The Missing Infrastructure Behind Europe’s Edtech Ambitions

Europe has talked a lot about digital learning over the past five years, but many universities and schools still struggle to use technology in a way that truly improves teaching and learning. The problem is not a lack of ideas. It is the absence of the basic infrastructure that would allow innovation to spread.

Despite the surge in digital learning during the pandemic, Europe’s edtech ecosystem remains underpowered. Startups working on education innovation face long, complex procurement processes that vary not just between countries but often between regions. According to the European Edtech Alliance, more than 80% of edtech companies report difficulties scaling across borders. These barriers are compounded by limited investment: in 2022, only 2.5% of European venture capital funding went to edtech, compared to over 10% in the United States and Asia, according to HolonIQ.

Meanwhile, little is known about which tools actually improve learning. OECD data suggest that only 15% of edtech products in Europe have undergone any kind of independent evaluation. In other sectors, public funding is increasingly tied to evidence. In education, pilots are common, but rigorous, long-term studies remain rare.

This combination of weak infrastructure, scarce funding and limited impact data creates a vicious circle. Governments hesitate to invest at scale without clear evidence of effectiveness. Developers struggle to produce evidence because they lack funding, access to diverse learning environments, or the ability to scale. As a result, innovation remains fragmented, with ad hoc pilots, limited follow-up, and no systemic roll-out of best practices. Many classrooms miss out on tools that could help students struggling to read or teachers overwhelmed by administrative work.

Yet the potential is there. When done well, edtech can empower learners and free up teachers’ time for more targeted, relational work with students. It can support inclusive practices, help personalise learning, and provide better tools to assess progress. Instead of replacing educators, edtech acts as an enabler of deeper learning and better teaching.

There are signs of progress. The European Commission’s Digital Education Action Plan includes commitments to support innovation and improve data use in education. Some member states are developing national edtech strategies. New cross-border collaborations between universities, startups and education ministries are beginning to emerge. But isolated initiatives are not enough.

Europe needs a coherent pan-European infrastructure for innovation in education to scale up best practices, support new startups with fewer entry barriers and simplify procurement. Coordination between institutions, networks and resources is essential if such a framework is to help startups grow across systems and find a clearer path to scale, while still serving national education goals.

Stronger evidence is equally important. Governments and funders should embed rigorous evaluation into how edtech tools are designed, tested and financed, building a culture that rewards quality and impact.

Any approach to edtech must reflect Europe’s values: equity, quality, and a public interest model of innovation. That means supporting teachers, protecting learners, and ensuring that technology strengthens, not undermines, the foundations of inclusive, high-quality education.

Partnerships play a central role. Stronger collaboration between governments, startups and education systems can enhance learning for all, unlock investment, accelerate adoption, and help integrate innovation into public provision. Forums such as the EIT Edtech Conference work to provide a space for the ecosystem to share insights and coordinate efforts.

The aim is not to digitize education for its own sake. It is to make learning more effective, more equitable and more resilient in the face of continuing social and technological change. To do that, Europe must treat edtech not as a niche, but as a strategic priority, and build the infrastructure it still lacks.

By Svenia Busson, EdTech Ecosystem Builder, Sean O’Reilly, Manager, Academic Affairs and Data, Technological Universities Association, Ilaria Tagliavini, Head of Operations, EIT and Peter Fagerström, Founder & Executive Chairman, Educraftor & Teach Millions.