The Bevica Scholarship Programme
On this page, you can read about the activities that come with participating in the Bevica Scholarship Programme, and learn more about the winning projects.
The Bevica Scholarship Programme is an opportunity for passionate and talented students and lecturers from all disciplines to create a more equitable and inclusive world.
In the programme, students and lecturers get to investigate the potentials of universal design as a tool within their own discipline, working together in pursuit of equality.
During the first year of the programme, participants learn more about universal design and meet likeminded people while participating in workshops and online modules that will help form the final projects.
After the assessment process the award recipients will travel, finding new knowledge on universal design, creating new solutions and networking with leading experts of their fields.
Award recipients in the student category will be travelling in the first year after receiving the Scholarship Award.
The Award recipients in the lecturer category are expected to have finished their travels in the second year after recieving the scholarship award, giving them an extra year to finish their travels, compared to the student recipients.
The Bevica Scholarship Programme is facilitated by Bevica Fonden’s Universal Design Hub. Camilla Ryhl, Research Director of the Universal Design Hub, is also part of the Scholarship Jury.
The call
Bevica Fonden invites students and lecturers at Danish universities, university colleges and architecture -and design schools to take part in the Bevica Scholarship Programme.
The programme supports innovative and bold thinkers to investigate how their profession can develop universal design as a lever for the pledge to Leave No One Behind in securing an equitable and inclusive society.
This is your chance to join the journey towards a more inclusive and sustainable society for all – regardless of ability.
Our society needs to be more equitably inclusive in many areas. All aspects of our society, products, environments, programmes, and services are designed for idealised average persons and use – supporting some and leaving others behind. However, living with different and changing abilities, permanent or temporary, is a human condition we all share. And to embrace and accommodate for our shared differences – in all aspects of our society – we call for multidisciplinary action.
The Bevica Scholarship Programme is an opportunity for passionate and talented students and lecturers from all disciplines to create a better world.
In the programme students and lecturers get to investigate the potentials of universal design as a tool within their own discipline, working together in pursuit of equality.
The programme is an integral part of the Bevica Foundation´s ambition to create an inclusive society for all based on universal design as a basic premise. Furthermore, the Bevica Scholarship Programme plays an important role in developing and disseminating new knowledge about universal design as a mulitidisciplinary field of research.
Students
To sign up for the Bevica Scholarship Programme, students must:
- be enrolled at a Danish-based university, university college, or architecture- and design school.
- must have completed at least the 3rd semester of their education at the start of the Ideation Phase (February 2027)
Students from all disciplines can participate.
Lecturers
To sign up for the Bevica Scholarship Programme, lecturers must:
- be employed at a Danish research-based university, university college, or architecture- and design school.
- be able to document active teaching activites within the past two years at the start of the Ideation Phase (February 2027).
Lecturers from all disciplines can participate.
Students
There are two Main Prizes in the Student category:
Bachelor Main Prize at DKK 200.000
Master Main Prize at DKK 200.000
The Bevica Scholarships are to be used for visiting an international knowledge environment. The international knowledge environment may be either an academic, a civic/NGO or private sector environment, depending on the scope of the project.
The main prize for lecturers is the Bevica Fellowship of DKK 130.000. There are two Bevica Fellowships awarded in each round.
Bevica Fellowships or travel grants are to be used to visit a foreign research-based university, university college, or design school, to stimulate and strengthen teaching and curricula development within universal design in a Danish context.
Students and lecturers are invited to sign up for the Bevica Scholarship Programme by 1st of December 2026.
The programme is structured in three phases for all participants:
- The Ideation phase where you attain new knowledge from a mix of two one-day workshops, online self-study modules and hands-on sparring with experts and peers, in order to develop a problem statement you wish to further investigate.
- The Creation phase where a selected shortlist work on refining their projects, make initial agreement with the host environments of their investigations, and develop their potential pitches for the award ceremony.
- The Investigation phase where the Scholarship recipients travel abroad to carry out their project investigations and bring new universal design knowledge back to Denmark.
Please find a more detailed description of the three phases in the timetables above.
Universal design is defined by the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, as: ‘the design of products, environments, programmes, and services to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design’.
Developing universal designs is a multidisciplinary task and challenge – for both students and lecturers – from a wide range of disciplines addressing key aspects of our daily lives.
The Bevica Scholarship Programme challenges participants to answer the questions below:
Students
The question asked:
How can universal design contribute to creating a more inclusive society in Denmark – embracing everyone, regardless of ability? And what new knowledge is needed to do so?
The Bevica Scholarship Programme challenges participating students to develop a problem statement relevant to investigate the question above through your own discipline. The process of developing your problem statement will be supported by workshops, online self-study and sparring with experts, and peers.
Participating students are to:
- Define a problem statement to investigate within their own discipline by means of universal design.
- Ideate how and where they will carry out their investigation. Meaning identify a relevant international knowledge environment to visit and carry out their investigations.
- Present the expected new universal design knowledge their investigation will result in and the expected impact in the Danish context of their findings.
Proposed projects are to:
- Develop knowledge on universal design within key aspects of our daily lives: products, environments, programmes, and services.
- Consequently, to the above primary goal, promote an understanding of human beings that includes everyone across different and changing abilities and showcase universal design as a lever for the pledge to Leave No One Behind.
By addressing these objectives, participating students develop and pitch their individual projects for evaluation by an international and interdisciplinary jury.
Bevica Scholarships are ultimately granted to students that excel in their ambition to innovate and demonstrate how universal design can be applied within their own discipline to generate a more equitable and inclusive society for all in Denmark.
Lecturers
How can universal design contribute to a more inclusive society? How can teaching at Danish research-based universities, university colleges, or architecture- and design schools support this quest? And what new knowledge is needed to take action?
The Bevica Scholarship Programme challenges participating lecturers to develop a problem statement relevant to investigate the questions above through your own discipline. The process of developing your problem statement will be supported by workshops, online self-study and sparring with experts, and peers.
Participating lecturers are to:
Define a key problem statement they wish to investigate within their own discipline by means of universal design.
- Identify one or more key aspects of universal design they wish to gain knowledge about to inform their own teaching practice, policies, and/or subjects.
- Ideate how and where they will carry out their investigation. Meaning identify a relevant international academic knowledge environment to visit and carry out their investigations.
- Present the expected impact of their investigation on their teaching activities and curriculum development in universal design.
Proposed projects should stimulate and strengthen teaching that:
- Develop knowledge on universal design within key aspects of our daily lives: products, environments, programmes, and services.
- Consequently, to the above primary goal, promote an understanding of human beings that includes everyone across different and changing abilities and increases knowledge about universal design as a lever to Leave No One Behind.
By addressing these objectives, participating lecturers develop and pitch their individual project for evaluation by an international and interdisciplinary jury.
Bevica Fellowships are ultimately granted to lecturers that excel in their ambition to innovate and demonstrate how universal design may stimulate and strengthen their teaching activities and curricula development to generate a more equitable and inclusive society for all in Denmark.
Please visit the following sites for any more information you need in relation to your participation in the Bevica Scholarship Programme:
- What is it?
- The FAQ
- The Bevica Scholarsip Programme Official Call
- The Terms and Conditions
- The Jury Evaluation Criteria for Students and Lecturers
Or you can join us at an information meeting
What do I submit?
At the end of the Ideation Phase, you submit your First submission.
The First submission consists of 5-6 pages in which you describe in more detail the problem you identified during Ideation; how you want to investigate it; where you propose to investigate it and why.
Workshops, online self-studies and peer discussions will provide tools and inspiration for this process.
There are specific requirements for your submission. Use the templates for your submission and follow the instructions there.
The Bevica Scholarship Programme is coming to a place near you
The Universal Design Hub will visit various universities, university colleges and architecture- and design schools across Denmark in the enrollment period in order to introduce the Bevica Scholarship Programme.
Our information meetings aim to engage students and faculty, presenting the practicalities, objectives, and core themes of the programme and encourage lecturers and students to sign up.
Bevica Scholarship Programme 2026-2027 will have information meetings in the fall of 2026. See dates and venues via the link below.
All Danish universities, university colleges and architecture- and design schools can host a meeting. Please reach out to us, if you are interested in doing so: scholarship@bevica.dk
The Scholarship Programme Phases
After registration, where participants register to become part of the Bevica Scholarship Programme, the programme unfolds in three phases: 1) The Ideation phase, where we foster creative problem-solving. 2) The Creation phase, where ideas take a tangible form. 3) The Investigation phase, exploring impacts and insights for future progress.
Please click on the phase you want to know more about on the boxes below:
Ideation phase
The Ideation phase is where you get new knowledge and participate in the workshops in order to form a project idea.
Two full-day Ideation workshops
Two full-day Ideation workshops will be held at Musholm Conference Center in Korsør for all participants.
These sessions feature presentations by experts across various disciplines and hands-on workshops to provide an introduction to knowledge and resources.
The purpose is for the participants to meet each other, build their own network and get an introduction to the goals and core concepts of the Scholarship Programme. The workshops spark inspiration and idea development through collaboration.
In the video below you can meet former participants reflecting on being part of this first phase of the Bevica Scholarship Programme.
Knowledge modules - Ideation
During the Ideation phase of the programme, participants have the opportunity to learn more about the core themes of the programme.
The online modules consists of an Introduction Package and three online self-study modules. These modules serve as a basic introduction to the core objectives of this year’s Scholarship call to:
- Develop knowledge on universal design within key aspects of our daily lives: products, environments, programmes, and services.
- Consequently, to the above primary goal, promote an understanding of human beings that includes everyone across different and changing abilities and showcase universal design as a lever for the pledge to Leave No One Behind.
The knowledge modules consist of videos, podcasts, articles and cases to inspire and inform the participants' proposed projects.
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Shortlist
All participants will submit their First submission on 30 March 2027. The international jury of experts will then select participants for a shortlist.
The selected projects can come from a wide variety of fields. Earlier we have seen projects from the fields of design, climate justice, engineering, tourism, education, architecture, data science aamong many others.
All shortlisted participants are then invited to enter the Creation phase where they work on refining their projects, as well as finding mentors and collaborators for their projects. Please read more about the Creation phase in the following.
Creation phase
In the Creation phase the shortlisted participants are invited to transform their ideas into tangible project proposals.
Two day Creation workshop for the shortlist
During the Creation phase, the shortlisted participants will receive sparring and feedback on their project proposals.
The workshop will take place on 4-5 June 2027 and consists of several different parts. A big part of the program will be spent on sparring and developing their project proposals and ideas. The participants will also be pointed towards relevant contact persons and knowledge environments for their investigation.
The programme will also contain a pitch workshop. The participants will have the opportunity to learn about the theory behind a good pitch but also practice in smaller groups.
In between learning and working, there will also be time for a celebratory dinner, as well as talking, socializing and networking.
Award ceremony
Based on the international jury's assesment on the participants submission of a final proposal, up to 20 finalists earn a place in the final - one step closer to becoming a Bevica Scholarship Programme Award Winner.
The Award Show will take place in October 2027.
At the show, the finalists will pitch their projects to the international jury as well as an audience.
The participants are awarded either main prizes of 2 x DKK 200.000 (students) or DKK 130.000 (lecturers) or a travel grant of DKK 30.000.
Please find all the former Scholarship recipients and watch their pitches via the button below.
Investigation phase
This phase provides an opportunity to reflect on the journey, analyze the results, and assess how the projects align with the principles of Universal Design.
During 2028 (and 2029) participants will travel, conduct their investigations and studies in their selected knowledge environments, analyze their findings, and assess how the projects align with the principles of Universal Design.
The award recipients of the Bevica Scholarship Programme will be visiting different knowledge environments relevant to the scope of their projects to answer the question: How do we create an inclusive society for all?
As they are travelling and learning, they will be sharing their insights and findings on universal design, which are collected and presented on their individual profiles here.
Bevica Scholarship Alumni Network
All participants in the Bevica Scholarship Programme are invited to join the Bevica Scholarship Alumni Network.
With Bevica Scholarship Alumni, we have created an network to continue sharing knowledge and insights about universal design, as well as a network to stay connected to fellow participants.
As a member of the Alumni Network you will be invited to two yearly Alumni events: The Universal Design Summit in fall and a Alumni networking event in the spring, as well as receive news about and invitations to Bevica events.
If you have questions about the Alumni Network or are a former Bevica Scholarship Programme participant and want to be part of the Alumni Network, reach out to René Sørensen Overby at rené@bevica.dk.
Sign up
Become part of the journey.
Sign up opens 1 September 2026.
