The aim is to find the best business model for an international continuing education company. The long-term goal is for customer-oriented university-level education to act as a driving force for multi-skilled and innovative actors. This preparatory project “Savonlinna International Education Center OY” aims to compensate for the financial and mental losses caused by UEF leaving Savonlinna and to lead the whole South Savo economically to a new type of growth path through internationalisation. The project supports the objectives of South Savo’s provincial strategy 2030, in particular increasing competitiveness through internationalisation. The method chosen in the project is to develop business know-how to meet the needs of educational exports. The top choices in the regional strategy for forests, water and food are in good harmony with the objectives of the educational product blanks created in the project. As a measure, this project seeks answers on how to turn the negative structural change that has already begun into a positive way, using smart specialisation themes: planning university-level education, providing international and national in-service training in a customer-oriented manner, using new technologies and the existing campus and its know-how. This avoids brain drain and ensures, for example, that teachers’ in-service training continues to be strong in Etelä-Savo.The central measure is to test business models during the project period. One of the criteria of the business model is the planning of continuing training to take place in Savonlinna. This will ensure that the competitiveness of education exports remains and continues to develop in Southern Savo. The project will bring together a strong and wide-ranging network of national and international actors, including educational institutions, companies, and third-sector actors, necessary for the credibility and competence of educational exports. International universities and companies are also sought as partners. The City of Savonlinna has already concluded an educational cooperation agreement with the Haidian district of Beijing. There is also cooperation with Mind Education Ltd, which offers training and camp schools. The company has more than 3000 shareholders in China alone. The project leader has attended a training session for more than 4500 principals in Beijing. It can be seen as a good interim result, bearing in mind that cooperation with the Chinese is slowly but surely progressing, provided that the relationship of cooperation is confidential. The project leaders and steering group have extensive national and international networks in the academic and business world. Over 60 years of teacher training in Savonlinna has created extensive networks of experts, which now need to be maintained. The project utilises the results of previous projects, existing contracts, personal networks and the expertise accumulated in Savonlinna through teacher training to develop a new type of cross-sectoral training offer. In the Partner Network, XAMK is a strong player in Etelä-Savo and Savonlinna and has a multidisciplinary and comprehensive training offer. The measures utilise as much as possible the expertise and networks of XAMK on a partner basis. The best educational export model for the region combines education, tourism and well-being services using South Savo operators. The future of Etelä-Savo and Eastern Finland cannot be changed without a thorough planning project in line with the above objectives. The outputs of the project are: — market survey- The criteria and description of the best business model — Needs assessment- Intellectual Property Rights So the tested business model combines innovative training activities with the tourism potential of the region.