About the opportunity
What this programme is offering
The Social Science Research Council (SSRC) in partnership with the LEGO Foundation, has announced the LEGO Foundation Fellowship, a prestigious global research programme aimed at advancing knowledge on how children thrive.
Academic funding portal
This fellowship supports early- and mid-career researchers working across disciplines such as education, psychology, public health, data science, and humanitarian studies.
The programme is designed to strengthen both the science and practice of child wellbeing by supporting research that has real-world impact on children’s lives globally.
Overview of the LEGO Foundation Fellowship
The LEGO Foundation Fellowship is a long-term research support programme that provides scholars with the time, funding, and community needed to produce meaningful, evidence-based work. Fellows are selected from diverse academic backgrounds and brought together into a global cohort focused on improving outcomes for children.
The fellowship is administered by the SSRC in collaboration with the LEGO Foundation, ensuring a strong balance between academic rigor and practical application.
Key features of the programme include:
Three years of flexible research funding
Support for interdisciplinary research projects
Participation in a global cohort of fellows
Engagement with policy and practice communities
Opportunities for knowledge exchange and collaboration
Purpose and Focus of the Fellowship
The central aim of the fellowship is to deepen understanding of how children develop, learn, and thrive across different contexts. It encourages research that bridges theory and practice, ensuring that findings can inform real-world policies and interventions.
The fellowship focuses on generating evidence that can improve children’s lives, particularly in areas such as:
Early childhood development
Education systems and learning outcomes
Child mental health and wellbeing
Public health and nutrition
Humanitarian and crisis-affected settings
Data-driven insights into child development
By supporting interdisciplinary work, the programme ensures that multiple perspectives contribute to a more complete understanding of child wellbeing.
Who Can Apply
The LEGO Foundation Fellowship is open to early- and mid-career researchers globally. Applicants must demonstrate strong academic training and a commitment to research that connects directly to real-world challenges affecting children.
Eligible applicants typically include:
Academic researchers in social sciences and related fields
Public health and education specialists
Data scientists working on child-focused research
Humanitarian and development researchers
The fellowship welcomes scholars from a wide range of disciplines, reflecting its interdisciplinary approach to understanding child development.
Fellowship Benefits and Funding
The programme offers substantial support to selected fellows, enabling them to focus fully on their research over a three-year period.
Academic funding portal
Key benefits include:
Academic funding portal
Flexible multi-year research funding
Time and resources to develop independent research projects
Participation in a global research cohort
Access to collaborative learning and exchange opportunities
Engagement with policy and practice stakeholders
This long-term support structure is designed to allow researchers to produce high-quality, impactful work without the constraints of short-term funding cycle
How to apply