Swiss EdTech Collider at UNESCO International Bureau of Education Symposium
26 June 2025, during the symposium “Reimagine Curriculum in the AI Era: Innovation at the Centre of Education”, hosted in Geneva.
The event convened thought leaders from across sectors, including representatives from EPFL, ITU, the European Students’ Union and EdTech practitioners, to examine how curriculum can act as a lever for ethical, inclusive, and future-oriented education in times of rapid technological change.
Among the voices contributing to this timely dialogue was Roman Bruegger, Managing Director of the Swiss EdTech Collider, a long-standing member of the European EdTech Alliance. His intervention focused on the role of local EdTech ecosystems in enabling agile, bottom-up innovation. Roman highlighted two initiatives rooted in the Swiss context:
The EdTech Testbed Programme, bringing startups into real-life classroom environments, (supported by Gebert Rüf Stiftung, Asuera Stiftung, and the Jacobs Foundation)
The Lighthouse EdTech Research Initiative, conducted in collaboration with LEARN – EPFL, linking education technology with learning science.
Both programmes aim to generate robust evidence for impactful and scalable educational innovation.
In a global discussion often dominated by top-down narratives, these initiatives showcase how grassroots experimentation and cross-sector collaboration can inform broader curricular strategies, ensuring technology serves pedagogy, not the reverse.
The EEA is proud to see its members contribute actively to shaping the international EdTech agenda, reinforcing our shared mission to connect research, practice, and innovation across Europe and beyond.
