The Göteborg-Oslo collaboration was launched in 1995 following a partnership agreement between the cities of Oslo and Göteborg. In February 2003 the Göteborg-Olso Collaboration was expanded to include Akershus and Østfold counties on the Norwegian side and Västra Götaland region on the Swedish side. The GO Collaboration is the first of its kind in Europe and has become a venue for culture, tourism, education and research, trade, commerce and politics. The ambition of the Collaboration is to make the Göteborg-Oslo region a more attractive and competitive area in which to set up business and live, both nationally and internationally.

One of the most important issues addressed in the collaboration is the infrastructure. The expansion of the railway is one prominent issue for the region, alongside the vision of an express train from Oslo to Berlin ready by 2019. The Youth Peace Prize, Ungdomens Fredspris, was founded by the educational team and awarded for the sixth consecutive year in December 2007. The collaboration in the biomedicine arena resulted in the Medcoast Scandinavia organization, aimed at strengthening and developing the biomedical sector in the region.

Cultural similarities in both everyday life as well as working life are conducive to good relationships and successful collaborations.