The Tools Competition 2027 for EdTech Innovation Worldwide ( $4.5+ Million Funding)

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Applications are open for The Tools Competition 2027. The Learning Engineering Tools Competition is a multi-million dollar funding opportunity for ed tech innovation that leverages digital technology, big data, and learning science to meet the urgent needs of learners worldwide.

The Tools Competition funds ed tech tools and technologies that support learning outcomes and can contribute to learning science research. Eligible tools have the potential to generate novel learning data that researchers can study to better understand learning at scale. This may include an app, software, dataset, algorithm, or other digital technology that facilitates or supports continuous data collection and has the potential to scale at minimal cost.

The Tools Competition Objectives

Catalyze learning outcomes
- We support cutting edge solutions for the most pressing challenges facing learners worldwide.
Advance learning science research
- We build capacity for ed tech to leverage big data to support a better understanding of learning at scale.
Develop all innovators
- We welcome individuals and teams at all phases of development—from early ideas to established platforms.
Build the Learning Engineering community
- We cultivate a strong network, driving collaboration between ed tech, researchers, and educators.

Priorities

Across its four tracks, the seventh cycle of the Tools Competition will support tools and public infrastructure that:

Helps students understand where they are in learning and provide timely, actionable support.
Strengthen educator practice and sustain effective instruction.
Make learning more learner-driven, engaging, and connected to real-world contexts.
Help learners navigate transition points with greater clarity, confidence, and connection.
Build shared resources that make trustworthy innovation easier for the field.
Embed safety, privacy, and responsibility into tool design and implementation.

The strongest proposals will show not only what AI can enable, but how it can be responsibly used, trusted, and sustained in real learning environments.

Competition Tracks

This year’s tracks span K–12 and postsecondary learning, as well as high-quality datasets that support future education research and development. Tracks are designed to encourage participants to propose new and innovative solutions that target pressing issues in learning.

Explore the tracks below to decide which is the best fit for your tool or idea.

Strengthening Teaching
- Tools that transform teaching in two connected ways: increasing instructional effectiveness and making the teaching profession more sustainable.
Reimagining K-12 Assessment
- Tools that strengthen K-12 assessment by advancing more continuous, actionable, and inclusive insight into student learning.
Navigating Postsecondary Learning and Work
- Tools that help learners build the skills, connections, and support to successfully navigate learning and work in an increasingly AI-driven world.
Building Better Datasets
- High-quality education datasets that capture the diversity of learners, educational contexts, and learning environments.

The Tools Competition Benefits

Get funding for your innovative ideas.
Build connections with peers and leaders in the Learning Engineering community.
Receive advising and feedback to enhance and refine your ideas.
Gain access to resources and virtual events designed to support tool and proposal development.
Contribute to learning science research.

Eligibility Criteria

The competition welcomes individuals and organisations that meet the requirements of their chosen track.
Potential applicants include:
- Edtech companies
- Researchers
- Universities
- Teachers and educators
- Students
- Technology innovators
- Non-profit organisations
- Individuals developing education technology
For individual applicants, the official rules require participants to be at least 18 years old and able to legally receive payments from the United States in U.S. dollars.
Teams can also apply, provided all team members are identified in the submission.
The competition is international, but eligibility depends on the track. The Strengthening Teaching, Reimagining K-12 Assessment and Building Better Datasets tracks accept applicants worldwide, while the postsecondary learning and work track is restricted to U.S.-based teams serving U.S. learners.