Frequently asked questions

NextGen Education is a European learning programme that runs alongside the existing school curriculum. It connects primary school children across countries to work together on real-world challenges including climate, AI, mental health, social change and cultural identity. The programme is structured as learning journeys that teachers can use with minimal preparation. It is being developed through two Erasmus+ partnerships — KA240-SCH for school development and POL-EXP T02 for ethical AI in education — with submissions planned for April 2026.

Every learning journey is built around one of five themes: climate and environment, AI and technology, mental health and wellbeing, social change and justice, and cultural identity and empathy. Children learn through real challenges, not textbook exercises. They develop critical thinking, collaboration, ethical reasoning and cultural empathy while working with peers across Europe.

NextGen Education is designed for children aged 6 to 12 in primary education. Every learning journey is age-appropriate and grounded in research on child development and learning psychology. The content and activities are adapted to different developmental stages within this age range.

Layer 1: Learning Journeys — practical lesson programmes on real challenges. Layer 2: Company Challenges — real problems from partner companies that children solve. Layer 3: Learner Contribution Profile — a living record of each child’s strengths and growth, owned by the child and family. Layer 4: Portable Learning Identity — a child’s full learning story that travels with them when they change schools, built on European open standards.

The programme fits inside the existing timetable. Teachers receive complete, ready-to-use learning journeys with session plans, resources and digital tools. No additional training is required to get started. The platform handles cross-border collaboration so students can work with peers in other European countries. Schools keep full control over when and how they use the programme.

No. It runs alongside the existing timetable. It does not require extra hours, special equipment, or specialist knowledge from teachers. The materials are designed so any curious, committed educator can lead them.

Yes. All materials, implementation support, and professional development are provided at no cost to the school. NextGen Education is funded through the Erasmus+ programme and partner contributions.

No. NextGen is designed to work in any device reality — one device per child, shared devices, or limited access. No school is excluded because of its infrastructure.

Schools express interest through the contact form. A small, carefully chosen group of schools across Europe will be selected as founding partners and named in the Erasmus+ application ahead of the April 2026 submission.

The first cohort includes partner schools from the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Poland, and Denmark.

The platform is fully GDPR-compliant and aligned with the EU AI Act. Children’s data is owned by the child and their family, not by the platform. The system uses privacy-by-design principles, and no personal data is shared with third parties. Schools and parents retain full control over what is stored and how it is used. Read more in our privacy policy.

AI literacy is one of the five core learning themes. Children learn how AI works, how to use it ethically and how to stay in control of their own thinking. The programme treats AI as something children need to understand critically, not just use passively. The platform itself is designed to comply with the EU AI Act, with transparency and human oversight built in.

Company Challenges are structured partnerships where real organisations bring real problems into the classroom. Children take on these challenges and return creative, structured input. It is a way for companies to engage meaningfully with education while giving children experience with the kind of problems the working world actually faces.

NextGen Education is designed to scale. The model turns classroom practice into reusable programmes, builds teacher capacity through a living academy, and creates infrastructure that outlasts any single funding period. Funders and partners invest in something that grows.

Schools interested in joining the first wave can get in touch through the Get Involved page. The programme is currently forming its network of partner schools across Europe. Early partners will help shape how the learning journeys work in practice and will have full access to the platform and all resources.

NextGen Education is initiated and led by Future Proof Intelligence. The project is led by Matt Timmermans (technology and platform) and Daniel van Griensven (strategy and European partnerships). The team is growing to include leads for curriculum design, project management, evaluation and communications. Learn more on the about page.

NextGen Education is preparing two Erasmus+ submissions for April 2026. KA240-SCH is a European Partnership for School Development, bringing together schools, school authorities and research partners across multiple countries. POL-EXP T02 is a European Policy Experimentation on the ethical design and use of AI tools in education, managed centrally by EACEA. Together they cover cross-border school development and responsible AI in education.

The programme is in preparation for the first Erasmus+ funded wave, with a submission planned for 2026. After the initial pilot, the programme is designed to scale across EU member states through the European School Education Platform and eTwinning networks.