Academia–industry partnerships in edtech: bridging the gaps in engaged research

Despite extensive adoption and substantial investment in educational technology (edtech) tools, their full potential to enhance learning remains largely untapped. Addressing this gap requires improving research infrastructure, fostering collaborative environments, and promoting domain-specific educational research through innovative methods. This article reflects on lessons learned from academia–industry partnerships in edtech, focusing on engagements aimed at driving impactful outcomes and strengthening evidential support for children’s edtech. In the absence of government-funded infrastructure for sustaining these partnerships, we established an international, virtual Centre for edtech Impact to connect researchers, industry and practitioners. Drawing on examples from the Centre’s work, I highlight the challenges and opportunities in edtech academia–industry collaborations and outline pathways for future partnerships to develop more effective technologies for children’s learning.