The gSmart initiative develops a network of HEIs with a focus on interdisciplinary ‘Spatial Sciences’, aiming at improving the management of societies, economies and environments through modern geospatial methods and techniques. Space, as Earth’s surface area, is one resource in our world we cannot increase, and thus needs careful management for a minimum of conflicts. Places define the location of people, infrastructure and other assets. Places make surrounding space into context for views and actions, which in turn impact space. As environments, spaces sustain livelihoods. Critical spatial resources in our environments therefore need to be managed smartly. gSmart targets disciplines sharing a spatial dimension: Architecture and Planning (discipline/field 02), Social Sciences (14), Resource Management, Geology (07), Water (07.4) and Environmental Studies (14.3 / 04.9), Agriculture (01), Regional Economics (04), Transportation, Civil Engineering (06) and is open to others. These use common digital models, technologies and methods as a core qualification in high demand in academia, industry and administration; like Geographic Information Systems, Remote Sensing, GNSS, decision support and impact assessment, geovisualisation, statistics and spatial data infrastructures.Building on sustained links between EU and Central Asian partners established through educational programmes, this proposal aims at (i) a broad thematic scope and geographic reach, (ii) building educational and professional capacity and competence at partner region HEIs and thus (iii) educating the next generation of experts for Central Asia through integration of educational practice in Central Asia and Europe.The gSmart network will be sharing and building knowledge, competences and skills across disciplines, via mobility of students and faculty between institutions, joint short intensive courses and a virtual campus with online lectures, converging in a highly qualified community of practice.