iRead · Project

Adaptive Reading Software That Personalizes Literacy Learning for Every Child

digitalPilotedTRL 7

Imagine a reading app that watches how a child reads and instantly adjusts — making things easier when they struggle and harder when they're cruising. That's what iRead built: a cloud-based system with games, interactive e-books, and a reader app that adapts in real time to each child's level across 4 languages. It works for typical readers, kids with dyslexia, and children learning English as a foreign language — all using the same platform but getting a completely different, personalized experience.

By the numbers

Languages with full reading domain models (English, Greek, German, Spanish)

Consortium partners across the project

European countries involved in development and piloting

Demo deliverables produced (games and e-books)

Successive batches of literacy games delivered

Total project deliverables

Industry partners in the consortium

The business problem

What needed solving

Millions of children across Europe struggle with reading — whether due to dyslexia, learning a foreign language, or simply progressing at a different pace than their classmates. Current digital reading tools typically offer one-size-fits-all content that doesn't adapt to individual difficulties. Publishers and EdTech companies need technology that personalizes the reading experience in real time without requiring them to build adaptive AI from scratch.

The solution

What was built

The project built a cloud-based adaptive reading platform with three main products: literacy games (delivered in 3 successive batches, plus localized versions), interactive personalized e-books, and a Reader app — all connected through a shared infrastructure with real-time user modelling and learning analytics. Domain models cover 4 languages with specific adaptations for dyslexia.

Audience

Who needs this

Digital publishers wanting to make their e-book catalogs adaptive and accessibleEdTech companies building literacy products for K-12 schoolsDyslexia intervention providers needing personalized digital toolsSchool districts deploying multilingual reading programsLanguage learning platforms expanding into early reading support

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Educational Publishing

mid-size

Target: Digital publishers and e-book platforms serving K-12 markets

If you are a digital publisher struggling to make your reading content accessible to diverse learners — this project developed personalized content classification metrics that 'enable reading' for electronic publishers and libraries. The iRead infrastructure lets you tag and adapt your existing content library so each reader gets material matched to their skill level, across 4 languages (English, Greek, German, Spanish), without creating separate editions.

EdTech / Learning Platforms

SME

Target: Companies building adaptive learning software for schools

If you are an EdTech company looking to add literacy support to your platform — iRead built a scalable, cloud-based infrastructure of open, interoperable components including real-time user modelling. Instead of building adaptive reading technology from scratch, you could integrate these tested components: literacy games delivered in 3 production batches, interactive personalized e-books, and learning analytics that orchestrate the full experience.

Special Education Services

any

Target: Organizations providing dyslexia screening and reading intervention tools

If you are a provider of dyslexia support tools and need technology that actually adapts to each learner's specific difficulties — iRead developed domain models specifically for English and Greek readers with dyslexia, tested across 9 countries with large-scale evaluation pilots. The system identifies individual reading difficulties and delivers targeted game-based exercises, moving beyond one-size-fits-all approaches that miss the nuances of each child's challenges.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to license or integrate this technology?

The project data does not include licensing terms or pricing. As an EU-funded Innovation Action, the infrastructure was designed with open, interoperable components, which may allow integration under favorable terms. Contact the coordinator through SciTransfer to discuss commercial licensing options.

Can this scale to serve thousands of students across a school district?

Yes — the system was explicitly designed as a scalable, cloud-based infrastructure. It was tested in large-scale evaluation pilots across 9 countries, which demonstrates capacity beyond single-classroom use. The 17-partner consortium spanning 9 countries ensured the platform handles multilingual, multi-site deployments.

Who owns the IP and can I build on this technology?

IP is shared among the 17 consortium partners led by University College London. The infrastructure was built with open, interoperable components, suggesting potential for third-party integration. Specific licensing terms would need to be negotiated with the consortium.

Which languages are supported and can new ones be added?

Domain models were developed for English, Greek, German, and Spanish — 4 languages with full reading skill models. The architecture generalizes from a previous FP7 project (iLearnRW), suggesting the domain modelling approach is designed to be extensible to additional languages.

Has this been tested with real students in real classrooms?

Yes. The project ran large-scale evaluation pilots across European countries and providers to evaluate pedagogical effectiveness. Literacy games were delivered in 3 successive batches, and interactive personalized e-books were produced as demo deliverables — all tested with actual learners including children with dyslexia.

Does this handle data protection for children's data?

Data protection is listed as a core project theme (EuroSciVoc classification). Given the project involves real-time user modelling of children's reading behavior, GDPR-compliant data handling was a design requirement. Specific compliance documentation should be requested from the consortium.

Consortium

Who built it

The iRead consortium is strong and commercially relevant: 17 partners across 9 countries with 6 industry players (35% industry ratio) including 2 SMEs. University College London leads, backed by 8 universities and 2 research organizations providing deep expertise in linguistics, machine learning, and education science. The geographic spread across the UK, Germany, Greece, Spain, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Romania, and North Macedonia means the technology was tested across diverse educational systems and languages. For a business looking to partner, the mix of academic depth and industry presence signals a project that was built with commercialization in mind, not just research papers.

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDONCoordinator · UK
THE BRITISH COUNCIL ROYAL CHARTERparticipant · UK
ETHNICON METSOVION POLYTECHNIONparticipant · EL
DUALE HOCHSCHULE BADEN-WURTTEMBERGparticipant · DE
DEUTSCHES FORSCHUNGSZENTRUM FUR KUNSTLICHE INTELLIGENZ GMBHparticipant · DE
UNIVERSITAT DE BARCELONAparticipant · ES
UNIVERSITATEA LUCIAN BLAGA DIN SIBIUparticipant · RO
PANEPISTIMIO IOANNINONparticipant · EL
GOETEBORGS UNIVERSITETparticipant · SE

How to reach the team

The coordinator is University College London (UK). SciTransfer can facilitate a direct introduction to the project team to discuss licensing, integration, or partnership opportunities.

Order a report on this consortium See UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore how iRead's adaptive reading technology could fit your product or school system? SciTransfer connects you directly with the research team — we handle the introductions so you can focus on the business case.

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