The Jacobs Foundation is devoting up to USD 5 million to support project proposals to become part of the Learning Variability Network Exchange (LEVANTE).
LEVANTE seeks to understand how children grow, learn, and develop across different times, places, and contexts[SS1][IC2] so that they can be supported to thrive in the multitude of experiences they will encounter throughout life. LEVANTE was conceptualised as the research mechanism that enables scientists around the world to address the transformative questions posed by the Jacobs Foundation Research Agenda. It brings together researchers from around the world to create the first cross-cultural, multidisciplinary open dataset aiming to capture the richness and diversity of child development and learning.
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Jacobs Foundation LEVANTE Framework
Aim and Benefits of Jacobs Foundation LEVANTE Framework
The Jacobs Foundation is devoting up to USD 5 million to support project proposals to become part of the LEVANTE network. Proposals can be submitted within the following two categories:
1) Small projects – new data
Maximum budget: USD 600.000 over a minimum of 4 years
Small projects are expected to support:
- Collection of LEVANTE measures in new samples
- Addition of LEVANTE measures to ongoing or planned studies
- Supplementation of LEVANTE data collection with other measure types
2) Large projects – new data
Maximum budget: USD 1.000.000 over a minimum of 4 years.
Some examples of large projects:
- Collection of LEVANTE measures in new samples of greater size or with specific population characteristics of interest that require greater resource expenditure
- High-density data collection
- Supplementation of LEVANTE data collection with other measure types (see above)
- Extensions of the LEVANTE framework (e.g., to new languages)
All projects will have a minimum duration of four years, with the possibility of competitive renewal for those projects funded in the first three RfPs. Review of the extended proposals will take into account the scope of the proposed budget relative to the proposition value of the project.
Requirements for Jacobs Foundation LEVANTE Framework Qualification
Main applicants should:
- Have obtained a PhD or equivalent degree at least 5 years (excluding career breaks) prior to the application deadline;
- Be employed by and be part of a research lab at an institution of higher education or research institute;
- Be conducting high-quality research in the area of variability of learning and development;
- Be committed to engaging with and contributing to the activities of both LEVANTE and the Jacobs Foundation.
The following selection criteria are considered in the selection process:
- Scientific quality of methods and data
- Publication record and experience on similar collaborative projects
- Feasibility of the proposed project
- Availability of resources and capacity of the lab
- Innovativeness, uniqueness, and value proposition of the proposed project
- Geographic localization of the proposed project and demographic representativeness of the sample
- Conceptual alignment and integration of planned project with the LEVANTE framework
- Collaboration and/or multidisciplinary character of the proposed project
- Inclusion of young scholars in the team
- Inclusion of additional measures with no/limited additional funding request
Interview date, Process and Venue for Jacobs Foundation LEVANTE Framework
The following requirements must be met by all submitted proposals to be considered for funding within the LEVANTE scheme:
- Sampling, recruitment, and administration must follow the guidelines.
- All age appropriate LEVANTE Core Assessment Measures must be administered to children, caregivers, and (where appropriate) teachers. There is some flexibility in grouping and style of administration as specified above.
- Data must be collected using the LEVANTE infrastructure tools. Any potential customization must be discussed, approved, and implemented by the Data Coordinating Center and must include a budget for such customizations.
- Proposals should administer the complete LEVANTE Core Assessment Measures in one of the available languages (English, Spanish, German- soon available in French and Dutch), or should have a plan for working with the Data Coordinating Center to translate/adapt the measures to other languages.
- All data from these measures must be covered under the LEVANTE Data Submission Agreement.
- Proposals must comply with the LEVANTE Ethics, Privacy and Data Use Policies.
- Proposals must be submitted in English. Proposal submitted in other languages will not be reviewed.
General Priorities for Proposals
Proposals will be evaluated using the following priorities:
- Scientific merits of the articulated research questions
- Feasibility of the study
- Site has the resources and expertise necessary to carry out the proposed data collection.
- Proposals from low-resource contexts might want to budget for capacity building to ensure study feasibility.
- Sample Characteristics
- Diversity of population being sampled, with the goal of collecting data from a broad set of cultural and linguistic contexts.
- Representativeness of the sample within the particular context of recruitment (e.g., representativeness of a particular local or national community).
- Sample size – larger samples add greater value to the dataset and will be preferred all else being equal.
- Value of additional measures
- Previously collected or planned collection of data that enhance the value of the core LEVANTE measures, including other measure types, and prior or subsequent longitudinal tracking.
- Sharing feasibility and policies for additional data
- Resulting dataset will be shared in a manner that facilitates easy harmonization with LEVANTE core measure data.
- Coordination opportunities beyond the LEVANTE measures
- The effort is co-supported through another study or initiative.
Check also:
Mastercard Foundation Scholars' Program at ALCHE 2027
Global Korea Scholarship 2027
Application Deadline
August 19, 2025How to Apply
Interested and qualified? Go to
Jacobs Foundation on jacobsfoundation.smapply.org to apply
For more details, visit Jacobs Foundation LEVANTE Framework webpage
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