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Open Call for Proposals 2025

The Jacobs Foundation is pleased to announce the 2025 Call for Proposals for its LEVANTE framework. The Jacobs Foundation is devoting up to USD 5 million to support project proposals to become part of the LEVANTE network.

Apply here

Apply here

Deadline for submission: August 19, 2025.

The overarching objective of LEVANTE is to identify how individual variability, group heterogeneity, and contextual variability influence children’s learning and development. By including data collection of common measures on these different areas longitudinally and at a global level, LEVANTE will help researchers, educators, and policymakers understand child development within individuals, within groups, and across contexts, thus improving future learning outcomes for diverse groups of children worldwide. The focus of the Jacobs Foundation is fostering scientific excellence and building a strong network of internationally active researchers in the field of child and youth development with a strong focus on variability of learning and to foster long-term collaboration with other researchers and the Jacobs Foundation.

LEVANTE Focus

• Embracing and understanding variability in learning across the three dimensions described in the Jacobs Foundation Research Agenda: within-subject, within-group, and contextual variability.
• Focus on typically developing children within the age range 2-12 (i.e., compulsory primary school years). However, because selecting measures for young children ages 2 – 5 carries a number of special challenges, the second RfP for LEVANTE focuses on children ages 5 –12. LEVANTE measures for children ages 2-5 are currently in a pilot phase for next year and will not be ready for use for another 18 months. If your population includes this age range, please consider postponing your application until the next cohort or reach out to the LEVANTE team at levante@jacobsfoundation.org for discussion.
• This Request for Proposals places a particular emphasis on internationalisation, and we especially encourage applicants interested in implementing projects using LEVANTE measures in underrepresented regions or countries in the Global South. If you are planning to collect data in the Global South, please click here for more information.
• The available measures address both the general constructs and the specific tasks and measures to be adopted by the LEVANTE framework for children ages 5 – 12. These measures are currently available in English, Spanish, and German. Measures are currently being adapted to French and Dutch.
  

Selection Criteria and Eligibility

Main applicants should:

• Have obtained a PhD or equivalent degree at least 5 years 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.

Funding and Budget

TThe 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 Requests for Proposals. Review of the extended proposals will take into account the scope of the proposed budget relative to the proposition value of the project.

Timeline of the Application Process

Stage 1: Initial Application (June 27 – August 19, 2025)

The initial application comprises three parts:

• General Information: You will be asked to submit general information about yourself, your team and your background.
• Application Form: Submit details of your study, including the project description, geographical focus, and target population age range.
• Upload your CV and a list of publications.

Following submission, your application will be reviewed by the external and internal review panel, as well as relevant members of the LEVANTE Steering Committee.

Stage 2: Extended Proposal (September 19 – November 19, 2025)

If your initial application is successful, you will be asked to submit an extended proposal, which includes:

• Extended Proposal Form: Submit in depth description of your study.
• Timeline.
• Budget.

Your extended proposal will be reviewed by the review panel.

Stage 3: Interview (January 7-16, 2026)

After your extended proposal is reviewed, you might be invited to an interview with the review panel. The final candidates will be presented for approval to the Jacobs Foundation Board.