In 2023, a group of undergraduate students at Copenhagen Business School could swap the fifth semester and wet Danish autumn for an experience of a lifetime in tropical Indonesia.
Thanks to a new collaboration between the Otto Mønsted Foundation, the ØK Foundation, Copenhagen Business School (CBS) and the Nordic Chamber of Commerce in Jakarta, it was possible to put together a project that gave up to 20 students the opportunity for financial and practical support to realise an internship in that part of the world. All project partners have a general desire to strengthen the internationalisation of Danish business and help young students to act internationally, and in this context, the project targeting Indonesia is relevant to consider.
There are only limited exchange opportunities for Danish students to Indonesia, which may be surprising considering that the archipelago with its 276 million inhabitants is the world’s fourth largest country in terms of population. There is also great potential for international innovation that can assist Indonesia in the urgent need for a green transition of the country’s energy sector, which is already supported by the Danish government.
The project gave students the opportunity to combine a short study period at the island of Java’s largest business university, Gadjah Mada University Yogyakarta, with a subsequent internship in either companies or the Nordic Chamber of Commerce.

Returning with valuable knowledge
CBS student Sebastian Mygind Andersen was one of the participants and after three weeks of summer school at the university, he continued with an internship at the Nordic Chamber of Commerce.
“Here I got a unique opportunity to dive into the current economic landscape for Nordic companies in the country through numerous meetings with potential and existing member companies and by participating in the various events organised by the Chamber of Commerce. The foundation support has been crucial to my ability to contribute constructively to the work of the Chamber of Commerce and bring valuable knowledge back to the Nordic business community,” he tells the Otto Mønsted Foundation.
Another participant, Sebastian William With, was given an internship at A.P. Moller-Maersk as a Products Portfolio Analyst, where he helped manage a wide range of growth opportunities and investment strategies for Maersk in South East Asia. It was an industry that Sebastian had no previous experience in, so it was useful for him to have a good dose of curiosity in his suitcase.
“Being part of a smaller team in a large organisation gave me the opportunity to work closely with colleagues, which contributed to a deeper insight into the company’s processes and culture. Overall, the experience was an incredible learning journey where I developed my skills and competences across relevant areas and created a great network for my future career.
The journey has given me valuable experience and a fundamental understanding of how different cultures can both challenge and enrich collaboration. I have learnt that focusing on communication, listening to different perspectives and willingness to adapt working methods are essential to overcome cultural challenges and create a harmonious and effective working environment.”

Continuing in 2024
The Otto Mønsted Foundation and the EAC Foundation provided grants of DKK 15,000 and DKK 10,000 respectively to each student who applied for an internship in Indonesia. The students have generally given such positive feedback about their experience that it will be possible to apply for funding for a similar internship in 2024. However, the design of this year’s programme and who can apply for admission is still under development at the time of writing. Follow the Otto Mønsted Foundation on LinkedIn if you want to stay updated.