From corridor to region: Trans-border co- operation on infrastructure, innovation and research as participative planning in practice Anne Jensen & Per Homann Jespersen ∗ Abstract The corridor between Oslo and Berlin is by the politicians of the regional authorities in the Scandinavian part of the corridor seen a region with unique qualities and a large innovation and growth potential. In order to explore and develop this potential an In- terreg project has been launched. Even though development of transport infrastruc- ture is seen as pivotal in this process, there is a commitment to see transport as a means for development, which has to take the three dimensions of sustainability seri- ously into account. This paper describes how we as researchers are approaching this task by applying principles of participative planning and with action research methodology are involving stakeholders in the process of defining, developing and disseminating the idea of the Corridor of Innovation and Cooperation - COINCO. Introduction Over the past decades, a new European map has evolved, touching issues of nation- state competencies and European economic, political and cultural integration and thus also challenging existing forms of spatial planning, urban and regional develop- ment and cooperation. This development has been furthered by the establishment of EU’s internal market, by German re-unification and by the major enlargement of the EU, adding ten new East and South-East European member-states to the Community. With the ‘uneven development’ anticipated from the growth of the internal market and with the new Southern European member-states of the 1980s, cohesion policy entered the agenda. Cohesion policy is carried out also though the structural funds and the cohesion fund and with the growth of these funds, it has become a major Community policy area. One of the central initiatives under the funds is the Interreg projects which co-fund projects of Community interest within a broad range of areas. ∗ FLUX – Centre for Transport Research, Roskilde University, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark. anjensen@ruc.dk & phj@ruc.dk