“In my opinion, this is one of the best ways to complete a degree”
The move from familiar university surroundings in the large cities to a smaller town at the other end of the country can seem daunting. But when doing exactly that, Helix Lab Fellows have found that they receive strong support from skilled staff and excellent laboratory facilities, along with unique experiences from working with a company.
When Helix Lab welcomes the Spring ’26 Fellows in a few weeks, it will not only be new faces joining the program. The arrival of the Fellows also marks a expansion of the project portfolio, bringing new collaborations with local companies and more diverse project opportunities.
Among the new collaborations is a project with Dyrehøj Vingård, as well as a partnership in which Novonesis collaborates with Unibio, marking a new development within the MSc thesis projects at Helix Lab. In one case, a Fellow has co-created his own project in collaboration with both a company and a university.
Overall, the new semester is characterized by a high level of development at Helix Lab. Student engagement has increased, and projects have grown in both scope and complexity, reflecting Helix Lab’s continued ambition to connect education with innovation and industry collaboration.
Maintaining a local perspective
The expansion of collaborations means that some students will engage with new types of challenges and businesses. One of the new projects is with Dyrehøj Vingård, where a Fellow will work on defining the typicity of Danish Solaris wine—an assignment with a different scope than the most typical MSc thesis project at Helix Lab.
“This project is a good example of how MSc thesis projects at Helix Lab are broadening in subject matter and can extend beyond biotechnology and chemical engineering. It also shows that Helix Lab is relevant to students and companies outside the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, while still maintaining a strong local perspective,” says Kresten Kromphardt.
With the addition of new partners and project types, Helix Lab continues to develop as a platform for collaboration between universities, students and companies across sectors.
“Our MSc and PhD talent programs are designed to grow alongside these partnerships,” says Kresten Kromphardt. “The goal is to ensure that students gain hands-on, relevant experience while contributing to innovation in real-world settings.”
Collaborations between companies and universities, Spring 2026
Companies:
Novo Nordisk, Novonesis, Unibio, NNE/FORCE, Meliora Bio, Dyrehøj Vingård
Universities:
Aarhus University (AU), Aalborg University (AAU), Technical University of Denmark (DTU), IT University of Copenhagen (ITU), University of Copenhagen (UCPH)
Number of collaborations:
13 projects
Project period:
Autumn 2025 – Spring 2026 (E25–F26)
Several projects span both semesters
