Nesta and DfE announce edtech scale-up funding recipients

The Edtech Innovation Fund will support edtech organisations to help develop ideas to reduce teacher workload

Nesta and the Department for Education (DfE) have today announced recipients of the Edtech Innovation Fund.

Companies will receive up to £100,000 to develop edtech solutions to reduce teacher workload.


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The fun will support grantees – which include tech startups, a college, and established edtech experts – to develop products, grow their evidence base of efficacy, and reach more schools and colleges.

Financial support will be available for up to 18 months, as well as non-financial support relevant to their individual needs, which will be provided by Nesta.

To be truly transformational, education technology needs to achieve tangible impact for teachers and students, be informed by robust evidence and be easy to implement.
– Joysy John, Nesta

Joysy John, director of education at Nesta, said: “To be truly transformational, education technology needs to achieve tangible impact for teachers and students, be informed by robust evidence and be easy to implement.

“Nesta will work with grantees to develop their ideas and share learnings across the sector so that technology can better meet the changing, and challenging, needs of the education system.”


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The fund has set out to find the edtech products that could make the most difference to teachers and students within one of the following four areas:

  • Formative assessment
  • Essay marking
  • Timetabling
  • Parental engagement

The grantees are:

  • First Pass, Bolton College – £100,000
  • Educake – £89,600
  • Skills Builder Hub, Enabling Enterprise – £99,765
  • Freeflowinfo, Engagement in Education Ltd – £99,400
  • Firefly Learning – £100,000
  • HegartyMaths – £100,000
  • Formative Assessment for SEND Students in Maths, Mangahigh – £100,000
  • No More Marking – £63,768
  • Time Tabler, October Resolutions – £38,975
  • Pobble – £100,000
  • Seneca Smart Homework & Diagnostics, Seneca Learning – £100,000
  • Studybugs Parent Time, Studybugs – £100,000
  • WriQ, Texthelp Ltd – £87,000

More information about each of the grantees is available at https://www.nesta.org.uk/project/edtech-innovation-fund/meet-the-grantees/

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