Scandinavian brainpower concentrates in Copenhagen and the Øresund Region

In recent years, the industrial profile of the Copenhagen Region is changing rapidly as the region develops into a hub for knowledge-intensive companies. The most important development of highly specialised clusters in Copenhagen is taking place within IT and telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology.

Intel’s acquisition of the Danish company GIGA and Intel’s newly established R&D centre in Copenhagen are examples of the specialisation that is taking place within IT and telecommunications – or more specifically the photonics sector.

And companies in the Copenhagen Region hold even further potential for strengthening their knowledge base. This is due to the fact that the bridge connecting Copenhagen and Southern Sweden provides the physical infrastructure to expand the recruitment base of employees in a new cross-national region named the Øresund Region. Today, the Øresund Region is more than a bridge connecting Denmark and Sweden. The establishment of cross-national research collaboration and the integration of the labour markets are examples of the emergence of the Øresund Region that have the potential to combine the greatest brainpower of the two countries.

When comparing the Øresund Region with other Northern European regions, the Øresund Region has the largest number of researchers in the private and public sectors. In addition, the Region is ranked 6^th in Europe in terms of scientific output (see table below).

Local talents

The tradition of commercial talent in the Copenhagen Region is combining with technological opportunities to create a number of industrial success stories. The concentration of high-tech companies and research institutions is creating strong platforms for business development, especially within IT and telecommunications and pharmaceuticals and biotechnology.

In 2000, Intel Corporation, the world’s largest chipmaker, acquired GIGA that specialises in the design of advanced high-speed communication chips for optical networking. Intels acquisition of GIGA has become a symbol of the outstanding expertise of Copenhagen in the photonics sector. Today; Intel is about to strengthen the company’s research activities in Copenhagen with the opening of a new research centre with 130 employees.

According to Intel’s Peter Hayward, PR Director, Copenhagen was chosen due to the fact that Denmark is among the world leaders within research in optical connections. The new centre will draw on local talents from the Technical University of Denmark among others. The Technical University of Denmark, which is located near the city of Copenhagen, has a strong tradition of conducting research within photonics and the University is supplying the industry with both knowledge and highly educated key employees.

The activities of Intel Corporation are just one example of a company that is tapping into the skills and resources of the Copenhagen Region. The strong presence of international companies such as Nokia and Motorola are examples of companies conducting research and development within wireless telecommunications, which is another stronghold of the Copenhagen Region within the IT and telecommunications industry.

The Øresund Region: two countries - one centre of competence

The Øresund Region comprising the Region of Copenhagen and Southern Sweden is the new regional centre of northern Europe with Copenhagen as the largest city and the pivotal point. In terms of brainpower, the Øresund Region holds the largest number of researchers in the private and public sectors compared to other Northern European regions. In addition, the Øresund Region is the largest educational centre in Scandinavia and holds a talent base with an even larger potential because of the ongoing integration between educational institutions, research centres and business clusters on each side of the Sound.

When Intel chooses to locate a new research centre in Copenhagen, the company can thus benefit from one of the most advanced IT-clusters in northern Europe with more than 100,000 employees and almost 500 ICT researchers at the 14 universities and academic institutions that are present in the Øresund Region.

Besides from IT-cluster, it is worth observing the strongholds within biotechnology and pharmaceuticals. Medicon Valley is the name of the leading European biotech cluster with a unique industrial profile in Copenhagen and the Øresund Region. Medicon Valley boasts world-class research in a range of commercially attractive therapeutic areas and has a high quality and capacity for clinical research.

In the Øresund Region, several cross-national cluster platforms have been established. These platforms enable networks between companies, subcontractors, R&D institutions and universities. In addition, an increasing number of companies are beginning to see the benefits of attracting skilled employees from both sides of the Sound when developing their competitive strategies in the knowledge-based marketplace.

Scientific platforms in the Øresund Region

Medicon Valley
Copenhagen is part of Medicon Valley – the international centre of life science

Øresund IT
Copenhagen is part of Øresund IT – the human tech region

Øresund Film Commision
The Copenhagen Region has a bubbling creative cluster notably within film and TV-production

Scientific output, Ranking of European regions, 2003

Note: Publications in 2003 as registered by ISI

Source: Technical University of Denmark, 2004

Last updated on: 03-02-2006	<< Back   Top