Understanding the LEGO Foundation Fellowship 2027
The LEGO Foundation Fellowship 2027 offers a significant opportunity for early- and mid-career researchers focused on children’s thriving. This global research fellowship provides substantial funding and support to scholars whose work aims to deepen our understanding of how children learn, grow, and develop in diverse and often challenging environments. Administered by the Social Science Research Council (SSRC) in partnership with the LEGO Foundation, the fellowship is designed to foster rigorous, ambitious, and practically relevant research that can inform real-world actions for children.
This prestigious program is open to researchers from a wide range of disciplines, encouraging an interdisciplinary approach to complex issues affecting children today. These issues include humanitarian crises, educational inequalities, mental health challenges, and the growing influence of artificial intelligence on childhood development. The fellowship seeks to empower researchers who can generate evidence to shape policy, practice, and systems that better support children worldwide.
Fellowship Funding and Benefits
Selected fellows will receive comprehensive support over a three-year period, from February 1, 2027, to December 31, 2029. The fellowship is designed to provide not just financial resources but also a supportive community and opportunities for professional growth.
Financial Support
Each fellow will receive USD 300,000 in flexible research funding over three years. This amount includes 15% for indirect costs and is administered by the fellow’s institution. The funding can be used for a variety of research-related expenses, including personnel, professional travel, equipment, data collection, dissemination activities, trainee support, operational costs, Institutional Review Board (IRB) fees, and travel for fellowship meetings.
Global Fellowship Community
Fellows become part of an international, interdisciplinary network of researchers dedicated to children’s thriving. This community offers opportunities for global collaboration, research exchange, peer learning, and interdisciplinary dialogue. It also provides platforms for networking with policymakers and practitioners, helping to bridge the gap between research and real-world application.
Convenings and Visibility
The fellowship includes annual meetings and virtual cohort sessions, providing regular opportunities for research sharing and engagement. Fellows also benefit from increased international visibility through the LEGO Foundation network and potential media opportunities, along with support for disseminating their research outputs.
Career Advancement
The program aims to support the long-term career advancement of its fellows by strengthening their leadership capacity, helping them advance impactful research agendas, and building interdisciplinary partnerships. It encourages the translation of research findings into practical solutions that benefit children.
Research Themes for the Fellowship
Applicants must align their proposed research with one or more of the fellowship’s three core themes. These themes address critical areas of concern for children’s wellbeing and development in the current global landscape.
Theme 1: The Youngest Children in Crisis and Conflict Settings
This theme focuses on children from birth to age eight who are living in crisis, displacement, or humanitarian settings. Research within this theme can explore mechanisms of resilience and pathways to thriving, strategies for strengthening caregiving and family environments, and methods for scaling and sustaining effective interventions. It also encourages research on translating evidence into practice within these challenging contexts. Studies involving refugee children, internally displaced children, children in humanitarian emergencies, and vulnerable host community children are particularly welcome.
Theme 2: Inclusion and Wellbeing of Neurodivergent Children
This theme centers on neurodivergent children, with a particular focus on autism and ADHD. Research can investigate support mechanisms available before formal diagnosis, ways to strengthen family environments through routines and caregiving, and the creation of inclusive learning environments in educational systems. It also addresses the continuity of support during developmental and educational transitions and the role of enabling tools, such as digital technologies, in reducing barriers to participation and learning.
Theme 3: Children’s Learning and Development in an AI-Enabled World
This theme examines the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on children’s experiences and development. Research areas include how AI influences adult-child connections, its effects on social-emotional development and help-seeking behaviors, and its role in “productive struggle” during learning. The theme also seeks evidence on whether AI exacerbates or reduces educational inequalities, exploring its differential effects across various groups of children.
Eligibility and Application Requirements
The LEGO Foundation Fellowship is open to early- and mid-career researchers from all countries, with the exception of those subject to EU or US sanctions. Applicants must hold a PhD or equivalent research doctorate received no earlier than January 1, 2016, and be employed by a university or research institute. The fellowship is awarded to individuals, and applications must propose research aligned with at least one of the fellowship themes. The applicant’s institution must also have the capacity to administer the grant.
Application Materials
To apply, candidates must submit an online application form, a two-page CV or resume, a 250-word research abstract, and a 500-word personal statement detailing their motivation, scholarly contributions, and leadership potential. A five-page research proposal outlining relevance, originality, methods, feasibility, and work completed is also required, along with a budget and budget justification, and a two-page selected bibliography.
Application Timeline
Applications opened on June 1, 2026, and the deadline for submission is July 31, 2026. Applicants will be notified of the selection results in November 2026, with the fellowship period commencing on February 1, 2027.
Selection Process
The selection process involves two stages. First, applications are reviewed by international childhood development specialists and multidisciplinary reviewers. Second, final selections are made by a LEGO Foundation review committee. The evaluation criteria focus on the alignment of the research with fellowship themes, the clarity and strength of the proposed work, the applicant’s readiness and potential, the feasibility and quality of the research plan, and the potential contribution to the field and the fellowship’s goals.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the LEGO Foundation Fellowship 2027?
It’s a global research fellowship for early- and mid-career scholars focused on children’s thriving, providing funding and support for ambitious research.
How much funding does the fellowship provide?
Selected fellows receive USD 300,000 in flexible research funding over a three-year period.
What are the main research themes for the fellowship?
The themes are: children in crisis and conflict, inclusion and wellbeing of neurodivergent children, and children’s learning and development in an AI-enabled world.
Who is eligible to apply for the fellowship?
Early- and mid-career researchers from all countries (except those under EU/US sanctions) holding a PhD received no earlier than January 1, 2016, and employed by a research institution are eligible.
