EUROPEAN EDTECH POLICY MAP
1.1. Definition of EdTech
1.1.3 Fund research and data on EdTech and digital education
Summary of suggested actions
Support sustained, well-coordinated research and data collection on EdTech and digital education across Europe, combining market mapping, sector self-reporting, comparative surveys, and transparent public-spending reporting to enable evidence-informed policy and investment decisions.
Description
Reliable and comparable data on the European EdTech sector remain limited. Existing evidence is often fragmented, short-lived, or confined to national or project-based initiatives, making it difficult to assess market trends, policy effectiveness, or long-term impact.
To address this, Europe requires a coordinated and multi-layered approach to data generation and research on EdTech and digital education. This should include:
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Mapping and self-reporting tools that enable EdTech organisations to provide standardised information on their activities, business models, and impact.
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Centralised data collection mechanisms that integrate new and existing datasets, including comparable international surveys.
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Improved public-spending reporting to track investment in digital education infrastructure, training, and content.
Such initiatives would provide policymakers, researchers, and investors with the insights needed to make evidence-based decisions, while strengthening transparency and trust within the EdTech ecosystem.
Major enabling factors
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Frameworks such as Eurostat, Eurydice, and the European Education and Training Expert Panel can be leveraged to collect and analyse digital education data.
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Some connection of multiple data sets and data gathering actions (e.g. the European EdTech Map with the EdTech Funding Database), which increases the quality, comprehensiveness and reliability of the data are already in place.
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Projects such as the European EdTech Map, Digital Education in Europe Survey, and OECD TALIS already generate valuable evidence and could be interlinked.
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Horizon Europe and Digital Europe Programme provide opportunities for multi-year funding of research and data infrastructures.
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EdTech alliances, research organisations, and statistical agencies increasingly recognise the need for harmonised data collection and evidence exchange.
Major roadblocks
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Funding continuity: most existing data collection funding has been tied to specific EU funding opportunities and are hard to maintain after the project has ended. Additionally, a lack of mandatory updates of datasets can mean data is not reliable for longer periods.
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Data often excludes smaller or emerging EdTech organisations. Grass-roots initiatives sometimes struggle to achieve a critical mass of data.
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Lack of clear value proposition for those being interviewed or mapped, or reluctance to answer certain questions (e.g. about funding or runway).
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Public budgets rarely distinguish between digital and non-digital investments.
Suggested action 1: Mapping and market intelligence
WHO (Potential actors)
European Commission, national innovation agencies, EdTech alliances, and research institutions.
WHAT (Goal of suggested activities)
Fund projects that map the European EdTech ecosystem, enable reliable self-reporting by organisations, and generate accessible, up-to-date market insights.
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HOW (Suggested activities)
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Use Digital Europe Programme funding to support standardised self-reporting tools for EdTech organisations.
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Review and consolidate existing datasets to identify gaps and develop new data-collection processes.
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Promote participation by demonstrating concrete benefits (visibility, networking, access to results).
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Encourage alignment with shared definitions and taxonomy for EdTech categories.
Existing steps in the right direction
European EdTech Map
The European EdTech Map is a data self-reporting tool for EdTech organisations, including data on the organisation’s size, focus, founders, business model, revenue, and products. It helps facilitate networking among EdTech organisations, allowing them to forge partnerships or conduct market analyses more effectively using specialised filters and tags. The data gathered from the European EdTech Map currently provides the basis for numerous reports and decision-making activities throughout Europe related to EdTech.
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Specific support required to achieve the Goal:
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Funding that integrates and fosters data sharing with other sources of EdTech organisation records to increase the Map’s reach, quality of information and completeness in mapping the European EdTech ecosystem.
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Promotion of the Map and use of the datasets behind the Map through prominent European institutions and organisations.
Suggested action 2: Centralised and comparative data collection
WHO (Potential actors)
European Commission, Eurostat, Joint Research Centre (JRC), and national statistical offices.
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WHAT (Goal of suggested activities)
Create funded, centralised mechanisms for ongoing EdTech and digital-education data collection and analysis.
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HOW (Suggested activities)
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Develop a coordinated EU-wide data platform for digital education, integrating market, usage, and impact data.
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Align with existing European datasets (e.g. Eurostat education statistics) for longitudinal and cross-sector comparability.
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Ensure user-friendly data submission and retrieval interfaces for companies, institutions, and policymakers.
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Provide recurring funding to guarantee continuous updates.
Existing steps in the right direction
‘Digital Education in Europe’ survey
The recommendation on the key enabling factors for successful digital education and training (Council Recommendations 15741/23) outlines the Commission plans to contribute to building comparative data on these topics across the European Union. This will be achieved by conducting a ‘Digital Education in Europe’ survey in the Member States every three years. This initiative will build upon and expand the ‘European Survey of Schools: ICT in Education’ to collect a comprehensive set of data by 2025.
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Specific support required to achieve the Goal:
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Establish a link between this survey and EdTech-specific datasets to improve coherence across instruments.
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Ensure sustained funding and open access to anonymised results to maximise policy relevance.
Suggested Action 3: Public-spending transparency and reporting
WHO (Potential actors)
European Commission, national finance ministries, and education ministries.​
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WHAT (Goal of suggested activities)
Improve methods for tracking and reporting public spending on digital education across Member States.​
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HOW (Suggested activities)
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Develop standardised budget categories that separate digital-education expenditures (infrastructure, software, training, services).
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Encourage national statistical offices to report on these categories through Eurostat or OECD key system indicators of education finance.
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Pilot tools to assess total cost of ownership for digital education investments, including training, support, and maintenance
Existing steps in the right direction
OECD findings on digital-education expenditure
OECD research (2023) highlights the difficulty of distinguishing digital-education spending from broader education budgets due to blended expenditure categories. Refining financial reporting systems would enhance data quality and policy efficiency.
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Specific support required to achieve the Goal:
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Provide technical assistance to Member States to refine expenditure classification systems and ensure comparability.
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Mitigate additional administrative burden by integrating reporting into existing financial monitoring mechanisms.