A Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) is a framework to share and re-use spatial data amongst public authorities, private sector and citizens. SDI are based on a series of agreements on technology standards, institutional settings and policies to unlock geospatial resources for a wide range of applications: e.g. environmental monitoring, transportation planning, health care, urban planning, etc. Since they are based on complex and permanently evolving technologies, and require innovative organisational, legal and institutional settings, the academic education related to SDI is challenging. No single university can provide education covering the complete geospatial field, so joint efforts are necessary. Especially since many of the societal challenges are cross-border and cross-policy phenomena. BESTSDI is based on the results of the EU IPA2010 project “INSPIRATION – Spatial Data Infrastructure in the Western Balkans” (2012-2013) and the project “Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the region of Western Balkan” (IMPULS), being under execution. The BESTSDI project refines and extends these developments in three ways:1) A successful SDI requires an active participation by all national and local governments within a country, its private sector and citizens. This active participation is impossible without appropriate SDI knowledge and skills. Thus, education on SDI must be properly introduced in higher education study programs for future professionals and life-long learning courses for present professionals. 2) An SDI comes to life, if published geospatial data is widely being (re-)used. BESTSDI covers both spatial data provision as well as its (re-)usage. Data (re-)usage scenarios cover requirements arising in the regional priority domains agriculture, forestry and fisheries. 3) All BESTSDI partner countries are either candidate or potential candidate countries of joining the European Union and have the obligation to implement EU Directives and policies.