7th GPE KIX Global Symposium: Taking Education Innovation to Scale for Systems Change
Date: 18-19 November 2026
Time: 8:00-9:30 AM (Ottawa / EST) / 2:00–3:30 PM (Geneva / CET)
Location: Online (Zoom)
Languages: English, with simultaneous interpretation to French and Spanish
The Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) invite education researchers, policymakers and practitioners to the 7th Annual Global Partnership for Education Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (GPE KIX) Symposium, taking place online on 18-19 November 2026.
- November 18 – The ‘how’ of scaling: What it takes to succeed
- November 19 – Learning across borders: Adapting and scaling promising approaches
Overview
Under the theme Taking Education Innovation to Scale for Systems Change, this year’s symposium will explore how promising education innovations can move beyond isolated successes to achieve lasting improvements across education systems. With education budgets under pressure and donor funding declining in low- and middle-income countries, identifying effective approaches to scaling innovations has become increasingly important.
Drawing on seven years of GPE KIX research and knowledge exchange, the symposium will examine the conditions that enable education innovations to grow, adapt and sustain their impact. It will bring together research findings and practical experiences from GPE KIX countries, highlighting the roles of local adaptation, stakeholder ownership, supportive policy environments and equity in successful scaling.
Beyond research findings, the symposium will highlight the perspectives of those putting education innovations into practice and making decisions about their wider adoption. Country experiences and examples of peer learning through GPE KIX Regional Hubs will illustrate the challenges and opportunities of translating promising approaches into system-level change.
What Participants Will Take Away
By the end of the symposium, participants will understand:
- The ‘how’ of scaling — what it really takes to grow, deepen, and sustain the impact of education innovations in LMICs
- The key ingredients for scaling success — local adaptation, stakeholder ownership, a supportive policy environment, and equity at the center
- How peer learning works — real country experiences of adapting and scaling ideas from the KIX regional hubs into system-level change
- Each stakeholder’s role in the journey — practical lessons for researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and funders to help promising innovations reach those who need them most
Make sure to join the conversation online about the event by using the hashtag #GPEKIX and tagging @IDRC_CRDI and @GPforEducation.