Fellowships
Helix Lab gives MSc students the possibility to do master thesis work in collaboration with the Kalundborg industry. Students who are awarded a Helix Lab Fellowship get free housing at Kalundborg Kollegium, while they do their thesis work in Kalundborg, and become part of the Helix Lab Fellows community, participate in the Fellows program with social and academic activities.
As a Helix Lab Fellow you will
It all began back in the early 1970s when Novo Industri established a production facility in Kalundborg. Now, 50 years later, new companies are again establishing fermentation plants in the area. Fermentation with natural or genetically engineered bacteria and yeast is fundamental to a broad range of industrial activities in Kalundborg ranging from the large industrial-scale production of enzymes, protein feed, food and pharmaceuticals to the small-scale wine production on the Røsnæs peninsula.
As a Helix Lab University Supervisor you will
Develop close collaboration with the industry supervisors
Become members of some of the Helix Lab Focus Groups
Get access to state of the art labs and become part of the growing reseach and education community in Kalundborg
Be compensated for you participation in meetings and events at Helix Lab
As a Helix Lab Industry Supervisor you will
Develop close collaboration with the University supervisors
Become members of some of the Helix Lab Focus Groups
Get access to state of the art labs and become part of the growing reseach and education community in Kalundborg
Find Project Collaborators
The MSc thesis projects at Helix Lab are developed by specialists from Kalundborg industry in collaboration with university supervisors. The MSc thesis projects are conducted by Danish and International MSc students enrolled at Danish universities.
University supervisors
Twice a year university supervisors and industry specialists meet at matchmaking events and discuss projects and project ideas. This is where most collaborations are initiated. It is also possible for university supervisors to contact certain industry specialists directly in between match-making events.
If you are interested in discussing a collaborative MSc thesis project and potentially applying together for a Helix Lab Fellowship for a MSc student, please read more on the individual company pages below. You are also welcome to contact Kresten Jon Korup Kromphardt, Senior Scientific Consultant, if you have questions.
MSc students
If you have questions or if you are interested in making your master thesis project in collaboration with one of the companies in Kalundborg, please contact Nanna Blume, Management Consultant. You can also contact your university supervisor and discuss the possibilities. Please do not contact the companies directly.
Read more about being a Helix Lab Fellow here.
Call for Applications
The next deadline for applications for Helix Lab Fellowships – collaborative MSc thesis projects between Kalundborg industry and universities – is September 30, 2026 regarding Spring semester 2027. Helix Lab Fellowships are evaluated and granted by the Helix Lab Board of Directors shortly thereafter.
Application for a Helix Lab Fellowship requires establishment of a project collaboration between an industry specialist, a university supervisor and a MSc student.
More information, application criteria and application template, see below.
Helix Lab Fellowship projects must focus on real world problems from industry, preferably industry 4.0 and/or sustainable production. Projects can range from artificial intelligence (AI), sensor technology, automation, fermentation and downstream processes to all aspects of sustainable solutions and general optimizations.
The Fellowships includes free housing at the Kalundborg Collegium. It is mandatory for the Helix Lab Fellows to move to Kalundborg in the project period while conducting their thesis work.
The Helix Lab Board of Directors award Fellowships twice a year based on the following criteria:
• Character and strength of the industry-university collaboration
• Real world, industrial, and academic relevance
• Focus on Industry 4.0 and/or sustainability
• Student´s motivation and proven skills
• Diversity among applicants – in all aspects, e.g. different universities and companies, different supervisors, different student gender, nationality etc.
Who can apply
A collaborative MSc thesis project group consisting of:
Danish or International MSc student enrolled at a Danish university
Supervisor from a Danish university
Co-supervisor from the Kalundborg industry.
How to apply
The team behind the collaborative MSc project (university supervisor, industry supervisor and MSc student) submits an application to Helix Lab by using the application form below. The application is sent to helixlab@pha.dk.
Current Fellows
Helix Lab Fellows, Class of Spring 2026
The Helix Lab Fellows, Spring 2026, come from five universities (Technical University of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Aarhus University, Aalborg University, IT University of Denmark) and are collaborating with six companies (Novo Nordisk A/S, Novonesis A/S, Unibio A/S, NNE, Meliora Bio, Dyrehøj Vineyard).
You can read more about their collaboration and motivation for becoming Helix Lab Fellows down below.
If you are interested in hearing more about the Helix Lab Program, you can read more here.
Ahmed Ayman Moustafa Soliman
University
Technical University of Denmark (DTU)
MSc Study:
Medical and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology
Company
Project title
Enzymatic treatment of SCP sidestream for protein and nutrient recovery
Project description
Sidestream from SCP often contain valuable components such as protein, nucleic acid, and other nutrients. Fractionation of these streams can improve the value of Unibio’s final product and enable recover of key components through valorisation.
Unibio has a single cell protein product from fermentation with Methylocuccus capsulatus which is high in protein (>70% protein content) with over 1500 different proteins expressed and a current untapped potential for improvement of current product lines and new products.
Enzymatic treatment using DNase, RNase, protease and a combination can offer a targeted, mild and potentially scalable approach to fractionate these sidestreams, reduce nucleic acid content in the product and release free amino acid and other nutrients. This project will evaluate the effectiveness of enzymatic treatments to release valuable components from Unibio’s SCP sidestream.
What was your motivation for becoming a Helix Lab Fellow?
My motivation to become a fellow for helix lab is that I liked the idea of working by myself on something related to the industry in real life and not just learning it in the Academia. I wanted to get some “dirt on my nails”. There’s a saying says: ( Tell me and I will forget. Show me and I might remember. Involve me in and I will never forget ); that is exactly why I wanted to be a helix lab fellow.
What is the most exciting part of being a Helix Lab Fellow?
The most exciting part of helix lab is the whole Atmosphere. It pushes you forward and not allows you to fall under any circumstances. The supervisors, The Fellows, the staff, the industry, the lab work, the Follow-up, the networking, the visits to the biotech and biopharma sites .. Etc. it enlightens the spark inside you to give all you can and competing with yourself to be the best version of you every day.
What perspectives do you see for your future after being a Helix Lab Fellow?
I have a dream of having my own biotech company, and its cornerstone is to get increasingly experienced with the technologies and processes to reinforce the capabilities and optimize the performance. Helix lab helped me to build up the foundation stone by giving me the chance to experience big biotech playmakers like Unibio and Novonesis and brilliant people from the Academia and DTU ,in particular, and Unibio and Novonesis Under the supervision of brilliant people who reinforced that dream. I became somehow experienced in DSP and Enzymes reactions during working in Unibio A/S as an innovation center and in helix lab on a lab scale with the enzymes from Novonesis A/S. I wish I could go forward with my future here in Kalundborg.
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