Organizer Information
The fellowship is organized by the LEGO Foundation, a global philanthropic organization established in 1986 with a mission to support children’s development and learning through play. The Foundation works internationally across education, humanitarian response, child development, and social innovation sectors, funding research, programs, and partnerships that aim to improve conditions for children’s holistic wellbeing.
Over the past four decades, the LEGO Foundation has positioned itself as a major funder of evidence-based initiatives that strengthen education systems, particularly those that serve vulnerable, displaced, or marginalized children. Its work spans early childhood development, inclusive education, crisis response, and emerging technologies in learning environments. The Fellowship program marks part of its long-term strategy to bridge academic research with actionable policy and practice, ensuring that scientific knowledge directly informs systems affecting children globally.
Title & Description
LEGO Foundation Fellowship 2026–2029
The LEGO Foundation Fellowship is a three-year, global research funding program designed for early- and mid-career researchers whose work advances understanding of how children thrive across diverse social, cultural, and technological contexts. The fellowship supports ambitious, methodologically rigorous, and practice-relevant research that addresses urgent challenges affecting children’s development, learning, wellbeing, and inclusion.
The program is structured around three major thematic areas:
- Youngest children in crisis and conflict settings (birth–8 years)
Research focuses on resilience, caregiving environments, mental health support systems, and scalable interventions in humanitarian contexts. - Inclusion and wellbeing of neurodivergent children (up to 18 years)
Emphasis is placed on autism, ADHD, inclusive education systems, family support structures, and enabling technologies that reduce barriers to participation. - Children’s learning and development in an AI-enabled world (up to 18 years)
Investigates how artificial intelligence reshapes learning, social-emotional development, adult-child interaction, and educational equity.
The fellowship supports researchers to pursue independent, high-impact research agendas while joining a cohort of interdisciplinary scholars. It aims to generate actionable evidence that informs education systems, humanitarian policy, and child development practices globally.
Categories
- Education Research
- Child Development
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Public Health
- Neuroscience
- Economics
- Data Science
- Humanitarian Studies
- Disability Studies
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Implementation Science
- Artificial Intelligence & Education
Eligibility
- Open to international applicants from all countries (except those under EU/US sanctions restrictions).
- Early- and mid-career researchers.
- Must hold a PhD or equivalent research doctorate by July 31, 2026.
- PhD must have been awarded no earlier than January 1, 2016 (career-break adjustments may apply).
- Applicants must be employed by a university or research institution at the start of the fellowship.
- Applicants must be able to have funds administered through their host institution.
- Individual applications only (no joint submissions).
- Strong preference for applicants with demonstrated research potential and a clear, feasible research agenda aligned with fellowship themes.
Program Benefits & Awards
- Total funding of USD 300,000 over three years (inclusive of 15% indirect costs).
- Funding administered via the applicant’s host institution.
- Coverage of:
- Research personnel
- Fieldwork and data collection
- Professional travel
- Equipment and tools
- Dissemination activities
- Training and research support
- Access to an interdisciplinary cohort of global fellows.
- Participation in annual convenings, workshops, and virtual exchanges.
- Networking opportunities with researchers, practitioners, and policy actors.
- Visibility through LEGO Foundation dissemination channels.
- Integration into a global research network focused on children’s thriving.
Application Fee
None
Application Requirements
- Online application form
- CV (maximum 2 pages)
- Research abstract (maximum 250 words)
- Personal statement (maximum 500 words) covering motivation, contribution to knowledge, and leadership potential
- Research proposal (maximum 5 pages), including:
- Research question and relevance
- Original contribution and impact
- Methods and data analysis plan
- Feasibility and risk management
- Work completed to date
- Budget and justification templates
- Selected bibliography (maximum 2 pages)
Additional expectations include ethical compliance, safeguarding considerations, and data protection planning where applicable.
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 31 July 2026
- Eligibility requirement deadline: PhD must be completed by July 31, 2026
- Review process: August–October 2026
- Final selection results: November 2026
- Fellowship duration: 3 years (start date determined after selection, expected late 2026 or early 2027)
Location
New York, United States
Additional Details
The fellowship emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration and expects fellows to actively engage in cohort-based exchange. Researchers are expected to dedicate significant time to the proposed research agenda and contribute to knowledge-sharing activities.
Key expectations include:
- Annual progress reporting
- Participation in cohort meetings
- Contribution to dissemination activities
- Ethical compliance in research involving children and vulnerable populations
- A strong commitment to translating research into policy and practice impact
The program prioritizes research that is not only academically rigorous but also operationally relevant, especially in contexts of humanitarian crisis, neurodiversity inclusion, and rapidly evolving AI-driven educational systems.