"GIONET will create a European Centre of Excellence in the training of early stage researchers in the Earth Observation to provide skilled personnel for the emerging GMES land monitoring services during the GMES Initial Operations period (2011-2013) and beyond. The principal aims of this distributed centre will be to:• Provide a broad postgraduate training in Earth Observation Science that exposes students to different research disciplines and complementary skills, providing work experiences in the private and academic sectors, and leading to a recognized qualification (Doctorate).• Enable access to first class training in both fundamental and applied research skills to early-stage researchers at world-class academic centres and market leaders in the private sector.• Develop a collaborative training network, through the placement of students supported by the grant for periods in other European institutions, and by hosting nationally funded students.• Provide a flexible training environment with personal development planning, that early stage researchers can adapt to their cultural, disciplinary and gender needs and in respect of their national education systems.• Key elements of the research and training programme will include fundamental Earth Observation Science, foundations of GMES pre-operational applications (land cover and change, forestry, urban mapping, biophysical parameters, emergency services).• A more adaptable corpus of early-career researchers, capable of fulfilling the needs of the European GMES land monitoring core services, and able to become future leaders in these fields, whether in the research domain or the private sector.• Researchers with excellent employability across a range of disciplines and outside academic research environments in organisations such as GMES user and stakeholder organisations, and private sector companies delivering the GMES services."