The Cyberlab project will provide laboratory training between different sites in Europe using video-conferencing techniques. As advanced laboratory equipment is expensive and accessible only to a select group of students/trainees, and as travel to and research at specialist laboratories is both expensive and time-consuming, the Cyberlab project addresses a real need for distance laboratory training. The project meets the challenge of replicating the learning outcomes of traditional laboratory-based work through video-conferencing. The project will examine the ergonomic environment of the laboratory, and the impact of video-conferencing on this, in an effort to maximise training efficiency through distance learning. A variety of key ergonomic and pedagogic elements will be identified for implementation through video-conferencing; to include: virtual observation of laboratory details, changing the experimental set-up and parameters, observing experiments and probe handling. In turn, a variety of complementary methods for practical laboratory application will be developed, and a pilot course will demonstrate the applicability of each method in an integrated manner using video-conferencing; for example: manipulating a microscope at distance; communication between trainees and trainers/operators in lab. The partnership, with ten partners in five countries, comprises a combination of research institutes and industrial partners. Project activities and results will be disseminated via a dedicated Cyberlab homepage, linked with each partner homepage, and will demonstrate the potential for laboratory training using video-conferencing. Other conventional dissemination methods will also be employed using, for example, seminars and printed material.