The goal of the Interreg Öresund-Kattegat-Skagerrak project is to promote skills supply in the Greater Copenhagen region within Life Science and Tech. Addressing the skills shortage on both sides of the strait, the project unites key players to boost global attractiveness for specialized talent.

Partners

Sweden:

• City of Lund (lead) including International Citizen Hub Lund
• Ideon Science Park
• Medicon Village
• OpenTech

Denmark:

• City of Copenhagen including International House Copenhagen
• Medicon Valley Alliance.
• Copenhagen Capacity (co-lead until February 2026 and has since stepped back from the project)

The project is supported by a network of associated partners, including Swedish and Danish universities, along with key stakeholders from the private and public sectors. These partners will actively follow the project’s progress and play a vital role in amplifying its results.

Meet the partners

Associated partners

• European Spallation Source ERIC (ESS)
• Lund University / Faculty of Medicine / Faculty of Engineering
• Malmö Stad, Innovation and development including Onboarding Malmö
• Malmö University
• Region Skåne, Regional Development including the project STEM-up and Skåne Sweden's sweet spot
• Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences / Faculty of Landscape Architecture Horticulture and Crop Production Sciences
• Technical University of Denmark
• University of Copenhagen
• ÖresundDirekt

Target groups

The primary target group is companies in the mentioned industries, while the secondary is international talents, especially master's, PhDs, postdocs, and their families.

Collaborating to attract and retain talent

The partnership knows the current and future labour needs in the region. They have developed methods focusing on talent attraction and retention. Through cross-border collaboration, they share experiences, solutions, and knowledge. Previous cooperation has yielded excellent results, and this project deepens that collaboration.

Budget

Total budget: EUR 5,248,810, of which EUR 3,149,282 is funded by Interreg Öresund-Kattegat-Skagerrak, and the rest is covered by all project partners.

Expected results

• A cross-border cooperation model with shared methods.
• Mapping of factors and barriers for talent mobility.
• A long-term cross-border talent strategy.

Expected long-term effects

1. More international talent in key areas.
2. More talent staying after studies/employment.
3. Shift in companies’ recruitment attitudes, especially SMEs.
4. Simplified processes for talent retention.
5. Greater awareness of the region as a career destination.
6. International talent viewing the region as a unified labour market.