Call for Ideas for EdTech Responses to COVID-19

According to the latest figures released by UNESCO, over 1.5 billion learners around the world were not able to attend school or university, and 192 governments have now ordered countrywide closures of their schools and universities. This is in addition to 258 million learners who were out of school before the outbreak of COVID-19. 

As a result, the EdTech Hub, mEducation Alliance, and Global Innovation Exchange (GIE) are launching a call for tech-focused ideas to respond to the learning emergency caused by COVID-19 school closures in low- and middle-income countries. 

Selected applicants will be invited to virtual EdTech Pitch Days with a global network of potential funders, support in adapting and scaling in response to COVID-19, and connections for onward collaboration and funding.

We are looking for: 

• Initiatives with proof of impact currently working within the education sector, which could be pivoted or quickly scaled to respond to educational challenges related to COVID-19.
• ‘What if’ ideas with the potential to be rapidly tested and implemented in areas of greatest need. 
• Ideas from anywhere: we welcome ideas from start-ups, non-profits, government officials, individual researchers, or anyone else seeking to further education outcomes during COVID-19
• Ideas that incorporate as much as possible the principles of Universal Design for Learning 
• Bottom-up concepts designed and built by those affected by COVID-19.