AimsBusinessOulu is involved with other regional developers in developing strong and international Oulu and the growing North Ostrobothnia province. Export measures and the international know-how and development of companies and organisations are key to Oulu’s success and strong growth in global markets. Oulu needs active invest-in activities in order to succeed, as the location of international operators in the region creates jobs and new export opportunities for Oulu-based companies and organisations. This project promotes export measures for companies in Oulu and North Ostrobothnia, increases and develops the international competitiveness of companies and increases the attractiveness of the Oulu region for international investors. In order to keep Oulu and the whole North Ostrobothnia vibrant, the consequences of Covid-19 should be managed in the business world and the professionals of working life remain in the north. More jobs and more private investment in the region are key to these objectives. Investments will expand production capacity and allow production to grow well into the future. The development of investments in Northern Ostrobothnia has been slower in recent years than the rest of Finland and according to a recent investment survey from the Confederation of Finnish Industries, the long-term prospects for industrial investment are generally weak in Finland. The aim of the project is to respond to changed circumstances for various reasons, to find new operating methods for companies and to invite new and exporting companies to develop export networks and the Oulu business ecosystem, and to promote internationalisation processes with various actors so that growth in Oulu and North Ostrobothnia is possible. The aim of the project is to increase the internationalisation of companies and increase the visibility and attractiveness of the region globally by promoting the Oulu region and the region as an internationally interesting location and as a centre of Arctic expertise and high technology. The objectives of the project are: 1) Activate cluster cooperation and cluster activities among Oulu-based companies: by increasing export measures to existing clusters and by activating new export clusters, 2) increase the opportunities for companies and experts to participate in internationalisation activities in Finland and abroad.3) strengthen companies‘export measures through smart know-how and new technology products, develop their sales know-how, develop companies’ export visibility, increase the number of partnerships, bids and deals for companies.4) strengthen export measures that develop the entire Oulu region and promote Arctic smart skills more prominently.5) attract new companies to establish themselves in the Oulu region and/or invest in the region’s companies and R & D-driven knowledge clusters and supporting infrastructure. 6) carry out an international export transaction experiment using new digital tools and methods. 7) to carry out an experiment with micro-enterprises during the project period, taking into account in particular women’s entrepreneurship and internationalisation and export openings to new markets.Measures of the project are carried out 1) through cluster cooperation (travels, fairs, market surveys, B2B meetings and business encounters), especially in relation to the bioeconomy, digitalisation, health technology and knowledge hub cooperation, and 2) during workshops and international export trips (in cooperation with various organisations), they participate in export promotion and invest-in measures, bring international delegations and experts that support and promote the development and sales of smart products to Oulu, and promote Oulu and North Ostrobothnia as a potential location and carry out digital twin and micro-entrepreneur experiments related to the new export markets. Results The project helps companies to develop their own export processes and internationalisation measures. The project will strengthen networking between Oulu and North Ostrobothnia companies and cooperation between different organisations and BusinessOulu. In addition to the challenges posed by the impact of COVID-19, efforts are being made to address the challenges faced by companies in the region in terms of long distances, the impact of the Arctic climate and a small domestic market. Increasing export trade will create more vitality in the region and companies will also strengthen their own skills and opportunities to create new jobs. By bringing new arrivals to the region and increasing the visibility of the Oulu region nationally and globally, the number of international contacts and new export opportunities for local companies can be increased.This project implements measures in line with the North Ostrobothnia Corona Action Plan 2020-2021. Important aspects of the action plan