I heard Denmark is one of the best countries to succeed in the biotech industry

Ena Filipovic, 22, Croatia, graduated in January 2022 with a Bachelor of Engineering in Biotechnology. Today, Ena is working as Process Engineer at Novo Nordisk Kalundborg.

Ena Filipovic

Taking the plunge and moving to Denmark

Ena moved to Kalundborg from Croatia after graduating from high school, although she never visited Denmark before:

“I was curious about getting into the biotech industry, and I heard Denmark is one of the best countries to succeed. I wanted to continue my studies within technology, biology, and natural science”.

Ena continues:

“At Absalon, we have been in contact with various industries and Kalundborg Symbiosis, which has prepared us to get an idea of what we would be doing in the different industries and factories. Also, working on projects at Absalon has taught me how to work with others regarding project work”.
Ena Filipovic, Croatia
Today Process Engineer at Novo Nordisk Kalundborg

Prepped for the pharma industry

Leading to the first fulltime-job position, Ena has had an ongoing collaboration with the pharma industry.

“I started as an intern at Novo Nordisk Kalundborg, where I got insights to what it means being a process supporter. That gave me insights into understanding the processes and learning how engineers work. When it was time to write my bachelor thesis, I had the opportunity to continue the collaboration with Novo Nordisk. Those learnings helped me decide on what direction to go, and which skills I needed to acquire, to get where I wanted to be” she says and adds:

“I had a luck to adapt fast in my new team, where everybody was so welcoming and helpful. I appreciate that my colleagues don’t have any problems speaking English, since I am not fluent in Danish yet.”

Part of a close student community

“When I began studying at Absalon, I was one of the first international students. Being part of the journey Absalon has been on during the last years has been exciting, and during my last semester I had a few courses at the new Campus Kalundborg (read more here).

“At Absalon, we were in close contact with each other as students, as well as with the professors. We could openly talk with the professors about our ideas and share across the classroom, since it was a small group of students. The teaching approach is dialogue-based, which made me more comfortable during oral exams, since I was not so stressed and nervous during presentations.”
Ena Filipovic, Croatia
Today Process Engineer at Novo Nordisk Kalundborg

Life in Kalundborg

Today, Ena lives in Kalundborg by the harbour and plans to stay in the city:

“When I moved here, I lived at the student dorm, which is new and nice. I made a group of friends while living there, and we would meet to make dinner together and do activities such as watching movies, playing volleyball, bicycling in the area, and having parties together”, says Ena, who used to live with co-students from Absalon.

“I have friends in Kalundborg now, and enjoy playing volleyball in the local club, and taking Danish classes a few times a week”, she says.

“I really enjoyed being part of an international environment at Absalon. It is also great opportunity to learn a new language, experience living in a different country and become independent. I was very lucky to learn about different countries, traditions, and cultures. All of this helped to develop myself and now when I look at my past, I really do not regret taking this chance.”
Ena Filipovic, Croatia
Today Process Engineer at Novo Nordisk