LEGO Foundation Fellowship 2027: A Deep Dive for Aspiring Scholars

The LEGO Foundation Fellowship 2027 is a significant opportunity for early- and mid-career researchers focused on children’s thriving. This fellowship offers substantial financial support and a global network for scholars aiming to make a real-world impact. Understanding the fellowship’s structure, themes, and application requirements is key to a successful proposal. This analysis breaks down what makes this fellowship stand out and who it’s designed to support.

Understanding the Fellowship’s Purpose and Scope

The LEGO Foundation Fellowship is designed to advance the understanding of how children learn, grow, and thrive in today’s complex world. It aligns with the LEGO Foundation’s commitment to children’s education, creativity, and well-being. The program addresses urgent global issues affecting children, such as humanitarian crises, educational disparities, and the growing influence of artificial intelligence. It aims to empower researchers whose work can lead to better policies and practices for children worldwide.

Key Fellowship Benefits and Support

Selected fellows will receive comprehensive support over a three-year period, from February 1, 2027, to December 31, 2029. The fellowship provides USD 300,000 in flexible research funding, which can cover research personnel, travel, equipment, data collection, and dissemination activities. This funding includes 15% for indirect costs and is administered by the fellow’s institution.

Beyond financial support, fellows become part of a global, interdisciplinary community. This network offers opportunities for collaboration, research exchange, and peer learning. The fellowship also includes annual meetings and virtual sessions for cohort activities, research sharing, and engagement with practitioners and policymakers. Fellows can expect increased international visibility through the LEGO Foundation network and media opportunities, along with support for disseminating their research outputs. The program is also structured to support long-term career advancement by strengthening leadership capacity and fostering interdisciplinary partnerships.

Core Research Themes for the Fellowship

Applicants must align their research proposals with one or more of the fellowship’s three core themes. These themes reflect critical areas of concern for children’s development and well-being.

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 situations. Research can explore mechanisms of resilience, pathways to thriving, and the strengthening of caregiving and family environments. It also encourages studies on scaling and sustaining effective interventions for child development and mental health, as well as research on translating evidence into practice within humanitarian settings. Studies involving refugee children, internally displaced children, and vulnerable host community children are particularly welcome.

Theme 2: Inclusion and Wellbeing of Neurodivergent Children

This theme specifically addresses autism and ADHD, aiming to improve support for neurodivergent children. Research proposals can focus on support before diagnosis, strengthening family environments through routines and caregiving, and creating inclusive learning environments within educational systems. The theme also covers research on transitions and the continuity of support during developmental changes, as well as 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 how artificial intelligence is changing children’s experiences and development. Research areas include the impact of AI on adult-child connections, its effects on social-emotional development and help-seeking behaviors, and its influence on productive struggle in learning. The theme also invites research on the differential effects of AI, specifically whether it reduces or deepens educational inequalities, and how AI influences children’s overall learning and development in an increasingly digital world.

Eligibility and Application Requirements

The LEGO Foundation Fellowship is open to early- and mid-career researchers globally. 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. Individual applications are required, and proposed research must align with at least one fellowship theme. The applicant’s institution must also have the capacity to administer the grant. The fellowship recognizes documented career breaks, such as parental leave or illness.

Eligible disciplines are broad and include education, psychology, public health, sociology, neuroscience, economics, data science, disability studies, humanitarian studies, child development, human-computer interaction, and implementation science. Applicants from all countries are welcome, with the exception of those subject to EU or US sanctions. Up to 10 fellowships will be awarded.

Application Process and Selection Criteria

The application deadline is July 31, 2026. Required application materials include an online application form, a CV or resume (maximum 2 pages), a research abstract (250-word limit), a personal statement (500-word limit) detailing motivation and leadership potential, and a research proposal (maximum 5 pages) covering relevance, originality, methods, and feasibility. A budget and budget justification, along with a selected bibliography (maximum 2 pages), are also mandatory.

Applications will be evaluated based on their alignment with fellowship themes, the clarity and strength of the proposed work, the applicant’s readiness and research accomplishments, the feasibility and quality of the research methodology, and the potential contribution to the field. The selection process involves two stages: an initial review by international specialists and a final selection by a LEGO Foundation review committee. Applicants will be notified of the results in November 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the main goal of the LEGO Foundation Fellowship 2027?

The fellowship aims to support researchers who are studying how children learn, grow, and thrive, especially in challenging global situations.

How much funding does the fellowship provide?

Selected fellows receive USD 300,000 in flexible research funding over a three-year period.

Who is eligible to apply for the fellowship?

Early- and mid-career researchers worldwide with a PhD received after January 1, 2016, and employed by a university or research institute are eligible.

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.