Klaus J. Jacobs Research Prize

About the Awards

The Jacobs Foundation considers it vital to ensure that scientific findings from interdisciplinary research are incorporated in practice. The people and projects recognised in 2010 bridge the gap between fundamental research and practice in exemplary fashion.

Dr. Joh. Christian Jacobs
President of the Jacobs Foundation

Recognising opportunities, using potential

My father, Klaus J. Jacobs, founder of the Jacobs Foundation, believed deeply in the energy, enthusiasm, and motivation of young people as a driving force for social change. His wide-ranging social commitment, which is continued by his family, was intended to improve the opportunities of children and young people in society. It is in this spirit that the Jacobs Foundation awards two prizes each year in recognition of exceptional achievements in research into and practice of child and youth development.

The studies selected for the 2010 Klaus J. Jacobs awards continue the legacy of the founder in a particularly fitting manner.

• With their groundbreaking study on the interaction between genetic disposition and environmental influences, researchers Terrie Moffitt and Avshalom Caspi, winners of the Klaus J. Jacobs Research Prize, have shown that possibilities for positive development always exist, even under unfavourable conditions, provided that we are aware of the risks and assess them correctly.
• With their innovative practice models, the play and development programmes conducted in Germany and Switzerland selected for the Best Practice Award show us in impressive fashion why supporting disadvantaged children, young people, and families is of great importance.