NSF launches collaborative effort to build ed-tech tools

NSF's FINDERS Foundry will fund up to $8.5 million to support interdisciplinary teams that include educators, technologists and researchers; a webinar on the program is scheduled for April 8.

The National Science Foundation has launched the FINDERS Foundry program to support research and development of education technology. The program will fund up to $8.5 million for planning and development projects. It requires interdisciplinary teams that include educators, technologists and researchers. NSF said the effort is intended to move research-backed tools toward classroom use and market adoption. Key details: - Funding: NSF announced up to $8.5 million available for planning and development under the FINDERS Foundry program. - Eligible applicants: higher education institutions, nonprofits and government entities, with projects required to include educators, technologists and researchers. - Purpose: the initiative aims to co-design learning tools that reflect everyday classroom dynamics and school infrastructure rather than relying solely on vendor-driven features. - Context: NSF has recently expanded AI education efforts and, the release said, allotted $11 million last month to train educators on AI and computer science topics. - Webinar: NSF scheduled a webinar for April 8 to explain the new initiative. Summary: The program is intended to bring educators, researchers and technologists together to design tools that reflect classroom needs. NSF said it will fund projects to move research-backed innovations into classroom use and toward market uptake. A webinar on the initiative is scheduled for April 8.