Integration of the scientific community as exemplified by the biotech sector: An analysis based on bibliometric indicators in the Danish-Swedish border region

This paper presents an account of the progress of the integration between the Danish and Swedish parts of the Öresund Region within the world of science, with emphasis on biotech. The paper is based on data from the database Science Citation Index Expanded. The amount of co-authorships produced by agents from each side of the region is analysed for a 12-year period (1994–2005) and used as an indicator to show how the integration is proceeding. Each of the co-authorships is examined to shed light on the nature of the interactions, thereby identifying the agents most involved in collaboration. Furthermore, the development in co-authorships within the region is compared to the development in co-authorships between the Öresund Region and four selected reference areas. Our findings indicate that there has been a substantial increase in both the number of co-authorships overall and within biotech solely. The rise in co-authorships between the two parts is proceeding at a faster pace than the rise in co-authorships between the Öresund Region and the reference areas. The overall results of this paper indicate a growing integration of the biotech sector in the Öresund Region.