Hedmark County (Norway) and Dalarna County (Sweden) are both rural, with the border being
remote from regional centres. The total population of less than half a million inhabitants spans across
almost 58 800 km², with an economic output of USD 22 billion. Efforts to support collaboration at the
border focus on the sector of tourism that both share, and which would be facilitated by the construction of
one airport to serve both sides. As most science and technology-related assets are located far from the
border, the region does not seem to have the relevant conditions for a broad cross-border regional
innovation policy since urban centres are perhaps better served by looking towards other locations rather
than this border. On the border, efforts for innovation in other forms, such as in marketing and
organisational methods in tourism, are more relevant. This case study is part of the project Regions and
Innovation: Collaborating Across Borders. A summary of this working paper appears in a report of the
same name.
