UNESCO-ICHEI Opens Global Call for 2025 Higher Education Digitalisation Pioneer Case Award

The award includes ten Higher Education Institution awards, each accompanied by a monetary prize of approximately CNY 70,000 (or equivalent in USD).

The International Centre for Higher Education Innovation under the auspices of UNESCO (UNESCO-ICHEI) has officially launched the call for applications for the prestigious 2025 IIOE Higher Education Digitalisation Pioneer Case Award. This global initiative invites universities, educational institutions, and enterprises worldwide to submit their innovative projects aimed at advancing digital transformation in higher education.

Recognising and Promoting Digital Innovation in Education

The biennial Pioneer Case Award honours remarkable teams and individuals dedicated to proactively exploring, innovating, and implementing digital solutions that significantly enhance teaching quality, improve learning outcomes, foster sustainable educational development, and strengthen collaboration across global higher education communities.

This year's specific theme, "IIOE Ecosystem-driven Promising Practices: Empowering Workforce, Innovation, and Collaboration," encourages participants to demonstrate how they leverage the International Institute of Online Education (IIOE) ecosystem to pioneer digital transformations.

Award Objectives and Benefits

The Pioneer Case Award aims to:

• Encourage Educational Innovation: Recognising transformative digital projects and initiatives that effectively enhance the teaching and learning experience.

• Promote Good Practices: Highlighting successful digital strategies to facilitate global knowledge exchange and collaboration among educational institutions.

• Advance Educational Goals: Contributing toward achieving sustainable development objectives by improving educational quality and accessibility through digital technology.

Award Categories

Participants can submit applications in one of four distinct award categories:

1. Developing Digital and AI Competencies through IIOE Micro-certification: Projects that effectively build digital literacy and AI capabilities through innovative micro-certification programs.

2. Enabling Localised Digital Empowerment Initiatives through IIOE National Centres: Initiatives showcasing the effective localisation of digital empowerment strategies through national IIOE centres.

3. Leveraging Smart Classroom Operations for Teaching and Learning Innovation and Excellence: Outstanding projects utilising advanced smart classroom technologies to significantly enhance educational outcomes.

4. Strengthening Global Industry-University Collaboration for Higher Education Digital Empowerment: Initiatives that exemplify robust partnerships between universities and global industries, resulting in meaningful digital educational advancements.

Award Timeline

Key dates to note:

• January 6, 2025: Announcement of Award Theme

• January 6 - May 30, 2025: Registration Period

• May 31 - June 15, 2025: Application Submission Window

• June 16 - August 15, 2025: Application Review Phase

• August 15 - 31, 2025: Public Announcement of Winners

• September 2025: Formal Award Ceremony

Eligibility and Application Requirements

Interested applicants must submit their entries through the dedicated IIOE Application Portal by 15 June 2025. Required documents include:

• Completed Application Form: Clearly detailing the project overview, implementation strategy, demonstrated evidence of impact, and sustainable outcomes.

• Recommendation Letter: Must be endorsed and signed by at least one authoritative expert or institutional leader, verifying the project's credibility and alignment with educational, institutional, regional, or national objectives.

Disqualification Criteria

Applicants should note that submissions will be disqualified for:

• Plagiarism: Any instance of plagiarised content or projects.

• Falsified Information: Submission of incorrect, misleading, or manipulated data.

• Incomplete Applications: Missing required documentation or incomplete information.

• Duplicate Submissions: Multiple submissions of the same project; only the latest submission will be evaluated.

• Misalignment with Theme: Projects not aligned with the defined scope, theme, or objectives.

Recognition and Rewards

The award includes ten Higher Education Institution awards, each accompanied by a monetary prize of approximately CNY 70,000 (or equivalent in USD). Additionally, ten enterprises will receive honorary recognitions for their exemplary contributions to higher education digitalisation.

For further details on application guidelines and to view inspiring cases from the 2023 awards, visit the official website: UNESCO-ICHEI Pioneer Case Award.