Corridor of Innovation and Cooperation (COINCO) North is a strategic development project aimed at strengthening sustainable growth and development of the Oslo-Gothenburg-Malmo corridor. Oslo Teknopol is the project manager and the Norwegian project owner of COINCO North, whilst Business Region Gothenburg is the Lead Partner. In addition, Oslo kommune, Akershus fylkeskommune, Østfold fylkeskommune, Västra Götaland, Halland, Region Skåne, Malmö stad, Helsingborg stad, Vägverket region vest, Banverket, Jernbaneverket, Statens vegvesen og Göteborg & Company are all partners in the project.

The biggest focus for COINCO North is infrastructure as the main bearer of the region’s development, through reducing time and cost of travel between Oslo, Gothenburg and Malmo. There will also be focus on positioning the region as an attractive place to live, visit, invest in and establish new business. This will be done by working more closely together on the areas of innovation and business, research and education, and culture and tourism.

The work with COINCO North will in the long run be targeted at businesses, academia and the general public. Future decisions on regional, national and EU-levels can be based on new knowledge discovered through the project.

Financial support from the EU, as well as the partners’ own contributions, will secure action, help produce facts, and create permanent structures that are broad and quick to implement. This would not have been possible through ordinary budgets or already established bodies.

Whilst Europe is expanding its infrastructure, for example by introducing high speed trains in a number of places, the progress of such investments is slow in this part of Scandinavia. Environmentally friendly and quick transport of goods and people is crucial when it comes to strengthening the region’s ability to be competitive in a European and global setting. That is why it is important that the governments and regions in the area emphasize the completion of construction projects, particularly when it comes to railways. 

Working together on business development across the regions involved is another important element in the COINCO North project. Through cross-border organisations like the Gothenburg-Oslo cooperation, Medcoast Scandinavia and The Scandinavian Arena, there are already links established. A main focus for COINCO North will be on life science, where there are potentially some very interesting new ways of working together. There will also be a focus on culture and experience as an element of a creative and attractive region for starting up new businesses.