The Strategic Impact Evaluation Fund (SIEF) is pleased to announce its eighth call for proposals on using technology to improve foundational learning.
EdTech has attracted considerable attention as a potentially scalable and cost-effective lever for improving educational outcomes. While certain categories of educational technology interventions have demonstrated sizeable effects, the broader evidence base remains mixed, with null to modest impacts frequently estimated in other contexts. At the same time, more affordable digital hardware and advancements in artificial intelligence have brought a wider array of technological solutions to foundational learning, which underscores an increasing need for rigorous research to test their effectiveness.
Through this current call for proposals, SIEF will continue to build research that is both rigorous and relevant for policy. The focus of this eighth call for proposals will be on: nimble evaluations of EdTech interventions, that is rapid, low-cost evaluations to examine the effectiveness of the use of technology to accelerate children’s foundational learning and skill development.
We encourage you to apply and pass this announcement to others who might be interested.
- Call for proposals
- Quick assessment form for World Bank External researchers currently not collaborating with a World Bank Task Team Leader (Due April 22, 2026)
- Main application form to be submitted by a World Bank Task Team Leader (Due May 19, 2026)
For any questions that are not answered in the call for proposals, please send an email with “SIEF Call 8 query” in the subject line to siefimpact@worldbank.org.