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.

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.

Key benefits include:

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 cycles.

Research Themes and Scope

The fellowship encourages research that spans multiple disciplines and approaches. Projects may draw from education, psychology, sociology, economics, public health, or data science, as long as they contribute to understanding how children thrive.

Key thematic areas include:

Child development and learning systems
Social and emotional wellbeing
Health and nutrition outcomes
Inequality and access to services
Crisis and humanitarian contexts affecting children
Innovative methods for studying child wellbeing

The programme prioritizes research that is both academically rigorous and practically relevant.

Structure and Community Engagement

A defining feature of the fellowship is its emphasis on community building. Fellows are not only funded researchers but also members of a global cohort engaged in ongoing collaboration.

Participants benefit from:

Regular peer learning sessions
Cross-disciplinary knowledge exchange
Engagement with policy and practitioner networks
Opportunities to share research with global audiences

This structure ensures that research is continuously informed by diverse perspectives and real-world insights.

Why the LEGO Foundation Fellowship Matters

The LEGO Foundation Fellowship addresses a critical global need: improving the evidence base for policies and practices that affect children. Despite significant progress in child development research, gaps remain in understanding how different environments, systems, and inequalities shape outcomes.

By supporting long-term, interdisciplinary research, the fellowship helps to:

Strengthen global child wellbeing research
Bridge the gap between research and policy
Support evidence-based decision-making
Improve outcomes for children in diverse contexts

The programme ultimately aims to ensure that more children worldwide have the opportunity to thrive.

Final Thoughts

The LEGO Foundation Fellowship 2026, administered by the SSRC, is a significant opportunity for researchers dedicated to advancing the science of child wellbeing. With long-term funding, global collaboration, and strong interdisciplinary support, the programme offers a unique platform for impactful research.

For early- and mid-career scholars working in education, health, or social sciences, this fellowship provides the resources and community needed to produce meaningful, globally relevant research that can improve the lives of children worldwide.

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Disclaimer: Global South Opportunities (GSO) is not the organization offering this opportunity. For any inquiries, please contact the official organization directly. Please do not send your applications & CVs to GSO, as we are unable to process them. Due to the high volume of emails, we receive daily, we may not be able to respond to all inquiries. Thank you for your understanding.