We are starting 2026 against a fundamentally changing international political landscape. Discussions on European digital sovereignty are gaining urgency, while public debate continues to conflate EdTech with other digital technologies, including social media, in ways that obscure important distinctions about purpose, governance and impact.
At a moment when global dynamics appear increasingly and unimaginably fragmented, it becomes more important than ever to have a unified and clear direction forward. Creating meaningful learning and teaching environments requires deliberate choices about infrastructure, governance, evidence, and values - particularly if we are serious about safeguarding agency and upholding European democratic principles.
Building on three years of research and validation, we are launching the European EdTech Policy Map, derived from our report, The European EdTech Ecosystem Roadmap. The interactive map translates the roadmap into actionable policy directions, highlighting what is required to build sustainable, trusted and innovation-driven ecosystems across Europe.
There is much to be done this year, and we’re looking forward to being on that journey with you.
Beth Havinga
Managing Director, European EdTech Alliance
European EdTech Policy Map
The EdTech Policy Map sets out a structured framework for strengthening how education innovation is developed, adopted, and governed across Europe.
Organised around five interlinked goals, the Roadmap examines:
where the European EdTech ecosystem is currently constrained,
which enablers and blockers shape decision-making and implementation, and
which existing initiatives and practices are already moving in the right direction.
For each goal area, the Roadmap combines policy-oriented recommendations with concrete examples drawn from across Europe, highlighting how evidence, governance, funding, skills, and knowledge exchange can be better aligned with educational purpose and European values.
The Policy Map can be accessed as an interactive policy mapping tool.
Applications for the 2026 cohorts are now open!
Registrations are now open for the Female EdTech Fellowships — Early Stage and Growth Stage. The fellowship brings together women who are:
building or scaling EdTech solutions,
navigating growth, impact, governance, or funding challenges,
and doing this work in complex, real-world education systems.
Make sure to apply by 28. February!
Female EdTech Growth Stage Fellowship
This 6-month fellowship is designed to support and empower EdTech founders to accelerate the impact of their business. If you’re a founder looking to connect with a community, learn from experts, share best practices and industry knowledge, this fellowship is for you! It will connect you to a supportive network, provide access to leading industry experts, and offer tailored learning to help you grow your EdTech company.
Apply to the growth stage fellowship here!
Female EdTech Early Stage Fellowship
The Early Stage track is designed for aspiring female entrepreneurs ready to transform their EdTech ideas into viable startups. This 4-week online programme offers mentorship, practical learning, and a supportive community to help you navigate the initial phases of your entrepreneurial journey. You’ll gain insights into the European EdTech market as a whole, market research, product development, fundraising, sales, and go-to-market strategies, all tailored to the unique challenges of early-stage founders.
Apply to the early stage fellowship here!
Join us for the founding meeting of the Alliance!
🗓️ 23rd of March
⏱️ 9am - 4pm Central European Time
UNESCO HQ Paris
Register here
Hosted by UNESCO’s Global Education Coalition, the Global EdTech Alliance of Alliances is looking forward to conducting a full day workshop bringing together alliances, partners and EdTech leaders from all over the world to showcase successes, discuss common challenges, and define potential outputs and goals for the Alliance.
In the last session of the day, the Global Alliance will officially define its initial charter and choose its first board and management structures.
🌐 Read more about the alliance and explore our founding supporters here
EEA at the BETT Show London 2026
The EEA participated in the inaugural BETT Ministerial Conference, contributing to high-level discussions on equity, inclusion and system resilience in a shifting global context.
Beth Havinga, representing the EEA, moderated two Arena stage panels: one on preparing learners for an AI-driven workforce (with representatives from Canada, Tajikistan, the USA and Mexico), and one on strengthening EdTech evaluation and translating policy into trusted implementation (with the Council of Europe, UNICEF and the Chartered College of Teaching). Both discussions centred on a shared challenge: moving from strategy to operational practice.
For the third consecutive year, the EEA co-hosted the Celebrating Women in EdTech networking event with the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA), continuing to support visibility and leadership across the ecosystem.
Throughout the week, the EEA supported a German ministry delegation in targeted exchanges with member associations, engaged in discussions around the launch of the Africa EdTech Exchange, and contributed to sessions including the Global EdTech Alliance of Alliances panel on founder resilience hosted by DOHE. The EEA also participated in panels and networking sessions at the Italian Embassy in London, reinforcing cross-national dialogue on trusted and sustainable EdTech ecosystems.
It was valuable to connect with members, partners and policymakers throughout the week.
EdTech Policy Lab
As part of our continued work with the EdTech Policy Lab Project, the EEA supported the opening event of the project in Berlin. This saw key representatives from the public and private sector coming together for an interactive afternoon of inspiration, discussions and workshops with the goal of defining new dialogue spaces. Context Keynotes from the European Commission, the French Ministry of National Education and Educa (Switzerland) saw collaboration with EdTech companies framed as one of the most important strategic partnerships to foster and ensure innovation.
Data Governance in Practice - Working Group Webinar
As part of a new EEA Data Privacy and Protection Working Group webinar series, we examined emerging approaches to data governance in EdTech, with contributions from Mariana Rozo-Paz (Datasphere Initiative) and Ayça Atabey (University of Edinburgh, RAD Lab / Digital Futures for Children).
The session explored child-rights audits of generative AI tools, highlighting the gap that can exist between policy commitments and operational practice, and underscored the growing relevance of independent audit methodologies. It also addressed structured youth participation models and the increasing role of regulatory and innovation sandboxes — particularly in light of the EU AI Act’s requirement for Member State AI sandboxes.
🌐 Full summary available on our website.
Recommended Reading
Driving K-12 Innovation: This initiative from COSN brings together 130+ education leaders and technologists to identify the top Hurdles, Accelerators, and Tech Enablers impacting teaching and learning for this year. The goal of the series is to inform strategic planning around technology adoption in schools worldwide, helping leaders, practitioners, and policymakers understand the pressing topics poised to impede, accelerate, and enable teaching and learning innovation.
EIT EdTech Conference 2025 - Event Report: The EIT EdTech Conference 2025, held on 30 October 2025, in Brussels, served as a pan-European platform to advance the digital transformation of education and strengthen the EdTech ecosystem in alignment with Europe’s priorities. Organised by the EIT Community and coordinated by EIT Urban Mobility, the event convened key stakeholders—industry leaders, startups, policymakers, educators and researchers—to foster collaboration, innovation and policy dialogue. Read the event report for outcomes and next steps.
EmpowerED State of Play of EdTech and the European EdTech Ecosystem in Europe: The third and final annual EmpowerED State of Play report, a deliverable of the three-year European Commission–funded EmpowerED Project (2023–2025), provides an overview of the current status of the European EdTech ecosystem. It maps key actors and their interdependencies and examines the main factors influencing the development, procurement, and adoption of educational technology across Europe.
Save the Date!
🇮🇹 Learning More Festival | February 20-22 | Modena, Italy
The fourth edition of the first festival dedicated to training, learning, and human capital development is here. Find out more here.
🇨🇭 bitmark Hackathon 2026 | March 5–6 | Zürich, Switzerland or online
From Prompt to Product: Join a 24-hour AI innovation challenge to create the next generation of open-source editors. Join now
🇫🇷 UNESCO’s Global Education Coalition | 23-24 March | Paris, France
The Global Education Coalition annual meeting brings together UNESCO Member States, Coalition members, and education stakeholders to reflect on progress, priorities, and partnerships for advancing the digital transformation of education. Taking place at a critical moment for achieving SDG 4, the meeting provides a high-level space to examine how collective action can translate vision into measurable impact. Register here
🇸🇪 SETT | 14 – 15 April 2026 | Stockholm, Sweden
By bringing together leading thinkers and practitioners, we create an environment where conversations about education and innovation can take place. Together, we are building on strong foundations to meet the demands of the future. Register here
🇳🇴 Nordic EdTech Summit 2026 | 9 September | Oslo, Norway
This year, and for the first time in Norway, join 250 senior EdTech leaders for a focused, high-level gathering exploring how to build and scale sustainable, impactful EdTech. Early Bird Tickets are now available.
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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.