By Joël McConnell

London EdTech Week has rapidly established itself as one of the most important gatherings for the global education technology community, bringing together educators, universities, investors, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and technology leaders to explore the future of learning and work.

The 2026 edition demonstrated not only the continued pace of innovation across the sector but also the growing convergence between higher education, workforce development, artificial intelligence, and lifelong learning. More importantly, it highlighted the extent to which universities, technology providers, employers, researchers, and investors are increasingly grappling with the same underlying questions: Capability, sustainability, measurable impact, and the future relationship between human expertise and AI-enabled systems.

As a partner supporting online and digital learning initiatives across multiple UK universities, the Boundless Learning team spent the week engaging with stakeholders from across the higher education ecosystem, attending events ranging from the EdTechX Summit and AI-focused practitioner meet-ups to university-led conferences and research forums.

The UK's higher education and education technology sectors represent a significant part of the national economy.

According to the House of Lords Library, higher education contributes approximately £116 billion annually to the UK economy. Universities UK places the wider economic impact of the sector at more than £265 billion when teaching, research, institutional spending, and educational exports are considered. More specifically, one UK Department for Education study estimated the UK EdTech sector generates between £3.7 billion and £4.0 billion in Gross Value Added (GVA).

The scale of the education sector is reflected not only in their economic contribution but also in their broader societal impact. Universities UK estimates that UK higher education supports more than 768,000 jobs and generates approximately £14.80 in economic impact for every £1 of public funding invested. Against this backdrop, discussions about digital transformation, workforce readiness, lifelong learning, and AI adoption are increasingly matters of national competitiveness as much as institutional strategy.

London EdTech Week therefore serves as an important forum for discussing how technology, policy, and institutional strategy can support the next phase of growth and innovation across education.

Some of the standout events of the week included EdTechX Summit, hosted by IBIS Capital, and the AI x Education Meet-Up, hosted by think tank Education Futures at The London Interdisciplinary School (LIS). However, many of the most valuable conversations took place at events operating alongside the formal London EdTech Week programme.

The Boundless Learning team also participated in a range of complementary events over the past week or so, including:

• Duolingo DETCON 2026, which focused on the future of digital English-language assessment and admissions innovation. Particularly noteworthy was the continued investment in security, integrity, and identity-verification technologies, highlighting just how sophisticated high-stakes digital assessments are becoming. For more on the subject, The PIE News has released a great feature here.
• Northeastern University's ExperienceED Festival 2026 (see here), which explored emerging approaches to AI-enabled learning, workforce development, and cross-sector collaboration via approaches such as phenomenon-based Learning, or PhBL. (For more on this concept, see this helpful read from Times Higher Education.) One of the highlights was Mark Peace, Professor of Innovation in Education at King’s College London, whose keynote included the observation that the deepest value of experiential learning may increasingly lie not in knowledge acquisition alone but in the forms of agency, judgement, and problem-solving it enables for learners.
• The University College London (UCL) Faculty of Education and Society Summer Doctoral Conference, hosted by the Institute of Education (IOE), which has been ranked first globally for Education and Training by QS for thirteen consecutive years. The conference provided insight into the next generation of research shaping digital education policy, governance, and international higher education. Particularly interesting was a session examining the continued expansion of UK transnational education (TNE) activity in the MENA region, highlighting the increasingly diverse models universities are using to extend their international reach.

Taken together, these events provided a valuable opportunity to compare perspectives from practitioners, researchers, investors, technology providers, policymakers, and university leaders.

Several important themes were discussed and reinforced throughout the week that underscored the current state of higher education and the direction it’s heading amid technological disruption and evolving expectations. Here are a few of the more prominent ones.

1. The pressure to demonstrate tangible value is intensifying

Across multiple sessions and discussions, one theme appeared consistently: Institutions are under increasing pressure to demonstrate measurable outcomes, particularly on the financial front.

Whether discussing student recruitment, retention, learner success, employability, operational efficiency, or workforce development, universities are increasingly focused on investments that can clearly demonstrate return on investment.

For technology providers and strategic partners, innovation alone is no longer enough. Solutions must be linked directly to institutional priorities and learner outcomes. EF’s Efecta solution was a great example presented at EdTechX Summit by Tim Ackroyd, VP of Creative and Design.

Across investor panels, university leadership discussions, and vendor presentations alike, a common thread emerged: The era of growth narratives is increasingly giving way to the era of performance narratives. Stakeholders are demanding clearer evidence of learner outcomes, recruitment effectiveness, retention gains, operational efficiencies, and sustainable business models. Discussions involving sector leaders such as Jonathan Satchell from Learning Technologies Group and Charles McIntyre from IBIS Capital reinforced the extent to which capital efficiency, sustainable growth, and demonstrable value creation have become central concerns for the EdTech sector.

2. AI conversations are maturing

While artificial intelligence remained a dominant topic throughout the week, the discussion has noticeably evolved. The focus is shifting away from experimentation and toward meaningful use cases that genuinely augment learning, teaching, and student support.

This was particularly evident at the AI x Education Meet-Up hosted by Education Futures and The London Interdisciplinary School (LIS). Rather than focusing on replacement narratives, speakers explored how human expertise and AI systems might work together through concepts such as collective intelligence, AI literacy, behavioural science, and evidence-based learning design.

Discussions led by researchers, practitioners, and EdTech leaders including Niccolò Pescetelli (LIS/PSi), Stephen Jull (Teach for All), Bibi Groot (Eedi), Ash Brockwell (LIS), and Svenia Busson (Education Futures) reflected a growing maturity in the sector's thinking. Questions increasingly centred not on whether AI will be adopted but on how institutions can deploy it responsibly, effectively, and at scale while maintaining educational quality and human agency.

3. Higher education is becoming increasingly interdisciplinary

Several sessions highlighted the growing importance of interdisciplinary approaches to teaching and learning.

At Northeastern University's ExperienceED Festival 2026, discussions around phenomenon-based learning hosted by a team from University of Westminster demonstrated how universities are experimenting with models that organise learning around complex real-world challenges rather than traditional disciplinary boundaries.

This trend aligns closely with wider employer demand for graduates capable of working across domains, combining technical knowledge with critical thinking, collaboration, adaptability, and the ability to navigate ambiguity. As industries continue to evolve rapidly, educational models that help learners integrate knowledge across disciplines may become increasingly important. However, figuring out effective strategies to become more cross-disciplinary in an online degree context provides a further challenge.

Perhaps the most striking observation from the week was that conversations taking place in seemingly separate forums were converging on remarkably similar themes.

Investors were discussing sustainable growth and capital efficiency. Researchers were exploring governance, capability, and policy. Universities were focused on resilience, employability, and learner outcomes. Technology providers were demonstrating practical applications of AI and digital learning. While the language differed, the underlying questions were often the same: How do institutions build capability, adapt to change, and demonstrate meaningful value?

Taken together, these conversations suggest a sector that is moving beyond digital transformation as a standalone objective and toward a broader discussion about capability, adaptability, and long-term institutional sustainability.

For organisations supporting universities, the opportunity increasingly lies not simply in delivering technology, but in helping institutions navigate change, build internal capability, and align innovation with strategic priorities. These are exactly the types of conversations we are increasingly having with our university partners through strategy, engagement, and capability-building initiatives.

As the week came to a close, there was also some great news for universities to celebrate, given the latest global rankings released during the week. Congratulations to all of Boundless Learning’s university partners recognised in the latest QS World University Rankings, including several ranked among the world's top 100 institutions. This achievement reflects the continued commitment of universities to delivering high-quality education and creating meaningful opportunities for learners around the globe.

We look forward to continuing the conversation throughout the year ahead, with existing and new university partners alike.

Are you ready to prepare your institution for the future through data-backed partnerships designed to help navigate change and build capability? Start here. Discover how Boundless Learning can help you deliver digital education programmes that empower students to thrive and excel.

About Joël McConnell: Joël serves as Senior Director of Portfolio Management and Growth (UK) for Boundless Learning. With extensive experience on the institutional and business sides of higher education partnerships, Joël leads in digitalization projects and stakeholder engagement. He holds an MBA from IE Business School and has continued his dedication to lifelong learning through several additional postgraduate and executive programs at institutions like the University of Oxford, IMD, Chicago-Booth, and others. He currently pursues academic and professional interests in the areas of digital transformation in global higher education and the evolving relationship between OPM providers and their academic partners since the pandemic.