DIE-Prize for Innovation 2025: AI and further education – breaking down barriers, shaping participation

Prize for Innovation in Adult Education 2025

The rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) offers new opportunities in continuing education to break down barriers and promote access to education in the long term. AI opens up numerous innovative approaches to support individual learning and simplify access to knowledge. It creates new forms of collaboration and enables better integration of people who are often marginalised in society or have so far been poorly represented in adult education.

At the same time, the growing influence of AI requires an in-depth examination of its potential and challenges. It is crucial not only to use AI as a tool for teaching and learning, but also to impart fundamental knowledge about how it works. In this way, the discourse on AI can be actively and responsibly shaped. Adult education offers the opportunity to strengthen participation in this important dialogue.

Application procedure

The application period for the DIE Innovation Award 2025 has ended. In the first step, all submitted short applications will be reviewed by the DIE team from a scientific perspective. 

Particularly compelling submissions will be placed on the shortlist – the selected projects will be notified promptly and invited to submit a full application.

Further information can be found in our brochure.

Patroness

Ina Brandes
Minister for Culture and Science
of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia

Concept & internal jury

Background

The DIE has been awarding the ‘Prize for Innovation in Adult Education’ since 1997. The award publicises new and promising approaches in continuing education and presents them to a wider public for discussion. One of the key criteria for the award is that the projects must be innovative, tried and tested in practice and provide new impetus for adult education.

Since 2020, the Innovation Award has been supported by the ‘Dr Norbert F.B. Greger Foundation for Innovative and Sustainable Adult Education’ based in Mülheim an der Ruhr. The purpose of the foundation is to promote scientific or practical, innovative and promising adult education projects, which the DIE Innovation Award has honoured every two years since 1997. The funding directly benefits the institutions of the award winners.

Contact for queries

Beate Beyer-Paulick

Sarah Behr