On 25 August, the WINWIN EdTech Center of Excellence, Ukraine’s national center for the development of educational technologies and innovation, officially opened its office in Kyiv. The ceremony was attended by President of Estonia Alar Karis, representatives of the Ukrainian government, and the Center’s international partners. The opening was made possible with the support of the Estonian Centre for International Development (ESTDEV).

WINWIN EdTech Center of Excellence brings together government, business, academia, educators, and international partners to create and scale educational innovation. The Center serves as an entry point for Ukrainian and global EdTech solutions, helping test and integrate them into the education system while supporting the development of Ukraine’s EdTech sector.

The Center was established at the initiative of the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, with support from UNICEF and ESTDEV. The Center’s implementing partner is East Europe Foundation. Today, OpenAI, Google for Education, University College London, and other international partners also contribute to the Center’s work and projects.

During the opening, Oksana Matiiash, CEO of WINWIN EdTech Center of Excellence, introduced the team, the Center’s key areas of work, and its first results. President of Estonia Alar Karis also addressed the guests.

The ceremony was attended by Ukraine’s Minister of Digital Transformation Oksana Ferchuk, Minister of Education and Science Andrii Butenko, as well as representatives of ESTDEV and East Europe Foundation.

“Estonia has gone through a long journey of digital transformation in education, and we know that technological change requires more than tools. It requires strong institutions, people, and an ecosystem around them. This is why we have supported the establishment of the WINWIN EdTech Center of Excellence. For us, this is not about transferring a ready-made Estonian model to Ukraine, but about a partnership between two countries that can develop new approaches to education in the digital age together”,  – president of Estonia Alar Karis. 

“The opening of the office marks the next stage in the work of the WINWIN EdTech Center of Excellence. We are already conducting research, working with educational technologies, and launching pilot projects. Now we also have a physical space that allows us to systematically bring together government, educators, technology companies, researchers, and international partners around this work. I would especially like to thank the Government of Estonia for its trust and support, which helps the Center implement projects that are important for Ukrainian education”,  – Oksana Matiyash, CEO of WINWIN EdTech Center of Excellence. 

“The opening of the WINWIN EdTech Center of Excellence is another step towards implementing the national WINWIN 2030 strategy and our ambition to make innovation a systemic part of Ukraine’s development. Education is one of the key areas of this transformation. I thank President Alar Karis and Estonia for their consistent partnership and support. It is particularly valuable for us to develop this area together with a country that has one of the world’s strongest track records in digital transformation,” said Oksana Ferchuk, Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine.

“Despite the full-scale war, Ukraine has not halted the digital transformation of education — on the contrary, technology has become one of the key tools for its resilience and development. The Ministry continues to systematically introduce digital solutions, while the WINWIN EdTech Center of Excellence will help us research, test and scale innovations that genuinely work for students and teachers more quickly. I thank President Alar Karis and our Estonian partners for their support for Ukraine and their willingness to work together to advance modern education,” said Andrii Butenko, Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine.

“The WINWIN EdTech Center of Excellence has the potential to become a strong institution that turns educational innovations into concrete solutions for the education system. As the implementation partner, the East Europe Foundation helps the Centre build its team, partnerships and capacity to implement and scale these solutions,” said Viсtor Liakh, president of East Europe Foundation.

What the Center is working on

In its first period of operation, the Center has already launched and joined a number of Ukrainian and international initiatives, including:

• A national study supported by OpenAI examining how Ukrainian adolescents use artificial intelligence and how it affects their wellbeing. The Center’s project became the only Ukrainian initiative among the 12 recipients in the first cohort of OpenAI’s EMEA Youth & Wellbeing Grant;
• EduStars Circle — a community of innovative educators from across Ukraine who test new technologies, exchange practices, and develop solutions that can be used by other teachers;
• The Matific pilot in Ukraine — testing digital tools for mathematics learning, including with students in frontline regions and across different learning formats;
• EdTech for Good in partnership with UNICEF — adapting an international framework for evaluating digital and AI-powered education solutions to the needs of Ukraine’s education system;
• DEC Global AI in Higher Education Survey — an international study of AI use in higher education, with WINWIN EdTech Center of Excellence serving as the partner for Ukraine.