The region has a population of 1.2 million people and thereby makes up more than 20% of the total Danish population. It covers an area of 12,191 km2 and comprises 22 various and diverse municipalities with almost 400 different cities.
The main task of the Danish regions are to provide healthcare and in particular to run the hospitals. The region is also responsible for psychiatry and a number of social institutions and for Regional Development.
Regional policies and strategies
The Regional Growth and Development Strategy of Southern Denmark is aimed at creating a setting in which human resources play a major role in business life, in the cities and in the local areas.
‘The Good Life’ is the vision for the Growth and Development Strategy in Southern Denmark. The growth and development strategy shall create coherence and development opportunities so that Southern Denmark becomes a more attractive, active and productive region in which everyone has the opportunity to live a good life – both as citizens and as business owners.
The Regional Growth Forum of Southern Denmark is responsible for setting up the regional strategy for business development, the objective of which is to increase productivity, growth and jobs in the region. The Regional Council appoints every 4th year a Growth Forum consisting of 21 members, recommended by business organisations, educational institutions and municipalities.
The Growth Forum spends yearly around 13 M€ of the regional business development fund and around 11 M€ of the structural funds (ERDF and ESF) to implement its strategy.
The Growth Forum has set up a long-term business strategy running from 2012-2020. Every other year a two year action plan is developed for the application of the strategy. The present strategy and action plan focuses through the Region’s Smart Specialisation Strategy on three overall business areas. The business areas were selected on the basis of the region’s special strength positions and the expected development in the national and global demands in each of the areas.
Smart Specialisation Strategy
Smart Specialisation is the division of strength positions transitioned into the main business areas of the region.
The Region has a particularly strong position in the area of sustainable energy, with specific business specialisations in the area of energy efficient technologies and offshore energy. In the area of health and social care innovation, there is potential to utilise the rising global demand based on a strong public-private innovation partnership and the region’s strength in automation and robotics, among others. Experience Economy is defined as Tourism and Design and Creative Business.
Within the three identified business areas, there are strong cluster organisations of great importance to both entrepreneurs and more established companies. In facing the challenges of e.g. decreasing work force, the focus areas of Smart Specialisation plays a vital role in relation to the cluster organisations.
