Jobs and Opportunities at EdTech Hub
About EdTech Hub
Our goal is to empower people making decisions about technology in education.
Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, the global learning crisis was affecting millions of children around the world.
Technology could play a huge role in helping to solve this crisis, if used appropriately.
There are thousands of tools, products, services, and ideas for using technology in education. New ones appear almost every day. For decision-makers, the choices can be overwhelming. The EdTech Hub takes away that burden.
We do the research, to rigorous academic standards. We try out new ideas by supporting innovators. We advise partners as they plan and implement education programs, finding the right role for technology.
With EdTech Hub’s help, decision-makers inside and outside government can benefit from free access to high quality professional research and advice.
Current Opportunities
Call for Proposals: Implementation Research on EdTech for Special Needs Education (SNE) in Malawi
Background
Results for Development (R4D) is a leading non-profit global development partner. We collaborate with change agents around the world — government officials, civil society leaders and social innovators — to create strong systems that support healthy, educated people. We help our partners move from knowing their goal to knowing how to reach it. We combine global expertise in health, education and nutrition with analytic rigor, practical support for decision-making and implementation and access to peer problem-solving networks. Together with our partners, we build self-sustaining systems that serve everyone and deliver lasting results. Then we share what we learn so others can achieve results for development, too. www.R4D.org
EdTech Hub is a global non-profit research partnership supported in this work on SEND by the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office. Our goal is to empower people making decisions about technology in education in LMICs. Technology has the potential to help address the global learning crisis, but that potential is not being realised. Policy makers and other decision makers face an overwhelming choice of technology solutions, are unclear on what works and what doesn’t and are forced to make decisions based on low- or no-evidence. Further information about the Hub is available at https://edtechhub.org/
The Call
To expand available evidence on how best education technology (EdTech) can support learners with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), or Special Needs Education (SNE), as more commonly referred to in Malawi. EdTechHub seeks partners to conduct implementation research focusing on SNE in Malawi.
Implementation research examines how interventions—policies, programs, or practices—are carried into effect. While established in fields like healthcare and poverty alleviation, it remains underexplored in EdTech, particularly in LMICs. This approach generates evidence in real-time, enhances scalability, and prioritizes sustainability, distinguishing itself from evaluation or design-based research.
EdTech Hub will engage partners who have demonstrated capacity to implement EdTech interventions in SNE, and collaborate on implementation research activities, including facilitating workshops and consultations, collecting data and measuring results from implementation phases. These partnerships will generate rigorous, practical evidence on how EdTech can improve Special Needs Education, strengthen education systems, and, ultimately, learning outcomes for learners with special needs.
This call follows a stakeholder workshop held in Malawi, which highlighted key challenges in Special Needs education, including low awareness of SNE conditions and needs, limited teacher capacity to support SNE learners, and gaps in inclusive education policies. This workshop led to the development of a learning agenda for EdTech for SNE in Malawi.
While EdTech has the potential to provide personalized learning experiences and bridge educational gaps for marginalized learners, evidence on its effectiveness in addressing SNE-related challenges remains limited. Through this research, we aim to generate insights that will inform strategies for leveraging EdTech to enhance learning outcomes, teacher capacity, and community engagement for learners with SNE.
The fellow will also play a critical role in communicating with fellows in Kenya and Malawi, sharing best practices and lessons learned and identifying opportunities for sharing experiences and research on a regular basis.
Research Focus Areas
This call seeks proposals addressing the following priority research questions:
- Empowering Teachers through EdTech: How can EdTech enable teachers to better serve learners with SNE? How might digital tools improve teaching practices, curriculum delivery, and teacher-learner interactions?
- Effectiveness of EdTech for SNE: What is the impact of EdTech on learners with SNE, including learning outcomes, attendance, sense of belonging, and self-confidence? What evidence exists on the role of EdTech in improving accessibility and engagement for different types of SNE conditions?
- EdTech Beyond the Classroom: How can EdTech be leveraged to raise awareness about SNE in communities, engage parents and caregivers, and create stronger links between schools and home learning environments?
- EdTech-Driven Data for Inclusion: How can data collected through EdTech tools support learners with Special Needs Education? Can technology be used to identify SNE conditions, track learning progress, and provide tailored support to educators and policymakers?
- Edtech for Neurodiversity: How can EdTech be designed and implemented to effectively support learners with neurodivergent conditions (e.g., autism, ADHD, dyslexia) in achieving better learning outcomes, engagement, and inclusion in mainstream education settings?
Eligibility and Expected Deliverables
We welcome applications from research institutions, NGOs, and EdTech organizations with not less than five years experience in inclusive education, technology in learning, and implementation research. Successful applicants will be expected to:
- Partner with the EdTech Hub to conduct rigorous research that generates actionable insights for policymakers and practitioners.
- Work closely with stakeholders, including demonstrated previous experience of collaborating successfully with the Malawi Ministry of Education and relevant regional and district level partners.
- Have a proven track record of working with Special Needs Education learners and their families, preferably with experience with cognitive and neurodivergent conditions (e.g., autism, ADHD, dyslexia).
- Demonstrate capacity to collaborate with researchers to collect rigorous data, and follow a research protocol to an academic standard.
Key Information
Expressions of Interest: Please submit a 1-page covering letter, plus two examples of past relevant work (not more than 1 page), and an itemised budget breakdown for expenditure as directed below by 20th October.
Duration of Research: Up to 1 year
Estimated Value of Contract: Up to GBP 80k
Contact Details and Deadline:
- Sent applications to:: opportunities@edtechhub.org
- Subject: Request for Proposals for SNE Malawi
- Deadline to apply: 6pm GMT, 20th October 2025
