The core of the training program are collaborative research projects, which will lead to a Ph.D. degree. The ESRs will be trained in a state-of-the-art technique at his/her host institution (~70% of the fellow’s working time), with secondments in at least one other CREEP research group to acquire skills in an additional discipline or method. The aim of these research projects is to ensure that the ESRs will develop an integrated scientific approach based on solving scientific problems rather than being primarily technique-driven. Through her/his project, the ESR will develop strong skills in experimentation and/or modelling, acquire in-depth knowledge in one discipline of her/his research project and a solid basis in at least another one. The secondments will allow the ESRs to experience different work environments and philosophies and to develop a personal research network extending over many European institutions.

The CREEP training will also include:

1 -  Secondments in a private-sector partner organisation, which will offer the ESRs a concrete experience of the world of applied research. During this secondment the ESRs will use the skills acquired in their academic formation to solve an applied problem and learn new techniques and skills (cross-fertilisation). By being directly exposed to the particular organization and constraints of applied research, they will test and enhance their adaptability to different work environments. This secondment will also provide the ESRs with connections in the private sector, essential for their future professional life.

2- Postgraduate-level specialized courses and personal and career-development oriented courses (transferable skills), which may be choosen among the wide offer provided by the 10 participating academic institutions as part of their internationally recognized post-graduate programs.

3-CREEP short-courses and thematic summer-schools (see calendar): The aim of these courses, which will be attended by all CREEP ESRs, is to ensure the development of a common scientific background, which is essential for fruitful exchanges and collaborations. They will also be open to 10-15 external participants.

“Introduction to numerical geodynamic modelling” (ETH) - 5 days - Sète, F: This one-week block-course (Theory and Applications) will be taught by P. Tackley and T. Gerya (Geophysical Fluid Dynamics, ETH Zurich). Its goal is to teach students how to program numerical applications from scratch. By the end of the course, students should be able to write MATLAB programs that solve systems of partial-differential equations relevant to Earth Sciences applications using the finite-difference method. The course will follow a hands-on approach. Students will be led step-by-step through the necessary theory and programming aspects, implementing the steps as they go along. After 5 days they will have developed their own thermo-mechanical code to model coupled Stokes flow and advection-diffusion in two-dimensional geometry. Interspersed with the hands-on exercises they will be given lectures outlining applications of such modelling techniques to various geodynamic problems, as well as discussing other solution methods and more advanced numerical techniques.

“Deformation and anisotropy in crystalline materials” (CNRS-GM &UDUR) - 5 days - Univ. Montpellier, FR: This course will focus on the relations between crystalline structure, deformation, and anisotropy of physical properties at the crystal-, rock-, and larger scales. Theoretical sessions will present the origin and description of anisotropy for different properties, the processes leading to the development of preferred orientations and of anisotropy, and their consequences in both Earth and Materials Sciences. Practical lectures on measurement, representation, and analysis of textures will be performed using the EBSD facilities at Montpellier. Another series of practicals will deal with the measurement and calculation of anisotropic physical properties.

"Convection in complex fluids: from laboratory to mantle dynamics" (CNRS-FAST & Uniroma3) - 5 days - FAST, Orsay, F : The goal of this course is to introduce the ESRs to the dynamics of complex fluids: how their rheology can be understood in terms of their micro-scale physical and chemical properties, how it influences thermal convection, and what aspects of mantle convection can be modelled using analogue fluids in the laboratory. Theoretical courses will deal with rheology, thermal convection, and theoretical fluid dynamics. 4-day long practical section will be devoted to hands-on activities on mantle convection, plumes, and subduction. The practicals will involve building and running an analogue laboratory experiment, characterizing the fluid rheology using state-of-the-art rheometers, measuring different properties of the flow, and interpreting the results in terms of geodynamics.

‘Reservoir faulting, fracturing, and microseismicity’ (UBRIS, UU & GMuG) - 5 days - Univ. Bristol - A 5-day course on faulting, fracturing, and creep in reservoir settings and the microseismic response, with application to petroleum, mining, and geothermal problems or volcano dynamics studies. The course will start with review of the different styles of faulting, crack growth, and creep observed in geologic settings, including naturally occurring and induced compaction, fracturing and faulting. The subject is very topical as hydraulic fracture stimulation is being considered in European shale gas reservoirs, is used in engineered geothermal systems, occurs in sites of fluid (water, CO2) injection, and is also applicable to magma injection in volcanic settings. The microseismic and surface deformation signature of these processes is key to understanding the geomechanical (rheological) response to anthropogenic and naturally occurring phenomena. The course will cover in-situ creep and failure mechanisms, event locations, source mechanisms, magnitude calculations, velocity imaging, fracture induced anisotropy, and attenuation. GMuG will give lectures on monitoring of crack evolution both in the laboratory and in-situ, and present recent developments in sensor technique.
4 - The annual CREEP workshops (see calendar), which will be attended by all CREEP participants.The CREEP workshops will have a double purpose: to deliver high-level scientific lectures by leading specialists (from within and outside the network) and to allow exchange and discussion between the Fellows and the PIs from all partner institutions.

5- Personal and career development training composed by: