Knowledge Infrastructure for the Fifth Freedom in the Baltic Sea Area

There is an outstanding window of opportunity to place the Nordic and Baltic Sea countries  at the forefront of knowledge infrastructure for science and innovation. By fully mobilizing research, education, training, and innovation through the next generation information and communication technology (ICT), all countries involved are well-prepared to fulfill their economic, social, and environmental ambitions. The long-term benefits from leading the accelerating globalization of research and to lead the exploitation of disruptive technologies can hardly be overestimated. The knowledge infrastructure is the foundation for the effective realization of the free movement of knowledge – proposed by the European Union as the Fifth Freedom complementing the free movement of goods, capital, services, and persons. Fundamental to the Fifth Freedom are effective knowledge-sharing, well-coordinated research programs, mobility of competent researchers, and world-class research infrastructures.