Regional Call for "Cowork in Small Places"

By project EDIN

Published on 19 March 2025

Norway

Vestlandet

About this good practice

Cowork in Small Places is a Møre and Romsdal County Council funding program that
aims to support the development of attractive coworking spaces that encourage more
people to live and work in Møre and Romsdal.

The project has already facilitated the
development of several coworking spaces across the whole region, many of which have
banded together into sub-regional collaborative networks. Some examples are:

- Fjord Cowork in Geiranger (https://fjordcowork.com/en/home-en/)
- Cowork Romsdal. A regional network for cowork facilities from the Molde, Vestnes,
Rauma, Hustadvika, Protomore, Eidsvåg, Aukra and Eide municipalities
(https://www.coworkromsdal.no/)

The project is currently in its second grant term and is now aiming to support artist-driven initiatives to create dynamic workspaces, exhibition areas, and production
facilities as well as the previous aim of supporting additional jobs and an improved working life in these small population centers. The County Council welcomes applications from both established Coworking facilities and new actors who want to develop, experiment with, or test new methods and solutions for coworking and shared production spaces.

Resources needed

Over two years (2022 and 2024) the call has provided an annual amount of approximately 1,9 million NOK in financial support. The total amount provided over the two calls is 3,755 million NOK. Human resources required to manage the call is estimated at 40 percent of a whole-time position.

Evidence of success

The 2022 call supported 8 projects and the creation of 12 coworking facilities in small places. The 2024 call supported an additional 8 projects for developing work and production communities for creative and cultural actors in coworking facilities.

Fjord Cowork entered the follow-up project Arctic Digital Nomad Grant (supported by NORA) after support in the 2022 call. The network "Cowork Romsdalen" has also been established between smaller coworking actors in the Romsdalen sub-region.

Potential for learning or transfer

The program has successfully supported the creation of attractive co-working spaces in our rural areas, encouraging more people to live and work in these small communities. With work growing increasingly flexible and digital this practice has built on this trend in a way that contributes clearly to rural development and attractiveness.

The call targeted innovative actors willing to explore, develop, and test methods and solutions for co-working spaces in wide local and regional collaborations. This scope ensured that no coworking concept is the same, and enabled the actors to expand on their own characteristics and strengths.

We have found that the coworking facilities are easy to expand upon over time. Remote places often have spare space and property, which can be used both for the establishment and expansion of coworking facilities. However, it can be difficult for the supported actors to find a sustainable economic model for their concept that can last after the project period.