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1. Innovation in formal education

2. Fostering innovation through non-formal and informal learning and youth work

Innovation in formal education

The Organic Law on Education 2006 (Ley Orgánica de Educación 2006 , LOE), and its 2020 amendment (LOMLOE) establish the advancement of research, experimentation, and educational innovation as guiding principles of the Spanish education system. 

Educational administrations are required to promote innovation programmes, support research, and provide incentives for teachers to innovate. The experience of online learning by COVID-19 accelerated the integration of digital tools and pedagogical change. 

LOMLOE places emphasis on developing key competences  as the foundation of quality and inclusive education. These key competencies, aligned with the European Reference Framework, are:

1. Competence in linguistic communication
2. Multilingual competence
3. Mathematics competence and competence in science, technology and engineering
4. Digital Competition
5. Personal, social and learning to learn competence
6. Citizenship Competence
7. Entrepreneurship competence
8. Cultural awareness and expression competence

These competencies are transversal, interrelated, and developed across all areas of learning.

The National Center for Innovation and Educational Research (Centro Nacional de Innovación e Investigación Educativa, CNIIE), leads innovation initiatives at national level, in coordination with the Autonomous Communities. The flagship programmes include: 

• Future Classroom Lab, which explores innovative teaching environments.
• Code 4.0, promoting coding and robotics in schools.
• Digital Spain 2026 agenda, which includes adaptive learning platforms, AI-assisted teaching, and immersive learning technologies like VR/AR.

To support excellence and creativity in the classroom, national awards such as the Francisco Giner de los Ríos Award (Francisco Giner de los Ríos Award for the Improvement of Educational Quality) and the Inspirational Learning Awards continue to recognise effective, learner-centred teaching approaches, including Open Educational Resources (REA) and technology-enhanced learning

Fostering innovation through non-formal and informal learning and youth work

Among the main educational innovation programmes and projects in the non-formal and informal field is the Scientific Culture Project (Proyecto Cultura Científica)  for the promotion of scientific culture and the development of people's analytical capacity. The project is managed by the National Center for Innovation and Educational Research (CNIIE) (Centro Nacional de Innovación e Investigación Educativa, CNIIE)  and had a budget of €90,000 in 2017. Currently, there are several projects in the CNIIE, such as multiple literacy, which aims to deepen language learning as well as digital language learning. It aims to converge two topics of current interest, reading and writing learning with digital skills.

There is also the educational support, which helps students that may require greater difficulties, late incorporation, school history, personal abilities, etc. This project seeks to achieve the general objectives for all students.

In addition, there is also the one of Coexistence, Innovation and Diversity, in which it is intended to help in the coordination of cultural and ethnic diversity, with special interest in gypsy culture. Another of the projects is Eurydice España (REDIE), which supports and coordinates the decisions of the design of educational policies at national, regional and European level.

Finally, the Foreign Languages project aims to help in the teaching of languages, especially in bilingual education. To achieve this objective, it proposes internships abroad, research work, good educational quality, etc.

The Leer.es Project (Proyecto Leer.es), whose desire is to convey to young people an enthusiasm for reading with it being understood as a positive transversal tool for their lives, is part of the Multiple Literacies Project (Proyecto Alfabetizaciones Múltiples).

The Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (El Ministerio de Educación y formación profesional) through leer.es (Proyecto Leer.es), a portal of educational resources, has carried out several projects that continue to this day. One of them is creative writing (Escritura creativa) in the classroom, two didactic guides have been created to manage writing workshops in the classroom. Another project is "Las Sinsombrero", which uses different communication platforms (from social networks, television to paper publications) in order to learn about the fundamental role of women during the generation of 27. There is also the project "Scratcheando" which seeks to combine reading and digital literacy, this seeks to facilitate the work of teachers while helping them to make a change in their methodology, also to give another more updated vision of reading to students. In addition, there have also been projects that integrate participation in networks, such as the collective writing project in social networks (#Microleeres), from 2018 to 2022 there has been a day of women writers on Twitter.

Another medium they have used for the dissemination of their projects is the podcast, through the project "Otra onda" they have created 7 chapters on various interesting subjects.

Some Autonomous Regions, within the framework of non-formal education programmes, develop key skills development programmes such as social and citizen skills, cultural and artistic competences, aimed at citizens aged 16 and over. For its part, the Youth Institute (INJUVE)  (Instituto de la Juventud, INJUVE),  carries out numerous initiatives in the field of non-formal education, such as the Young Talent Programme (Programa Talento Joven) and the Young Creation Program (Programa Creación Joven), it has launched grants for 2023/24 (Ayudas Injuve 23/24) for young people between 30 and 35 years old who want to develop in different fields such as: visual arts, performing arts, music, literature, design, comics and illustration. A project must be submitted and the grant ranges from €3,000 to €10,000. On the other hand, they have also launched a program called “Espacios de ensayo 2023” to help young people and companies to carry out their research in a more artistic environment.

Other initiatives are the Injuve Awards for Journalism and Communication (Premios Injuve de Periodismo y Comunicación), Injuve grants for young creation (Ayudas Injuve para la Creación Jóven), young researchers (Certamen jóvenes investigadores), etc.