From 2023 to 2025, the Bothnian Coastal Route (BCR) project brought together 13 destinations around the Bothnian Bay in a cross-border collaboration. Now, this collaboration continues in the form of a new project, Bothnian Coastal Tourism (BCT), which builds on the results of the BCR project.
“The new BCT project expands the cooperation to include Kristinestad in Finland, and the High Coast and Sundsvall in Sweden. The project aims to strengthen the coastal route around the Gulf of Bothnia as a unified, visitor-ready cross-border destination, with a new focus on reaching and inspiring the end customer”, says Sarah Väre, Growth Manager at the Kvarken Council and Project Manager in Bothnian Coastal Tourism.
Increased resilience in industry and trade
The main goal of the BRIDGE project is to strengthen the long-term competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises in the Kvarken region. The project will strengthen companies’ preparedness for change and create new cross-border collaborations and business relationships to reduce critical supplier dependencies.
“The geopolitical situation increases demands on companies’ resilience. The BRIDGE project will develop a joint roadmap to increase resilience in the business sector in the Kvarken region”, says Veronica Berg, Development Manager at the Kvarken Council.
Work on sustainable aviation continues
The FAIR 3 project further addresses the needs identified in previous FAIR projects regarding electric aviation and other forms of sustainable aviation. The aim of FAIR 3 is to create a common framework for cross-border cooperation on the procurement and financing of regional air traffic.
The Kvarken Council acts as the sole beneficiary of the project. This arrangement is possible because of the EGTC organisational structure. The project’s active partners and key stakeholders are municipal authorities, airports and regional development actors in the Kvarken region, around the Gulf of Bothnia and in northern Norway.
“The project continues to develop sustainable regional air traffic. Reliable and cost-effective regional air connections are crucial for citizens, companies and public services in this sparsely populated cross-border area”, says Mathias Lindström Director at the KvarkenCouncil.
The goal is low-emission shipping
The University of Vaasa is leading the KVARCO project, which aims to develop data- and AI-based solutions for more energy-efficient and sustainable shipping between Finland and Sweden. The project partners are analyzing how weather conditions, variations in sea ice and other environmental factors affect the performance, emissions and energy consumption of ships, with particular focus on the connection between Vaasa and Umeå. Companies and other stakeholders are invited to take part in the development work so that the results meet their needs. The Kvarken Council’s contribution to this project includes securing political and regional support, cross-border dialogue and communication of the project results.
Brief about the Kvarken Council:
The Kvarken Council EGTC is a cross-border cooperation organization for the three Ostrobothnian regions in Finland as well as Västerbotten and Västernorrland in Sweden. On behalf of our members, we work across borders to strengthen and develop the entire Kvarken region. The Kvarken Council is the first fully Nordic European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) and one of the Nordic Council of Ministers’ official cross-border cooperation bodies.
Other ongoing projects:
The Kvarken Council also leads or is part of the following projects that have already started: FLINC, New North and Kvarken Film Hub. The FLINC project aims to develop methodologies for financing large-scale cross-border infrastructure and to assess the broader societal benefits. The Nordic Connector, the fixed link across the Kvarken Strait, serves as the primary case study for the project. The New North project aims to analyze transport systems in the northern parts of the Nordic countries in light of the changed geopolitical situation. The Kvarken Film Hub project works to strengthen the audiovisual industries in Västerbotten and Ostrobothnia.
Facts about the projects granted in June:
Bothnian Coastal Tourism
Budget and funding: The total project budget is EUR 2,572,750, of which EUR 1,670,718 is EU funding through the Interreg Aurora programme. The remaining funding comes from Finnish national and Swedish regional co-funding, the Nordic Council of Ministers, and municipal and private co-funding.
Project partners: Kvarken Council EGTC (lead partner), Höga Kusten Destinationsutveckling, Visit Umeå, Visit Luleå (Luleå Municipality), City of Oulu, City of Kalajoki and Vaasa Region Development Company VASEK.
Financiers: Interreg Aurora, Regional Council of Lapland, Region Västernorrland, Region Västerbotten, Kvarken Council EGTC, Höga Kusten Destinationsutveckling, City of Kalajoki, City of Oulu, Vaasa Region Development Company VASEK, Visit Luleå (Luleå Municipality), Bothnian Arc, The Icebreaking Company, City of Raahe, Kokkola Tourism, City of Vaasa, Kristinestads näringslivscentral, Visit Umeå, Visit Skellefteå, Visit Jakobstad and NLC Ferry.
Timetable: 1.6.2026–31.5.2029.
BRIDGE
Budget and funding: The total project budget is EUR 1,378,659, of which EUR 896,128 is EU funding through the Interreg Aurora programme. The remaining funding comes from Finnish national and Swedish regional co-funding, the Nordic Council of Ministers, and municipal and private co-funding.
Project partners: The Kvarken Council EGTC (lead partner), Kristinestads näringslivscentral, Umeå Municipality, Jakobstad Region Development Company Concordia, Skellefteå Municipality and Vaasa Region Development Company VASEK.
Financiers: Interreg Aurora, Regional Council of Lapland, Kvarken Council EGTC, Region Västerbotten, Umeå Municipality, Skellefteå Municipality, Jakobstad Region Development Company Concordia, Vaasa Region Development Company VASEK and Kristinestads näringslivscentral.
Timetable: 1.9.2026–28.2.2029.
FAIR 3
Budget and funding: The total project budget is EUR 369,059, of which EUR 239,888 is EU funding through the Interreg Aurora programme. The remaining funding comes from Finnish national and Swedish regional co-funding, the Nordic Council of Ministers, and municipal and private co-funding.
Project partners: Kvarken Council EGTC (lead partner and sole beneficiary).
Financiers: Interreg Aurora, Regional Council of Lapland, Kvarken Council EGTC, City of Oulu, FAB Kronoby Flyghangar, Vaasa Region Development Company VASEK, Into Seinäjoki, Skellefteå Airport, Storuman Municipality, Lycksele Municipality, Umeå Municipality, Örnsköldsvik Airport, Midlanda Airport, Region Västerbotten, Länsstyrelsen Västerbotten, Meri-Lapin kehittämiskeskus and Polarsirkelen Lufthavnutvikling.
Timetable: 1.6.2026–31.12.2027.
KVARCO
Budget and funding: The total project budget is EUR 1,286,801, of which EUR 836,421 is EU funding through the Interreg Aurora programme. The remaining funding comes from Finnish national and Swedish regional co-funding, the Nordic Council of Ministers, and municipal and private co-funding.
Project partners: University of Vaasa (lead partner), Kvarken Council EGTC, Umeå University and the Finnish Meteorological Institute.
Financiers: Interreg Aurora, Regional Council of Lapland, University of Vaasa, Kvarken Council EGTC, Finnish Meteorological Institute and Umeå University.
Timetable: 1.8.2026–30.6.2029.
