Last week, the Denmark-Sweden Summit was held as one of the events at TechBBQ 2026. The aim was to learn more about the development of innovation, research and entrepreneurship across the Øresund region.
This summit was organized by Øresundsinstituttet and Greater Copenhagen that brought together professionals and representatives from research institutions, science parks, incubators, industry organisations and public sectors to talk and discuss about the opportunities and challenges in building stronger cross-border innovation regions.
One of the session was the discussion about “The Øresund region as a hotspot for Danish-Swedish innovation and research” which brought five panelists: Anders G Nilsson, CEO of Ideon Science Park; Anette Steenberg, CEO of Medicon Valley Alliance; Markus Herrgård, CTO of BioInnovation Institute; Petter Hartman, CEO of Medicon Village Innovation; and Thomas Unt, Head of Incubation at Medeon Science Park.
The strengths of having research institutions, science parks, incubators, and companies located within close geographical proximity but different countries was a topic in the discussion. One remark that stood out during was when a panelist was being asked about his plans for the day where he said “I’m having breakfast in Lund, Lunch in Copenhagen and dinner in Helsingborg.” This statement highlights the geographical closeness and the mobility convenience of the Øresund region.
Turning proximity into innovation
The Øresund region already houses an impressive 13 universities, multiple major research infrastructure, science parks, incubators, and a growing startup ecosystem. Facilitating an environment where research and entrepreneurship can meet.
Startups in the Øresund region have an advantage of access not only cross border but also a wider pool of talent, research expertise, investors, infrastructure, and potential partners. In the long run it can create opportunities to collaborate beyond their national ecosystem. That is why although the Øresund Bridge physically connects Denmark and Sweden, beyond that the region’s innovation ecosystem actually depends more on people crossing borders, institutions collaborating, and ideas moving freely between communities.
