Jacobs Center for Productive Youth Development

What Jacobs Center for Productive Youth Development does

The Jacobs Center for Productive Youth Development is a non-profit scientific research center at the University of Zurich, operating as a joint venture between UZH and the Jacobs Foundation. Founded in 2004, it conducts interdisciplinary developmental research spanning economics, psychology, and sociology, with a central question of how children can fully develop their potential. The center's core infrastructure is the z-proso (Zurich Project on the Social Development from Childhood to Adulthood) longitudinal cohort study, which has tracked over 1,400 individuals from primary school entry in 2004 through 10 survey waves, with the most recent launched in March 2026. Complementary studies include LEAPS (a Canton of Zurich study on family and social environment factors in child development), the Masculinity in Flux study (over 6,000 Swiss adults aged 18-64), and the Risk and Resilience research area examining stress-related mental health and substance use. Methodologically, the center combines behavioral surveys with biological markers (hair cortisol and cortisone analysis, substance metabolite testing), neuroimaging data, and automated language processing for open-ended text analysis.

The center's products are research outputs rather than commercial offerings: peer-reviewed publications, prevention program evaluations (Triple P parent training, PATHS/Denk-Wege school-based social skills training), and academic workshops. It distributes findings through publications in journals such as Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, Psychoneuroendocrinology, European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, and BMJ Public Health; the zIReN international research network; the International Max Planck Research School on the Life Course (LIFE); and media engagement in Swiss and international outlets. The Jacobs Center employs approximately 13 staff including principal investigators, postdoctoral researchers, doctoral research associates, and master's students, and is led by Prof. Dr. Lilly Shanahan as Principal Investigator of the Risk & Resilience Research Area and Co-Project Director of z-proso.

The center generates no commercial revenue. Its funding derives from institutional grants, most notably from the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF), which classifies z-proso as a research infrastructure of national importance, supplemented by the Jacobs Foundation and UZH Population Research Center seed grants. The go-to-market is community-led: participant recruitment, research dissemination, and academic collaboration occur through university networks, scientific workshops, social media (LinkedIn, Instagram, Bluesky), and earned media coverage rather than commercial sales channels.

Name

Jacobs Center for Productive Youth Development

Legal name

Jacobs Center for Productive Youth Development

Website

https://jacobscenter.uzh.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Jacobs Center for Productive Youth Development is a non-profit research center at the University of Zurich that conducts longitudinal youth development studies, including the z-proso cohort tracking 1,400+ individuals since 2004, serving academic, policy, and public stakeholders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Development Research

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Child and Youth Services (62411), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK), Behavioral Health for Children & Adolescents (Youth Services) (HLAFACAL)

Keywords

• Youth development research
• Longitudinal cohort studies
• Developmental psychology research
• Social development research
• Youth prevention programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Zurich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Institutional funding: The Jacobs Center is a joint venture between the University of Zurich and the Jacobs Foundation. It operates as a non-profit scientific research center funded through institutional partnerships and research grants.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Jacobs Center for Productive Youth Development is a non-profit scientific research center at the University of Zurich that conducts interdisciplinary longitudinal research on youth development. Its core offerings include community-based cohort studies (z-proso, LEAPS, Masculinity in Flux), evaluation of prevention programs (Triple P, PATHS/Denk-Wege), and publication of peer-reviewed scientific findings. The center generates research outputs for academic, policy, and public audiences rather than commercial products or services.

Product overview

The Jacobs Center for Productive Youth Development is a scientific research center at the University of Zurich, not a commercial product company. It conducts interdisciplinary youth development research through multiple longitudinal studies and research programs. The core research infrastructure is the z-proso study, a longitudinal cohort tracking children's social development from childhood to adulthood. Complementary studies include LEAPS (examining family and social factors in children's learning), and the Masculinity in Flux study. The Risk and Resilience research area focuses on mental health and substance use. Prevention programs Triple P and PATHS/Denk-Wege are evaluated within the z-proso framework. An international research network (zIReN) facilitates global collaboration on z-proso data.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• z-proso: Zurich Project on the Social Development from Childhood to Adulthood - flagship longitudinal study tracking social development of children and adolescents since 2004
• LEAPS
• Risk and Resilience
• zIReN

Products and services

• z-proso (Zurich Project on the Social Development from Childhood to Adulthood) A longitudinal cohort study tracking the social development of over 1,400 young people since 2004, examining aggressive and delinquent behaviour, prosocial characteristics, and educational trajectories. The study investigates how individual, family, school and situational factors interact in the development of violence and other problem behaviour, and includes field experiments evaluating prevention programs. Designed for academic researchers, policy makers, and public health stakeholders.
• LEAPS (Learning Progress Study - Family and Social Environment Module) A longitudinal study in the Canton of Zurich following approximately 1,500 children throughout compulsory schooling, examining factors influencing children's competency development in families and social environments, including parental expectations, parenting behavior, socioeconomic background, and daily organization. Developed in partnership with ETH Zurich for academic researchers and educational policy stakeholders.
• Risk and Resilience Research Area A research group investigating risk and protective factors in the development of stress-related mental health conditions (depression, anxiety) and problematic substance use in adolescence and young adulthood, drawing on community-based longitudinal cohort studies. Outputs include peer-reviewed publications and evidence for prevention program design.
• z-proso International Research Network (zIReN) A worldwide network of researchers who actively work on z-proso data and publish research findings, bringing together internationally leading experts and early career researchers in developmental psychopathology and criminology. The network holds annual meetings at different European universities and supports collaborative research on the z-proso dataset.
• Triple P (Positive Parenting Program) An early prevention program evaluated as a field experiment within the z-proso study, focusing on parent training to support child development and reduce behavioral problems. Designed for researchers studying parenting interventions and family-based prevention.
• PATHS / Denk-Wege (School-based Social Skills Training) A school-based social skills training program (called 'Denk-Wege' in German since 2018) evaluated within the z-proso study's field experiment for early violence prevention. Designed for researchers and educators evaluating school-based prevention curricula.
• Masculinity in Flux Study A large-scale study on masculinity and gender-related attitudes in Switzerland, gathering representative data from over 6,000 people aged 18-64, examining restrictive dominance-oriented attitudes and their relationship to violence and gender equality. Conducted in cooperation with männer.ch as the first representative Swiss data on masculinity.

Quantifiable outcome

• 83% of life events mentioned by young people were positive, with school, training, and relationships being most significant
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• Jacobs FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Jacobs Center is a joint venture between the University of Zurich and the Jacobs Foundation. The foundation provides substantial funding and strategic support for the center's youth development research mission. This partnership enables the interdisciplinary research focused on how children can fully develop their potential.
• University of ZurichcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Jacobs Center is hosted by the University of Zurich and operates as a scientific center within the university's Department of Psychology. The partnership provides institutional infrastructure, academic oversight, and research collaboration opportunities.
• männer.chmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation with männer.ch, the umbrella organisation of Swiss men's and fathers' associations, for the Masculinity in Flux study - the first representative data on masculinity and gender-related attitudes in Switzerland.
• UZH Population Research CentermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive involvement in the UZH Population Research Center, which funds seed grants for population-based research projects including those using automated language processing and digital health research.
• International Max Planck Research School on the Life Course (LIFE)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint international PhD program with sites at University of Michigan, University of Virginia, Max Planck Institute for Human Development Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Technische Universität Berlin.
• z-proso International Research Network (zIReN)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorldwide network of researchers who actively work on z-proso data and publish findings. Members include internationally leading experts and early career researchers in developmental psychopathology and criminology. Holds annual meetings at different European universities.
• Experimental Pharmacopsychology and Psychological Addiction Research Group (Prof. Boris Quednow)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on studies examining hair cortisol and cortisone as stress markers, substance use patterns, and their associations with mental health outcomes in young adults.
• Center for Forensic Hair Analytics at Zurich Institute of Forensic MedicinesupportingTechnology or IntegrationPartnership for hair sample analysis measuring cortisol, cortisone, and substance metabolites (cannabis, cocaine, MDMA, paracetamol) and testosterone levels.
• Digital and Mobile Health Team (UZH)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on studies using AI-assisted text analysis to examine youth hopes and worries, and digital health interventions for adolescent well-being.
• NMR Kids Lab (Prof. Nora M. Raschle)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on studies examining parental behavior and brain development, including MRI studies linking parenting practices with amygdala and prefrontal brain region development.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Max Planck Institute for Human Development: Berlin-based research institute studying human development across the life course; directly comparable as a LIFE Max Planck Research School partner and co-collaborator on longitudinal cohort research with the Jacobs Center.
• Great Smoky Mountains Study: Long-running longitudinal study of youth psychopathology whose dataset is used by Jacobs Center researchers; directly comparable in cohort methodology and risk/resilience research focus.
• Penn State College of Health and Human Development: Institution where the Jacobs Center's PI earned her PhD; comparable for developmental and clinical psychology research infrastructure and methodology.
• Add Health Study (UNC): Large US nationally-representative longitudinal study of adolescent health; highly comparable in cohort design, multi-wave data collection, and youth development research focus.
• Centre for Longitudinal Studies (UCL): UK-based center managing large-scale national birth and child cohorts; highly comparable in longitudinal infrastructure, multi-wave tracking, and policy-applied youth research.
• Carolina Consortium on Human Development (UNC-Chapel Hill): Multi-university consortium conducting longitudinal studies of child and adolescent development; directly comparable in cohort tracking and developmental psychopathology research.
• Duke Center for Developmental Epidemiology: Duke-based center where Jacobs Center's PI Shanahan completed her NICHD fellowship; comparable for longitudinal developmental cohort research methodology.

Emerging players

• Prevention Research Center (Penn State): US-based center focused on evidence-based prevention programs, including methodology parallels to the Jacobs Center's Triple P and PATHS/Denk-Wege prevention evaluations within z-proso.

Broad incumbents

• Jacobs Foundation: Core strategic partner and co-funder of the Jacobs Center; operates much more broadly across global youth development philanthropy, making it a broader incumbent peer rather than direct research competitor.
• University of Zurich, Department of Psychology: Host department of the Jacobs Center; a broader academic peer with overlapping faculty, graduate students, and institutional research infrastructure.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jacobs-center
• Instagraminstagram.com/jacobs.center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Jacobs Center for Productive Youth Development