Applications for the 9th Education Innovation Competition launched on September 9, at 9:00 am

The main organizer of the competition is the National Research University "Higher School of Economics" of the Russian Federation. As in the previous year, the Education Innovation Competition (EIC) is organized at the international level. In addition to the Russian nomination, it will take place under the nominations "EIC-Kazakhstan", as well as "EIC-Armenia" and "EIC-Georgia", initiated for the first time. The absolute winner will receive an educational grant, and the category winners will receive awards from colleagues.

The idea of EIC was introduced in 2014 by the National Research University "Higher School of Economics" of the Russian Federation and today it is held within the framework of the university's strategic project "Proliferation of educational innovations through the implementation of the International Competition of Educational Innovations in 2022-2024". Individual innovation projects (grassroots innovation) being identified during the competition, are viewed as additional potential in the project roadmap for modernization and transformation of education.

The main task of the competition is to find prospective projects developed individually or by teams of up to 6 people, discover the best ones and bring them to life.

Projects can be aimed at different levels of education and be at different stages, from an idea to a working business.

The participants are university teachers and lecturers, administrative workers, students and schoolchildren, their parents, business representatives, including businessmen, and others.

4,682 applications from 21 countries and 157 cities were submitted to the education innovation competition in 2014-2021

In particular, 518 applications were received last year, including 27 from Kazakhstan, two projects were recognized as winners: WM Product from Moscow as an adaptation service for educational websites and applications for the blind and visually impaired and QPSy from Kazakhstan as schoolchildren for an anonymous and free psychological counseling platform.

This year, 11 nominations were presented to the competition, the list of which was decided, considering the global trends during the consultations with the participants of the EIC of the previous years. When submitting the application, project authors can choose one or both of them.

Nominations for the Education Innovations Competition – 2022

1. "New Methods" projects offer new methods, educational approaches, and formats.

2. "New skills, competences and development" projects are aimed at development of new competences (soft skills, financial, digital literacy, etc.)

3. "PEDAGOGICAL" projects are aimed at teacher and mentor support and development, creating ecosystems around and for the educator, improving the quality of the educator's life, etc.

4. "Digital transformation" projects are aimed at creating new digital solutions (tools, digital platforms, etc.).

5. "Epidemic Lessons" projects are aimed at enhancing and transforming positive trends in school development, as well as compensating for negative consequences.

6. "Well-being" projects are aimed at supporting and maintaining the health and psychological well-being of all participants in the educational process.

7. "Family Laboratory of Education" projects are aimed at supporting and developing a new role of the family in education, as well as the interaction of different generations.

8. "Education for Everyone" projects are aimed at increasing access to education for beneficiaries with special needs (including middle-aged people) and personalization of the learning process.

9. "Community Power" projects are aimed at developing educational initiatives for local communities, engaging communities in education development, as well as P2P and mentoring.

10. "Popularization in the educational process" projects are aimed at promoting educational cultural initiatives, educational media projects, and ideas.

11. "Environment of Innovations" initiatives are aimed at promoting and managing innovation (including in organizations), new research and approaches in the realm of education.

All the applications submitted to the competition will be independently peer-reviewed by over 100 experts in education and business, providing feedback to the teams. As a result, the participants of the semi-final stage will be selected, who will be invited to the Higher School of Economics in the fall, where they will simultaneously participate in the training course, receive support for individual initiatives, and within a few days, they will present their projects to the competition partners, education and business experts. Typically, only a handful of participants make it to the semi-finals.

The final winner will be chosen from the remaining teams in November.The partners of EIC are "Prosveschenie" publishing house, Center for Promotion of Educational Innovation (СОЛЬ), Sberbank "Investment for the Future" charity fund, "Ribakov" fund and others. Kazakhstan's partner is the Aba National Pedagogical University of Kazakhstan, and the International Scientific and Educational Center of the National Academy of Sciences in Armenia.

Asel Akayeva, associate professor of Aba National Pedagogical University of Kazakhstan

- Our university became a partner of EIC last year. Not only did educators, but also parents, pupils, students, businessmen, and IT specialists applied for the competition. The innovations presented by them were related to the problems of various fields, such as digitalization, didactics, inclusive education, spiritual and moral education. Although the developed applications were expressed at different levels, the competition helped to identify the most controversial parts of education, which are not visible to the state institutions. This year, we expect of the contestants new and creative ideas.

Armen Sargsyan, Director of the International Scientific and Educational Center of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia

-The Education Innovation Competition of the Higher School of Economics goes beyond the borders of the Russian Federation and is truly international. The holding of "EIC-Armenia" is another opportunity for the International Scientific and Educational Center of the RA National Academy of Sciences to present the educational innovations of the republic to the international community, as well as to see the development trends and examples of the projects that can be implemented in our country. The EIC ecosystem is more than just competition rounds. It is a dynamic community of innovators, experts, and committee members.

In this regard, important opportunities are opened for interregional interaction, such as conducting research, joint events, and exchange programs.The role of EIC in the development of their projects is usually appreciated by the finalists in different years of the competition as a driving force and an incentive for further development, as well as an opportunity to interact with a wide range of experts, both for experienced mentors and beginners who are eager to be informed about such experiences. This year, the semi-finalists will get detailed information about the projects that have been recognized as the best in all the years since the start of the competition. Also, they will learn about the key to success and the role of the EIC in their establishment and development.

Diana Koroleva, director of the Ministry of Education and Culture

-Today, the interest in innovations in the field of education, is increasing in the conditions of rapid changes, when the educational system must be constantly adapted to new circumstances. The very innovations are often the basis of new and fast solutions. The Education Innovation Competition is not only a design team competition, but it also includes teaching, research, and professional community development. This year, the ecosystem of the competition has expanded. In addition to Kazakhstan's partners, representatives of Armenia and Georgia also joined. I am sure that thanks to EIC, we will once again witness new, original, bright, and revolutionary projects, which will play an important role in increasing the quality and accessibility of education in our countries.

You can apply for the Innovation in Education Competition here through the following link: kivo.hse.ru