EmpowerED State of Play
Report 2025
EmpowerED is a project funded by the European Union, 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.
Contents
The EmpowerED 2025 State of Play report compiles key findings to answer four key questions regarding the European EdTech ecosystem. Pick a question to start exploring the report.
Europe's EdTech actors: Who and what is the European EdTech ecosystem?
EdTech needs and potential: How innovation-friendly is the European EdTech sector?
Institutions' readiness: How innovation-ready are Europe’s educational institutions?
Ecosystem resilience: How prepared is the ecosystem to mitigate risks and harness benefits in key areas of change?
1. Who and what is the European EdTech ecosystem?
The term 'EdTech'
The EdTech Ecosystem
Size and scope of the market
The Term 'EdTech'
Key Finding 1
Terminology differs between the professional EdTech community and the wider population, including those adopting EdTech.
Go to the report
The Ecosystem
Main players have different needs and motivations leading to complex interactions and dependencies between each other.
Key Finding 2
Innovation ecosystems thrive on coordination, meaningful stakeholder engagement, and partnerships.
Key Finding 4
Numerous EdTech ecosystem support organisations contribute to knowledge exchange, facilitate partnerships, and strengthen key stakeholders.
Key Finding 3
Go to the report
Size and scope of the market
The European EdTech sector is a robust market, consisting largely of micro organisations, including those from the civil society and non-profit sectors.
KeyFinding 5
Compared to most other European sectors, EdTech has a larger share of institutional buyers—mainly secondary and higher education providers
KeyFinding 6
Public education data gaps: Missing insights on school spending and use of EdTech in the classroom.
KeyFinding 7
Go to the report
2. How innovation-friendly is the European EdTech sector?
EdTech procurement realities and their impact on selling and scaling
Financing innovation: The developer’s perspective
Creating EdTech evidence through testing
Skills and competences for EdTech developers
EdTech procurement realities and their impact on selling and scaling
How to support EdTech organisations with overcoming the challenges of procurement realities in Europe is contested.
Key Finding 9
Educational public procurement systems vary greatly, and overall they tend to keep EdTech providers at a distance.
Key Finding 8
Few EdTech organisations scale across borders.
Key Finding 10
Go to the report
Financing innovation: The developer’s perspective
EdTech is not specifically mentioned in the European Commission’s startup and scaleup strategy, which risks the sector not fully benefiting from EU efforts to build a larger, more integrated venture capital market.
KeyFinding 11
EdTech startups face a significant and lack of follow-up investments, hindering growth.
KeyFinding 12
Identifying and applying for funding opportunities remains a major challenge for EdTech organisations.
KeyFinding 13
The European Union uses a variety of funding instruments to direct its substantial budget toward strategic priorities.
KeyFinding 14
The EU’s extensive budget presents opportunities for the EdTech sector, extending far beyond traditional education-specific programmes.
KeyFinding 15
Go to the report
Skills and competences for EdTech developers
European EdTech founders report gaps in market/policy knowledge, funding navigation, entrepreneurial skills, and pedagogical integration.
KeyFinding 16
Go to the report
Creating EdTech evidence through testing
KeyFinding 17
The need for testing environments and the value of connecting them with each other is increasingly recognised by key stakeholders in the ecosystem.
Testing environments come in various formats and serve different purposes.
KeyFinding 18
Europe’s testing environments lack sustainable funding and there is no unified or comparable overview of them.
KeyFinding 19
Go to the report
3. How innovation-ready are Europe’s educational institutions?
Use of digital devices in the classroom
Frameworks, guidelines and school-level measures in digital education
Interoperability
Digital Wellbeing
Use of digital devices in the classroom
Evidence on the effects of technology use on learning can be misinterpreted if the context of data collection is not recognised.
Key Finding 21
Rigid regulations on the use of devices in classrooms disregarding their purpose (education vs personal use) hinder the effective teaching of digital skills and digital literacy.
Key Finding 20
Go to the report
Frameworks, guidelines and school-level measures in digital education
EU and international frameworks on digital education are well-suited for setting clear national goals and informing systemic-level support but not necessarily for deciding on organisation-level EdTech interventions.
Key Finding 22
School-level frameworks for the incorporation of EdTech inside the classroom, combined with actions promoting digital literacy outside the classroom, can reinforce the safe use of technology.
Key Finding 23
Go to the report
Digital Wellbeing
Digital Wellbeing is increasingly embedded into policy, curricula, and teacher training across Europe.
KeyFinding 24
The awareness of digital safety has grown across Europe’s policymakers.
KeyFinding 25
Supporting digital wellbeing in education requires a multi-stakeholder approach.
KeyFinding 26
Go to the report
Interoperability
There are many levels of interoperability and technical interoperability is just one of them.
KeyFinding 27
Interoperability with existing systems is a key consideration for schools when buying digital learning tools.
KeyFinding 28
Schools and decision-makers often lack sufficient information on interoperability with existing systems during EdTech procurement, while some countries mandate the use of technical standards.
KeyFinding 29
Go to the report
4. How prepared is the ecosystem to mitigate risks and harness benefits in key areas of change?
Integration and implementation of AI in education
AI Literacy and the role of educators in the face of AI
Data agency and governance
Sustainability questions
Integration and implementation of AI in education
Countries are mobilising to develop strategic connections between research and implementation of AI systems in education.
KeyFinding 30
Challenges facing the implementation of AI in Education persist with a focus on regulatory and ethical guidance, governance methods, and the evaluation of AI EdTech tools and services.
KeyFinding 31
Go to the report
AI Literacy and the role of educators in the face of AI
AI literacy is one of the key focus areas of skills development and includes numerous supranational and local efforts.
Key Finding 32
Educators are increasingly seen as key agents shaping how AI is integrated into education, yet support and guidance remain uneven.
Key Finding 33
Go to the report
Data agency and governance
Learner and educator agency in data use is structurally constrained by the mandatory nature of education.
KeyFinding 34
Data governance is fragmented with oversight capacity lagging behind innovation.
KeyFinding 35
Cross-border data flows and digital sovereignty have become central concerns.
KeyFinding 36
Rights-based design is emerging as a way of supporting data governance and user agency.
KeyFinding 37
Go to the report
Sustainability questions
The ESG risks within the value chains of EdTech organisations can be significant.
Key Finding 38
As global awareness of climate change and sustainability grows, industries across the board are being held accountable for ESG practices.
Key Finding 39
The EdTech sector faces difficulties in adapting to ESG regulation, as public actors require clearer frameworks and EdTech companies need concrete support to implement them.
Key Finding 40
Go to the report
EmpowerED is a project funded by the European Union, 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.
EmpowerED 2025 Report
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Created on November 19, 2025
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Transcript
EmpowerED State of Play
Report 2025
EmpowerED is a project funded by the European Union, 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.
Contents
The EmpowerED 2025 State of Play report compiles key findings to answer four key questions regarding the European EdTech ecosystem. Pick a question to start exploring the report.
Europe's EdTech actors: Who and what is the European EdTech ecosystem?
EdTech needs and potential: How innovation-friendly is the European EdTech sector?
Institutions' readiness: How innovation-ready are Europe’s educational institutions?
Ecosystem resilience: How prepared is the ecosystem to mitigate risks and harness benefits in key areas of change?
1. Who and what is the European EdTech ecosystem?
The term 'EdTech'
The EdTech Ecosystem
Size and scope of the market
The Term 'EdTech'
Key Finding 1
Terminology differs between the professional EdTech community and the wider population, including those adopting EdTech.
Go to the report
The Ecosystem
Main players have different needs and motivations leading to complex interactions and dependencies between each other.
Key Finding 2
Innovation ecosystems thrive on coordination, meaningful stakeholder engagement, and partnerships.
Key Finding 4
Numerous EdTech ecosystem support organisations contribute to knowledge exchange, facilitate partnerships, and strengthen key stakeholders.
Key Finding 3
Go to the report
Size and scope of the market
The European EdTech sector is a robust market, consisting largely of micro organisations, including those from the civil society and non-profit sectors.
KeyFinding 5
Compared to most other European sectors, EdTech has a larger share of institutional buyers—mainly secondary and higher education providers
KeyFinding 6
Public education data gaps: Missing insights on school spending and use of EdTech in the classroom.
KeyFinding 7
Go to the report
2. How innovation-friendly is the European EdTech sector?
EdTech procurement realities and their impact on selling and scaling
Financing innovation: The developer’s perspective
Creating EdTech evidence through testing
Skills and competences for EdTech developers
EdTech procurement realities and their impact on selling and scaling
How to support EdTech organisations with overcoming the challenges of procurement realities in Europe is contested.
Key Finding 9
Educational public procurement systems vary greatly, and overall they tend to keep EdTech providers at a distance.
Key Finding 8
Few EdTech organisations scale across borders.
Key Finding 10
Go to the report
Financing innovation: The developer’s perspective
EdTech is not specifically mentioned in the European Commission’s startup and scaleup strategy, which risks the sector not fully benefiting from EU efforts to build a larger, more integrated venture capital market.
KeyFinding 11
EdTech startups face a significant and lack of follow-up investments, hindering growth.
KeyFinding 12
Identifying and applying for funding opportunities remains a major challenge for EdTech organisations.
KeyFinding 13
The European Union uses a variety of funding instruments to direct its substantial budget toward strategic priorities.
KeyFinding 14
The EU’s extensive budget presents opportunities for the EdTech sector, extending far beyond traditional education-specific programmes.
KeyFinding 15
Go to the report
Skills and competences for EdTech developers
European EdTech founders report gaps in market/policy knowledge, funding navigation, entrepreneurial skills, and pedagogical integration.
KeyFinding 16
Go to the report
Creating EdTech evidence through testing
KeyFinding 17
The need for testing environments and the value of connecting them with each other is increasingly recognised by key stakeholders in the ecosystem.
Testing environments come in various formats and serve different purposes.
KeyFinding 18
Europe’s testing environments lack sustainable funding and there is no unified or comparable overview of them.
KeyFinding 19
Go to the report
3. How innovation-ready are Europe’s educational institutions?
Use of digital devices in the classroom
Frameworks, guidelines and school-level measures in digital education
Interoperability
Digital Wellbeing
Use of digital devices in the classroom
Evidence on the effects of technology use on learning can be misinterpreted if the context of data collection is not recognised.
Key Finding 21
Rigid regulations on the use of devices in classrooms disregarding their purpose (education vs personal use) hinder the effective teaching of digital skills and digital literacy.
Key Finding 20
Go to the report
Frameworks, guidelines and school-level measures in digital education
EU and international frameworks on digital education are well-suited for setting clear national goals and informing systemic-level support but not necessarily for deciding on organisation-level EdTech interventions.
Key Finding 22
School-level frameworks for the incorporation of EdTech inside the classroom, combined with actions promoting digital literacy outside the classroom, can reinforce the safe use of technology.
Key Finding 23
Go to the report
Digital Wellbeing
Digital Wellbeing is increasingly embedded into policy, curricula, and teacher training across Europe.
KeyFinding 24
The awareness of digital safety has grown across Europe’s policymakers.
KeyFinding 25
Supporting digital wellbeing in education requires a multi-stakeholder approach.
KeyFinding 26
Go to the report
Interoperability
There are many levels of interoperability and technical interoperability is just one of them.
KeyFinding 27
Interoperability with existing systems is a key consideration for schools when buying digital learning tools.
KeyFinding 28
Schools and decision-makers often lack sufficient information on interoperability with existing systems during EdTech procurement, while some countries mandate the use of technical standards.
KeyFinding 29
Go to the report
4. How prepared is the ecosystem to mitigate risks and harness benefits in key areas of change?
Integration and implementation of AI in education
AI Literacy and the role of educators in the face of AI
Data agency and governance
Sustainability questions
Integration and implementation of AI in education
Countries are mobilising to develop strategic connections between research and implementation of AI systems in education.
KeyFinding 30
Challenges facing the implementation of AI in Education persist with a focus on regulatory and ethical guidance, governance methods, and the evaluation of AI EdTech tools and services.
KeyFinding 31
Go to the report
AI Literacy and the role of educators in the face of AI
AI literacy is one of the key focus areas of skills development and includes numerous supranational and local efforts.
Key Finding 32
Educators are increasingly seen as key agents shaping how AI is integrated into education, yet support and guidance remain uneven.
Key Finding 33
Go to the report
Data agency and governance
Learner and educator agency in data use is structurally constrained by the mandatory nature of education.
KeyFinding 34
Data governance is fragmented with oversight capacity lagging behind innovation.
KeyFinding 35
Cross-border data flows and digital sovereignty have become central concerns.
KeyFinding 36
Rights-based design is emerging as a way of supporting data governance and user agency.
KeyFinding 37
Go to the report
Sustainability questions
The ESG risks within the value chains of EdTech organisations can be significant.
Key Finding 38
As global awareness of climate change and sustainability grows, industries across the board are being held accountable for ESG practices.
Key Finding 39
The EdTech sector faces difficulties in adapting to ESG regulation, as public actors require clearer frameworks and EdTech companies need concrete support to implement them.
Key Finding 40
Go to the report
EmpowerED is a project funded by the European Union, 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.