The most successful EdTech businesses combine technological innovation with an understanding of the needs of learners. In the ERDF part-funded EDUCATE Accelerator Programme, we use our expertise in educational research to build capacity in EdTech companies so that they can develop evidence-informed products that have a measurable impact on learners.
Helping EdTech startups make an impact
The EDUCATE Accelerator Programme
The EDUCATE Programme is an ERDF part-funded EdTech research accelerator run by globally recognised partners, F6S, BESA, and EDUCATE Ventures Research Ltd.
The EDUCATE Programme promotes excellence in the EdTech community by providing training and mentoring to support and promote the use of evidence-informed EdTech. Our research-focused accelerator, based on the Golden Triangle, bridges the gaps between EdTech designers and developers, researchers in education and EdTech, and users, to ensure that EdTech products live up to their promises.
Implement cutting-edge research methodologies into the design and development of EdTech
Leverage existing data and discover the best ways to capture more
Develop research proposals with expert mentors, practitioners, and industry icons
Since 2017, we have worked with 272 startups and some of the brightest and best innovators in the UK and globally. Our companies are at the cutting edge of technological advances in EdTech, and understand how to harness the power of emerging technologies, like AI, to serve the needs of their users. Entrepreneurs and innovators can be confident that access to reputable evidence will assist them in developing world-class products and services that are effective and commercially viable. Furthermore, our focus on “what works” and the importance of an evidence-base helps developers to conduct their own research into their designs and products, to communicate effectiveness and to help them shape its future development.
Vision
The EDUCATE Programme envisions an EdTech ecosystem that is populated by research-minded enterprises, building excellent, evidence-informed learning tools to empower human intelligence.
Mission
To accelerate a research mindset in EdTech SMEs to develop evidence-informed products to benefit human learning. We use our expertise in educational research to support, train and mentor the EdTech community in the development of research skills, ensuring products made for teaching and learning really do work.
The Research Training User Journey
Day 1
(2-3 hours)
Introduction to the Week
Lean Methodologies Clinic
Day 2
(2 hours)
Introduction to Evidence in EdTech
Creating a logic model
Crafting a logic model
Day 3
(2 hours)
Assessing literature
Planning data collection
Interviewing
Observations
Day 4
(2 hours)
Surveys
Sampling
Research approaches
Day 5
(2 hours)
Intro to data analytics
Data analysis methods
Drafting a research proposal and reporting findings
The User Journey will also:
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Provide live teaching and 1:1 mentoring from EDUCATE research mentors
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Give you access to exclusive Q&A's, workshops and supplementary online material
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Help you to create a Logic Model and develop a Research Proposal that works for your company
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Give you access to the EDUCATE Ventures Research online community, interact with a wide range of EdTech stakeholders
Applying:
In order to be eligible for the programme you must:
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Have your business registered in Greater London, UK
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Explain why your product or service has educational merit
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Engage with research and a research mentor
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Conform to the following definition of an SME (Small to Medium Enterprise):
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less than 250 employees
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annual turnover less than €50m (approximately £43.2m); balance sheet less than €43m (approximately £37.2m)
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the business is less than 25% owned by entities not meeting these criteria
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Research Outcomes
8 research studies and 1 thesis, for which a doctorate was awarded in 2020, were conducted on the EDUCATE Programme in it's initial 2017-2019 incarnation, and 4 of those studies have now been published. You can read the studies on our Research page.
Accelerator Programme Testimonials
"the key benefit was that it clarified the approaches we need to take to ensure that Atom Learning was constantly improving as a product to meet the needs of learners. If you are offering on-line learning platform then it must be academically rigorous because you want to have the most positive impact possible on the pupils using it"
