General overview of R&D in Copenhagen and the Øresund Region

R&D plays an increasingly important role in Danish economy. Although not yet on the same level as Sweden, Finland, and Germany, Denmark is placed well above the EU average. Furthermore, R&D spending is set to increase in the coming years as the liberal Danish government has incorporated into its political program a clear goal to reach the Lisbon target of spending three per cent of GDP on R&D.

Industry financed R&D accounts for almost two thirds of R&D spending in Denmark. This was not always the case. During the period from 1996 to 2003 private R&D expenditure increased 110 per cent while public R&D expenditure rose only 37 per cent. All in all R&D expenditure increased by 80 per cent during the period. This steady increase in R&D spending, especially on the part of the business community, is a clear indicator of a knowledge-intensive economy with increasing emphasis placed on innovation.

Turning to the sector-wise distribution of R&D spending, it is found that concentration of private R&D is particularly evident in sectors such as pharmaceuticals and IT and communications. Geographically, R&D expenditure is to a very large extent concentrated in Greater Copenhagen. As such, the Greater Copenhagen accounts for approx. 2/3 of the total R&D expenditure, mainly due to a high concentration of both knowledge-intensive companies and higher education institutions.

Output quality

Measured by output and quality, the increase in R&D investments during the 1990s has paid off. Quality can be measured by the number of times each publication has been cited. Table 1 shows the quality of publications on a national scale in selected European countries and USA, and here Denmark occupies a strong position as number four.

Researchers and level of education

Companies located in the Øresund Region enjoy the benefits of an attractive pool of well-educated labour as well as conditions that stimulate innovation.

The Øresund Region represents a true knowledge-centre and a unique recruitment base for knowledge- intensive businesses. With its 12 universities, 150,000 students, 12,000 researchers, and 6,500 PhD students the region constitutes the educational and scientific centre of Denmark as well as of Scandinavia.

All in all, Copenhagen and the Øresund Region offer a large pool of well-educated labour and consequently, knowledge-intensive firms face excellent conditions for recruiting qualified personnel. Some of the major corporate players with R&D in the region are Microsoft, IBM, Nokia, CSC, and Ferring Pharmaceuticals.

For more information, download the fact sheet ”Research & Development” here

Last updated on: 22-08-2007	<< Back   Top