AWS can enable you to gain a competitive edge and unlock insights from your data, empower smarter decisions, and drive business performance. Hear from technology and education experts from AWS and leading EdTechs to explore generative AI use cases, advancements and the latest applications.
See the save the date section below for details and to register.
Save the Date!
10th October: Generative AI for EdTechs and Publishers (AWS) in Stockholm, Sweden - Registration
14th October: Generative AI for EdTechs and Publishers (AWS) in Amsterdam, Netherlands - Registration
16th-18th October: didacta Asia in Bangkok, Thailand - More Information
24th October: EdTech Next Summit 2024 in Bielefeld, Germany - Tickets & Agenda
24th-25th October: Council of Europe´s AI Working Conference in Strasbourg, France - Information
8th-10th November: Learning More Festival in Modena, Italy - More Information
8th-17th November: DigiEduHack - Become a host
21st-22nd November: bitmark Hackathon in Zurich, Switzerland & Remote - Registration
Worth Reading
EU Commission: The future of European competitiveness
Funding and M&A News
Berlin-based SIRIUS raised €3.5m to offer students and teachers a state-of-the-art way of learning music.
Romanian Youni raised €900k to introduce a new AI-based technology to enhance university admissions processes.
Lithuanian Alfa Space raised €315k to develop an AI-based personalised maths tutoring platform.
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This newsletter is written and produced by the European Edtech Alliance. The European Edtech Alliance is a consortium of national trade associations and clusters working with founders and providers of education technology (EdTech), to support the domestic and international growth of these businesses and the innovations they represent. European EdTech News is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.