Cooperation between the Koillismaa sub-region and northern areas of the Republic of Karelia had been engaged in for years prior to this project. It was regarded as meaningful to continue and deepen already created cooperation patterns to best benefi t the cooperation eff ort between Koillismaa, Louhi and local areas. Th e Kuusamo-Suoperä border-crossing point was seen as a great opportunity, and there was a desire to continue eff orts towards the internationalisation of the frontier station. In the Border Region Cooperation Centre of Koillismaa project, services were to be created for industries from the perspective of cooperation across national frontiers. In addition, the preparation, opening, and maintenance of the international border-crossing point were to be supported. Entrepreneurs, communities, and offi cials were also to be assisted in developing their activities to maximise their gain from the opening of the international border-crossing point. Th e essential functions of the project assisted in business cooperation, business advisory services and planning, marketing services and their development, assisting the actors of the region in EU project activities, establishing export companies, and developing Internet services and as well as an information bank service. In addition, there was a wish to improve the skills and available services off ered by the business network to the standard required for international activities. Promotion of the opening of the Kuusamo-Suoperä border-crossing point to international traffi c was also favoured. Achievements: The products and services of the Border Region Cooperation Centre were developed and their functionality and demand tested. The cooperation between companies was assisted by arranging discussions and seeking partners. Moreover, one seminar was organised and assistance was provided in arranging training. Already during the project, some of the assignments led to further action and the initiation of a business relationship. The Border Region Cooperation Centre also provided consulting for three actors in preparing their project applications. A business and marketing plan was created for the Border Region Cooperation Centre, pricing was created for the services developed during the project, and a guide was prepared for travellers to the Louhi region. Border Specialist services were marketed by the project and they were, in fact, used relatively actively. However, the operational volume was not seen as sufficient to sustain profitable business activity based solely on the Border Region Cooperation Centre. Instead, it was seen as more viable to produce the services as part of other activities (Koillismaan Yrityspalvelukeskus Oy/ Naturpolis Oy). This way, more experience and expertise could be included as well. The project created preconditions for developing tourism and small business activity benefiting from the frontier in the municipalities of Koillismaa. In addition, companies were assisted with practical difficulties regarding trade across the border, and the networking of small businesses was strengthened in order to promote trade with the East. Cooperation between companies developed well in the tourism and forest and wood industries, in particular. The internationalisation of the border-crossing point was seen as significantly increasing the interest in the Louhi region. Upon conclusion of the project, an increasing number of companies were preparing to operate in the area, and the demand for various advisory and consulting services was assessed as progressively increasing in the future. A separate project was started for promoting the internationalisation of the Kuusamo-Suoper border-crossing point.