From India to the University of Copenhagen to learn waste recycling

If you get off the train at the Kalundborg East station, 90 kilometres west of the Danish capital city, and walk through an industrial zone for 20 minutes, you arrive at a building that is home to a brand new master’s degree programme at the University of Copenhagen. It is called Biosolutions, and you learn how to convert bio-waste into new products by combining biology and technology.

Lokesh Venkatesan is from India, and was one of the very first students to start on the programme on September 1, 2024. The 23-year-old has a bachelor’s degree in biotechnology from his home country which he wanted to build on. But not at home in Tiruchirappalli, even though this would have been both cheaper and easier. Lokesh Venkatesan’s is from a middle class family, but in India this does not mean being able to afford a lot of travel.

When he went to Denmark, it was the first time he boarded a plane.

Wants to turn waste into gold

When Lokesh Venkatesan wanted to decide where he wanted to study, he was keen to find a degree that offered the opportunity to work with biosolutions in a company alongside his studies.

»Fortunately, in [the town of] Kalundborg there are many companies within the biosolutions sector. I want to learn what they do, because I am interested in how waste is processed in practice and turned into new products with the purpose of leaving as little waste as possible,« says Venkatesan.

He says that the market for biosolutions is developing into a huge industry, and that he hopes to find work here in Kalundborg when he graduates in 2026.

He feels that he has ended up in the right place.

»During our education programme, we will be visited by people from Novo Nordisk and other companies who will give us lectures on the industry. And this is the knowledge and access I want, because in this way I can build bridges between my education in biosolutions and reality,« says Lokesh Venkatesan.

A programme with five students

Lokesh Venkatesan landed in Kastrup airport Copenhagen on 19 August, so he has been here for over two months now. So far he is happy with both the education programme, the town, and his home.

»I like people in Kalundborg. They are really nice, and people help each other here. There is a woman, for example, who has given me a bike through the Facebook page ‘Kalundborg helps each other’, and a man has given me a bed,« says Lokesh Venkatesan.

Not all the study places at Biosolutions are filled out this year:

»There are only five of us at class. I think this is because most people would rather study in the city of Copenhagen. I, on the other hand, would rather be here because of the proximity with the teachers, who all know my name,« says Lokesh Venkatesan.

The hunt for the best facilities

His family is from Kovilpatti in the state of Tamil Nadu. As a child, Lokesh Venkatesan first wanted to be a lawyer, then a constructor of robots – and so on. All of his dreams for the future had one thing in common: He wanted a higher education.

In India, he first attended primary and secondary school for 12 years before studying biotechnology in Tiruchirappalli under Anna University, a public university but with little funding. That is why he wanted to study abroad.

One of his teachers in Tiruchirappali had worked in Taiwan and had told him about the magnificent equipment available – equipment that was not available at Lokesh Venkatesan’s own university.

»I understood that I had to have access to more and better facilities, and newer technology than was possible in Tamil Nadu. That’s why I wanted to study abroad. That was my number one priority when I applied for admission to the biosolutions master’s programme at the University of Copenhagen,« says Lokesh Venkatesan.

Works at Novo Nordisk

Lokesh Venkatesan has to pay for his education himself in Denmark, and he is therefore very financially aware, he says. He has taken out an education loan together with his father, through private lenders in Tamil Nadu. The size of the loan depends both on the father’s income, the student’s field of study, and the opportunities to find employment after graduation.

»Before I made the final decision to come to Denmark, I contacted many people in the biosolutions industry to be sure that it is an industry with a future. In this way, I have tried to avoid making a fool of myself financially,« says Lokesh Venkatesan. It is important for him to combine teaching with work experience that can increase his chances of employment.

This semester, he has no classes Friday and on Thursday evenings so that he can work for Novo Nordisk Engineering, a short bike ride from his place of study. The work is part of his education plan.

As for his education loan, he can’t just think about himself either, because his family will be liable if Lokesh Venkatesan can’t repay himself.

When he is not studying, he spends his time cooking for himself at home in the apartment that he shares with two other students, and he talks to his family every day.

»I speak to my father and mother about how they are doing and how I am doing in Denmark. I also talk to some of my friends who are really happy that I could go to Denmark – but I do miss them,« says Lokesh Venkatesan.