Press Release: New EmpowerED Report identifies key barriers for innovation in Education Technology
3 Oct 2024, Berlin: The European EdTech Alliance (EEA) has just released a report under the EmpowerED project that identifies key barriers to digital innovation within Europe's education sectors. The report offers example solutions to building a cohesive, well-supported, and thriving EdTech ecosystem in Europe.
The report is named ‘The European EdTech Ecosystem Roadmap: Towards Excellence in Educational Innovation’, and is a key output of the EmpowerED project, funded by the European Union. The findings have been gathered through research and interviews or workshops with key stakeholders from across the Ecosystem, including private and public actors, EdTech organisations, educators, researchers, and international institutions such as UNESCO, the European Commission, and the Council of Europe.
Some of the key recommendations include:
Establishing Common Definitions and Terminologies: The report calls for the development of standardised definitions for key terms like “EdTech” and “EdTech ecosystem,” ensuring these are included in relevant EU databases and glossaries.
Addressing Fragmentation through European Frameworks: To tackle the fragmentation within the European EdTech sector, the report recommends creating commonly recognized and aligned European frameworks for EdTech requirements.
Improving Access to Market Data: The report suggests funding projects to gather and review existing data resources and develop new processes for collecting reliable and comparable market data.
Enhancing Digital Competence in Education: The roadmap emphasises the importance of developing comprehensive skills profiles and pathways for educators and stakeholders.
Creating Balanced and Representative Datasets: The report highlights the need for balanced and representative datasets for training EdTech products and suggests creating robust environments for technical testing.
Strategic Funding and Support Mechanisms: It recommends developing new funding mechanisms linked to the specific needs of schools, lowering entry barriers for EU funding, and supporting early-stage R&D practices.
Building Trust and Evidence: To build trust and ensure the effectiveness of EdTech products, the report calls for the development of systemic and sustainable testing and evaluation centres across Europe. It also suggests creating a central repository for research and evidence to support evidence-based decision-making.
Beth Havinga, Managing Director of EEA and co-author of the report, says: “These key recommendations provide 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”.
Marc Durando, Executive Director, European Schoolnet agrees: “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”.
The report is the first of two planned versions in the EmpowerED project, with the second to be released in December 2025. Over the next 18 months, the suggested solutions will be validated with key stakeholders, and their feedback will be incorporated into the final report.
The full report can be accessed here:
https://www.edtecheurope.org/s/The-European-EdTech-Ecosystem-Roadmap-Version-1.pdf
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.
If you have any questions or would like an interview with Beth Havinga, please contact Cathrine Pierce at The European Edtech Alliance on cath@edtecheurope.org / +47 929 15 224 or press@edtecheurope.org
About EmpowerED
The EmpowerED project, funded by the European Commission under the Digital Europe Programme, seeks to create a pan-European network and platform to facilitate exchanges among European EdTech initiatives, support organisations, practitioners, and policymakers. Coordinated by European Schoolnet (EUN), this project began in January 2023 and will continue until December 2025. It involves a consortium of eleven partners, each bringing unique and complementary expertise to the initiative and has engaged various stakeholders over the past 18 months to gather insights for this roadmap report.
About The European Edtech Alliance
The European EdTech Alliance (EEA) is a consortium of national trade associations and clusters working with founders and providers of education technology (Edtech) to support the growth of the Edtech industry. Formed in 2019, the members of EEA meet once a month to share best practices; compare research findings; discuss common challenges and concerns; and highlight areas of opportunities within our respective markets and beyond. EEA represents more than 2500 Edtech companies in Europe.
