During the Norwegian-Swedish days in Tromsø this week, the to trade ministers of Sweden and Norway, Ewa Bjørling and Sylvia Brustad, presented the new priorities for the Norwegian-Swedish investment fund. The fund is is established to improve cooperation between the two Nordic countries and for 2009 the High North will be prioritized
- With the program for Norwegian and Swedish business cooperation, we have taken an effort to promote cooperation between small and medium sized enterprises in the two countries. The program has so far been a success and has lead to the establishment of several companies, a Norwegian-Swedish business network and new places of employment. Therefore I am very satisfied that we have decided that this program should prioritize good projects in the High North in 2009, says Norwegian Minister for Trade and Industry, Sylvia Brustad in a press release.
One of the first projects to be funded is in marine biology, where the Universities in Swedish Umeå and Norwegian Tromsø are cooperating. They have been granted 870.000 EUR for their project.
At the same time the Swedish Saab Corporation is continuing their wooing in Norway while trying to convince the Norwegian government that they should buy Saabs Gripen jet fighter. This week the Saab Corporation opened an office in Tromsø and has invited interested companies in the region to take contact for good cooperation projects.
- If Norway chooses Gripen the activity at the office will grow more rapidly, says Anders Torheim in Saab Norway to newspaper Nordlys.
