Established by the Nordic Council of Ministers, Nordregio - the Nordic Centre for Spatial Development - is an international research institute with a comparative focus. Nordregio undertakes strategic research and competence development with a view to producing useful knowledge-based foundations for decision-makers at the international, national and regional levels.

Regional development, urban and rural systems, demography, governance and gender, innovation and knowledge, global climate change and local adaptation plus international energy policy are the institute’s major areas of interest – viewed, primarily, from a Nordic or broader European comparative perspective. Geographically, Nordregio focuses specifically on the Nordic countries, the Baltic Sea region, the Arctic, and on the European space more generally.

Nordregio undertakes a great variety of projects running in parallel – usually 50 or more different commitments at any one time. More often than not, these projects are implemented in cooperation with other research institutes and other partners, thus adding to Nordregio’s adaptability and scope. The institute currently has a research-staff of 25 persons representing 11 different countries and speaking 13 different languages.