Mindflair secures £0.25m contract from DfE

(Sharecast News) - Mindflair said in an update on Friday that its portfolio company Stylus Education has secured a contract worth around £0.25m from the UK Department for Education under the government's AI Tools for Education programme. Stylus, which trades as LearnCycle, develops artificial intelligence technology to automate marking and provide personalised feedback on handwritten student work.

The AIM-traded firm said the DfE had allocated £1m in the second round of the scheme, delivered through Innovate UK's Contracts for Innovation, to support the development of classroom-ready AI systems aimed at reducing teacher workloads.

Stylus would use the funding to advance its platform, which allows handwritten work to be scanned, assessed by AI with human oversight, and converted into tailored feedback and performance insights, while allowing students to continue using pen and paper.

Mindflair, which invests in AI-focused technology companies, said the award validated Stylus's proposition and its potential role in reshaping education support systems.

"We are delighted to see Stylus recognised by the DfE through this award - it underlines the strength of the platform and the opportunity for AI to materially reduce teacher workload and drive better student feedback," said Nicholas Lee, a director of Mindflair.

"We look forward to seeing Stylus progress this development phase and drive scalable adoption across the education sector."

At 1245 GMT, shares in Mindflair were up 3.08% at 0.67p.

Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.