Campus Kalundborg

Educational institutions, businesses, and the municipality are joining forces to create a unique campus environment in Kalundborg with a focus on bioproduction and biosolutions—for the benefit of students, industry, and the local community.

Background and purpose

Kalundborg is home to Scandinavia's largest biotech industrial cluster, with global players such as Novo Nordisk and Novonesis. However, the area has long faced challenges in attracting and retaining highly skilled labor locally. To support continued growth and ensure a sustainable talent pool, Campus Kalundborg has been launched as a new model for collaboration between education and industry.

The initiative is based on a strong public-private partnership that attracts new educational programs to Kalundborg and develops existing offerings. The aim is to create a vibrant educational culture where students are trained in close collaboration with the business community and acquire skills that match the needs of industry.

The ambition for Campus Kalundborg is far-reaching. The project aims to make Biotekbyen Kalundborg an internationally leading hub for education, research, and innovation in bio-based production and biosolutions.

The overall success criterion is to increase the number of students in Kalundborg to 1,500 by 2030.

In this way, Campus Kalundborg will both ensure more talented graduates for the rapidly growing biotech industry and establish the city as an attractive educational center within life science.

Vision and approach

To realize this vision, significant investments are being made in both physical facilities and new forms of collaboration. A key element is the construction of a new campus building of approximately 11,000–12,000 m², which will house a pilot plant, advanced laboratories, and creative makerspaces, among other things.

These state-of-the-art facilities will provide the framework for groundbreaking teaching, research, and innovation in Kalundborg. The expanded physical facilities support a unique learning environment where students from a wide range of vocational, technical, and academic programs can work side by side across disciplines.

Through project work and case-based teaching in collaboration with companies, students gain valuable experience with real industrial challenges while still studying – a direct link between research, theory, and practice. This builds on the unique Kalundborg model for collaboration, which has shaped the city's development for decades.

All the educational institutions and industrial companies involved coordinate closely to create a true educational symbiosis, where industry is an active partner in the educational programs. In concrete terms, this means that teachers and business experts develop courses together and that students from different institutions solve tasks together.

The programs range from vocational training to professional bachelor's and engineering degrees to master's degrees and Ph.D. programs – all gathered on one campus.

This integrated campus model creates flexible career paths without dead ends, allowing students to take the next step in their education locally in Kalundborg. Great emphasis is placed on an inclusive campus environment with close contact between students, teachers, and researchers across disciplines.

Together with initiatives such as Helix Lab —where master's students write theses in collaboration with local biotech companies—the campus strengthens the ongoing interaction between new knowledge and practical application in industry.

Preliminary results

Campus Kalundborg rests on a solid foundation of partnerships and support. A broad circle of partners has joined forces behind the initiative, including leading educational institutions, Kalundborg Municipality, and companies such as Novo Nordisk and Novonesis.

This strong alliance ensures a diverse and collaborative approach. The project has already secured significant funding, with more than DKK 320 million pledged to develop the new campus environment.

The Novo Nordisk Foundation is contributing up to DKK 202 million for educational activities, laboratories, and equipment, while Novo Nordisk A/S is financing DKK 120 million for the operation of the facilities during the start-up period.

At the same time, AP Ejendomme (AP Pension) is ready to construct and own the new campus building itself. This financial backing and circle of partners underscores the shared commitment to realizing the vision of Campus Kalundborg.

The first milestones have already been reached. Campus Kalundborg currently offers a range of educational programs across the partner institutions, including five different bachelor's programs and two master's programs in biotechnology and technical fields.

Almost 1,000 students attend the campus daily (2025), and several of the programs are offered in English to attract international talent. Existing local educational initiatives have shown very positive results: a large proportion of graduates choose to continue their careers in Kalundborg after completing their education.

This high retention rate demonstrates how the close interaction between education and business is already creating value for the local area.

With these results behind it, Campus Kalundborg is taking the next step toward becoming a beacon for education and innovation. The newly established Campus Kalundborg Association is coordinating the effort going forward, and construction of the large campus building is expected to be completed in 2028.

The vision is that the growing campus environment will not only promote innovation and learning, but also bring new energy to Kalundborg's urban life, educational landscape, and business community. There is great optimism and momentum in the project, which is progressing according to plan towards the 2030 goal.

Those interested can already find more information about the various educational opportunities in Kalundborg at StudyInKalundborg.com. Here, prospective students and partners can get an overview and become part of the journey towards a new, groundbreaking campus for the bio-talents of the future.