15 Estonian organisations join ETSDEV’s €16 million education cooperation programme
The Estonian Center for International Development (ESTDEV) has a signed framework agreement with 15 Estonian organisations to implement education projects in partner countries, for a total estimated value of €16 million.
The framework agreement will create more opportunities for Estonian experts, educational institutions and companies to participate in international cooperation and will enable ESTDEV to launch large-scale education projects more quickly in the EU Eastern Neighbourhood and Africa.
“Thanks to external funding, ESTDEV's education portfolio has doubled in size over the past year. A strong network of Estonian implementing partners allows us to join new international initiatives more effectively and bring Estonian knowledge and experience to more countries,” said Gertha Teidla-Kunitsõn, ESTDEV's head of Education. “It also creates more opportunities for Estonian experts, educational institutions and companies to participate in international development cooperation projects.”
The framework agreement covers four areas where Estonia has strong expertise to share with international partners: education system development; teacher and organisational capacity building; curriculum and skills development; and the implementation of innovative digital solutions.
Whenever a new funding opportunity becomes available, ESTDEV will launch a mini-competition among the framework agreement partners to select the most suitable organisation to implement the project. The selected partners can also involve other organisations in project preparation and implementation, further expanding the participation of Estonian educational institutions, experts and companies in international development cooperation.
“The greatest value of the framework agreement is that, instead of a time-consuming public procurement process, we can organise a mini-competition. This shortens the time needed to launch projects and reduces the administrative burden on our side,” said Teidla-Kunitsõn.
A faster and more flexible approach will help Estonia make better use of international funding opportunities and strengthen its role as a reliable partner in international development cooperation.
The organisations selected under the framework agreement are Mondo, University of Tartu, Civitta Eesti, Baltic Innovation Agency, Institute of Baltic Studies, PricewaterhouseCoopers Advisors, Tallinn University, BCS Koolitus, Proud Engineers, HK Unicorn Squad, Visionest Institute, Vestifex, Olustvere School of Service and Rural Economics, Tuleviku Tehnoloogiaharidus (//kood), and FutureCoders.
ESTDEV has previously established a framework agreement in the digital sector. Under that agreement, 24 Estonian e-governance and cybersecurity companies can participate in digital development projects around the world.