Elicėjus, a mathematics learning platform developed by Lithuanian educational technology company BBright, has been named one of the five global winners in the Young Innovators category of the World Summit Awards (WSA). More than 300 solutions from around the world competed in this year’s awards.
Elicėjus is the first Lithuanian solution in history to achieve this distinction.
The World Summit Awards, a United Nations-supported initiative, recognize the world’s best digital solutions that contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Elicėjus was recognized for its contribution to Quality Education (SDG 4) and Reduced Inequalities (SDG 10).
“Elicėjus’ victory in the WSA Young Innovators category is especially significant—it is the first time a solution from Lithuania has won in this category,” says Ieva Žilionienė, Lithuania’s National Expert for the WSA platform and a member of the WSA Global Board of Directors. “This category brings together young and ambitious teams from around the world that are developing digital solutions to address real societal challenges. Elicėjus is a team with a clear vision and the potential to create lasting impact, and one in which I have great confidence.”
Addressing a Critical Educational Challenge
In Lithuania, more than 30% of students fail their mathematics examinations. The most common reason is learning gaps that accumulate over several years and often remain undetected until graduation exams.
Elicėjus uses Item Response Theory (IRT), the same methodology underpinning the OECD’s PISA assessments, which evaluate the competencies of 15-year-old students worldwide. The platform accurately identifies individual knowledge gaps and automatically generates personalized learning plans. It also creates thousands of task variations, complete with step-by-step solutions and video lessons.
Now in its third academic year, the platform has expanded to more than 200 educational institutions across Lithuania. It enables students to learn at their own pace and close learning gaps while saving teachers dozens of hours previously spent creating and grading tests. Today, Elicėjus is used by more than 40,000 students.
“The WSA recognition demonstrates that startups from small countries can create real social impact and gain global recognition,” says Mantas Vičius, the 25-year-old founder and CEO of Elicėjus. “My co-founder, Mykolas Kalmatavičius, and I started Elicėjus when we were very young, believing that neither age nor market size should be barriers to solving real problems.
“From the very beginning, we worked alongside educator Vilija Dabrišienė, who became an equal co-creator of the technology. This dialogue between pedagogy and technology is what enables us to build solutions capable of fundamentally transforming education. Today, together with a strong and growing team, we continue this mission.”
A Unique Blend of Education and Technology
One of Elicėjus’ distinguishing features is its founding team. Among its co-founders is Dr. Vilija Dabrišienė, a mathematics teacher with 40 years of teaching experience, author of more than 20 textbooks and educational publications, and a multiple-time recipient of Lithuania’s Teacher of the Year award.
Today, her work extends far beyond the traditional classroom, as she collaborates closely with software engineers and product developers.
“Elicėjus makes it possible to realize what educators have long dreamed of—providing every student with a personalized learning journey,” says Dr. Dabrišienė. “Seeing how the platform helps students overcome learning gaps that have persisted for years, I feel that my experience can now benefit not hundreds but thousands of learners.
“At the same time, I often feel that while building an excellent platform is extraordinarily challenging, an even greater challenge is convincing the educational community to trust new solutions and embrace innovative methodologies.”
Presenting at the WSA Global Congress
In May, the Elicėjus team will present its solution at the WSA Global Congress in Vienna, where it will meet fellow winners and leaders from the global education innovation community.
The World Summit Awards (WSA) is a United Nations-supported international initiative established in 2003 to identify and promote digital solutions with significant social impact. In Lithuania, the national selection process for the WSA is conducted through the Digital Book Carrier (Skaitmeninis knygnešys) competition, organized annually by the Agency for Digital Solutions of the State.
Source: Elicėjus.