Conflict in the Academy: What It Costs and What We Gain

Conflict is an inevitable part of academic life – one might even say it lies at the heart of scientific inquiry and academic discourse, where disagreement and debate fuel progress. Yet within the workplace dynamics of higher education institutions, conflict often unfolds in less constructive ways. Tensions arise where diverse roles, expectations, and power structures intersect – between students and supervisors, faculty and administration, or within leadership teams. When left unresolved, such conflicts can come at a high cost: emotionally, institutionally, and financially. They drain time, energy, and mental space – bringing productivity to a standstill, silencing voices, and undermining the collaborative potential of academic communities.

The evening event marks the official launch of the new Certificate Programme (CP) "Managing Conflict and Effective Dispute Resolution in Higher Education" and offers a space for shared reflection and dialogue among professionals, researchers, and policymakers.
The programme opens with a keynote that reframes conflict not as failure, but as a potential driver of institutional learning and transformation. This is followed by a panel discussion under the title "The Costs of Conflict in HE", examining what higher education institutions risk when they ignore internal tensions - and what they might gain when they address them constructively. The evening concludes with an informal networking dinner.

Join us as we celebrate this milestone and contribute to a growing European dialogue on strengthening conflict competence in academia.