PART II - Core drivers supporting the stakeholders of the European EdTech ecosystem

Part II focuses on the core drivers that influence the development, adoption, and impact of EdTech across Europe, spotlighting trust, funding, and innovation-ready environments as essential pillars supporting the ecosystem’s growth. These drivers are deeply affected by the structural challenges outlined in Part I.

Trust through partnerships and evidence: Trust among EdTech stakeholders is fundamental but complex. Inconsistent definitions and fragmented practices complicate mutual understanding, and this ambiguity can erode trust, as stakeholders often rely on different benchmarks and assumptions when evaluating EdTech tools. Partnerships are crucial to build this trust among stakeholders. Additionally, the trust decision-makers put into certain EdTech solutions also depends on the evidence (and data) available, which is often tailored to specific markets with distinct evaluation frameworks.

Funding challenges: Both public and private funding to develop or adopt EdTech solutions, are deeply affected by the fragmented landscape of the European education market. A significant data gap around spending patterns on EdTech, hampers investment, as stakeholders find it challenging to assess the sector’s overall market potential. Moreover, a disconnect between those who procure EdTech and those who use it often undermines the alignment of tools with classroom realities affecting trust in the tools and products. This combination of low trust, lacking data, and isolated funding decisions hampers investment in the sector, impeding its full potential to transform education. On the supply side, different types of investors are operating within the EdTech ecosystem, who must navigate the fragmented nature of the European education sectors. Intermediary organisations like economic chambers and I&As play a crucial role in connecting EdTech organisations with investors.

Innovation-Ready Environments: Creating digitally competent environments requires an infrastructure that supports digital equity, fosters digital skills, and promotes access to essential resources. However, policymakers face challenges due to limited data on the connectivity, resources, and skill levels within educational institutions, impeding efforts to support equitable digital progress across Europe. Moreover, the growing importance of digital content, including generative AI and user-generated content (UGC), requires attention and input from educators to ensure that global digital resources will be thoughtfully adapted to fit the cultural and pedagogical needs of diverse local contexts.

PART III - Trends within the European EdTech Ecosystem

Part III examines the key trends influencing stakeholders across the ecosystem. Structural issues such as inconsistent definitions, fragmented education systems, and the data issues mentioned in Part I not only underpin the current state of EdTech but also shape these emerging trends. These trends also impact funding, highlight the urgent need to build trust among stakeholders, and underscore the importance of developing innovation-ready environments.

Artificial Intelligence (AI): AI is undoubtedly reshaping education, but its effective and equal implementation depends on adequate infrastructure, as well as the development of skills and competencies. Discussions around AI increasingly focus on critical issues such as responsibility, transparency, trustworthiness, and its actual impact on pedagogy and educational outcomes. Despite its potential, the adoption of generative AI tools faces significant barriers. These include concerns over data protection, diverse user needs and contexts, limited confidence in using AI, budget constraints, the adaptation of school policies and cultures, technical challenges like system integration, issues of access and accessibility, and overall trust in AI systems.

Digital Well-Being: Digital well-being has become a prominent topic at both the EU and national levels in Europe. Several of the topics associated to digital well-being are closely tied to improving digital infrastructure and skills, including addressing the digital divide, fostering digital citizenship, and tackling mis- and disinformation - an issue that deeply affects trust. Additionally, a lack of evidence on the impact of digital education has contributed to the trend of implementing smartphone bans across Europe.

Teacher shortages: The issue of teacher shortages in many countries across Europe is analysed through the lens of quality of life of teachers. For EdTech solutions to effectively support teacher well-being, several prerequisites must be met, including offering an innovation-ready environment, in which schools and educational institutions provide access to training and skills development, and have robust digital infrastructure. Additionally, EdTech solutions must be trusted by teachers and tailored to their specific needs.