Grand winner of the Bevica Scholarship Programme 2025 lecturer category: “Conflicts arise because we lack the right tools — I want to change that.”

Katrin Simone Heimann from Aarhus University wins the grand prize in the Bevica Scholarship Programme's lecturer category 2025. Her project is based on a vision to develop concrete tools that can strengthen conflict management and build communities in learning environments. The aim is to create inclusive and trauma-sensitive frameworks using the principles of universal design — both in higher education and in other contexts.

“I often find that conflicts arise because we have conflicting needs and values and that we are not always well equipped with the necessary tools for conflict mediation and counseling. This is exactly what I want to work with through the project,” says Katrin Simone Heimann from Aarhus University.

Through her work, she finds that conflicts often stem from discrimination, cultural differences or conflicting needs. By applying the principles of universal design, she can create inclusive learning environments that make conflicts easier to manage.

The project is based on a current and socially important need: How can teaching and learning environments be organized so that students with different experiences and backgrounds meet with understanding and flexibility, which can prevent conflicts and strengthen community? Katrin's idea combines research and practice by developing concrete tools for conflict management, community building and inclusive educational design — with universal design as a foundation.

Katrin wins the lecturer category on the basis of her project idea and pitch and marks not a finished research result, but the potential of her vision and professional approach. With the grand prize, Katrin will have the opportunity to begin the development phase of the project, where she will investigate, test and further qualify her ideas with a view to creating inclusive and trauma-sensitive learning environments.

Follow Katrin's project here.

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