The Øresund Region is Scandinavia's largest hub for transport of goods and persons within all modes - sea, road, air and railway. An efficient and cheap transport system has been a key factor for the region's prosperity. However, higher fuel prices and future restrictions on green house gas (GHG) emissions are threatening mobility and future economic growth.

The transport sector accounts for 30% of GHG in Sweden and 21% in Denmark. At the same time transportation is the only sector which keeps increasing dependency on oil, year after year in most European countries. As a response to this development the EU Commission has communicated futere directives demanding cuts in CO2 emissions by as much as 20% by 2020 and a higher proportion of biofuels. This development vill affect the transportation system in the Øresund Region dramatically, and threaten future economic growth.

To facilitate to ecomomic growth and reduce CO2 emissions from transportation constitutes an enormous challenge which requires cross disciplinary cooperation between areas of transport, environment, energy and planning, as well as cooperation between companies, authorities and universities (triple-helix). EcoMobility is an initiative that will unite the competencies within person and goods transportation, logistics, supply chain management, biofuels, which has never been done in the Øresund Region.

Since the transport sector emits GHG from various sources and transport modes, and there are many stakeholders involved in transportation, actions aimed at reducing GHG emissions are equally complex. They include finding and promoting new solutions, shifts to less carbon intensive transport modes, new energy sources and technology systems, optimization of existing solutions, changes in lifestyle as well as in the way we think and plan new transport systems. EcoMobility addresses all these relevant areas and stakeholders.

In order to reduce GHG emissions from transport activities in the Øresund Region by EcoMobility will:

1. Creating cross science triple-helix Thematic Knowledge Exchange Networks that gather knowledge on the possibilities for promoting a climate friendly transportation systems for goods and persons in the Øresund Region by collecting knowledge from existing reports, studies, projects, research etc, and caring out new studies in areas where there is a need for knowledge.
2. Creating an Øresund EcoMobility knowledge and innovation center that produces an EcoMobility database and carries out knowledge dissemination and innovation activities such as projects, matchmaking and workshops.
3. Raising the regional competence level through various EcoMobility Øresund Capacity Building and Knowledge Sharing activities, such as publications, a website, conferences, and courses for professionals and university students.