A Promising Acceleration of Ed Tech in Europe

European Schoolnet is optimistic about how the EdTech landscape is evolving in Europe, as suggested in our new report "Accelerating EdTech Start-ups in Europe" launched at the School Innovation Forum in Brussels in June 2023. This year, thought leaders in education from both the public and private sectors in Europe joined the 2023 School Innovation Forum (6-7 June 2023) to share their views on how to bring innovation to teaching and learning in times of transformation.

Watch interview with Jill Attewell, Director at Technology & Learning Professional Associates and author of the report

Europe's EdTech Today

EdTech is being lauded as "the new FinTech" as more and more investors are turning their eyes to EdTech start-ups and SMEs. At the same time, governments, city and regional authorities and the European Commission are increasingly exploring how EdTech solutions can help address educational problems and priorities.

According to European Schoolnet's report, the Edtech sector is gaining momentum in Europe. Between 2019 and 2020, venture capital investment in EdTech start-ups in Europe grew by 45%, and now, despite the new global challenges of the post COVID-19 era, the EdTech ecosystem continues to develop with ever-more stakeholders getting involved.

The report "Accelerating EdTech Start-ups in Europe" describes how the EdTech ecosystem is developing in Europe and outlines the importance of EdTech start-ups for the transformation of Europe's education. Furthermore, it explains how they can be nurtured and supported to make a significant contribution to European teaching and learning for the benefit of learners, as well as the European economy.

After interviewing 16 EdTech eco-system stakeholders from 12 different European countries, this study identifies a need to expand and build upon the successes of some of the programs that currently support EdTech start-ups, including test beds, incubators, accelerators, and a need to genuinely expand and strengthen the EdTech community, improving communication and sharing of best practice.

Supporting Education Transformation

Since its establishment in 1997 by Ministries of Education focused on increasing innovation in schools, European Schoolnet has collaborated with leading players in the Educational Technology (EdTech) industry to explore, mainstream and embed innovation in teaching and learning, in particular through the Future Classroom Lab, an initiative which provides online and physical spaces for experimentation and critical thinking, as well as for piloting, evaluation and validation of technology-enhanced learning tools, environments, platforms and practices. In particular, European Schoolnet is supporting the emergence of the EdTech start-up sector through initiatives such as the FCL Validation Service and projects like IMPACT EdTech and EmpowerED.

The FCL Validation Service, is based on European Schoolnet's extensive experience in running small and large-scale school pilots, and consists of a free, comprehensive Validation Manual, consultancy services from the European Schoolnet validation experts, and access to the network of validation schools. This gives companies the possibility to run a customised validation, including consultancy and operations, using a pan-European network of schools.

The IMPACT EdTech project offered support to 43 start-ups/SMEs active in education and digital learning through a hybrid incubator-accelerator. It validated, tested, and prepared them to reach the market by providing early business and go-to-market support in collaboration with education experts.

EmpowerED will build a pan-European network and platform for exchanges between European EdTech initiatives, support organisations, practitioners, and policymakers and will map the EdTech landscape in Europe, provide insight into trends linked to new schooling models and innovative education solutions, and offer training and capacity-building opportunities.

Listen to Beth Havinga, European EdTech Alliance talking about EmpowerED and the European EdTech Map in this video: