This project will offer opportunities for talented composers from three European countries at their start of their careers to embark on a year-long training programme with a leading international contemporary music ensemble: the Nieuw Ensemble, Icarus Ensemble or Ensemble 10/10. The aim is to provide sustained and valuable professional development opportunities for emerging composers, learning from and working alongside these ensembles in some of Europe's most vibrant cultural centres, culminating in high-profile performances and recordings of their work.Applications will be invited from composers studying at Higher Education Institutions in the United Kingdom, The Netherlands and Italy. Once accepted onto the programme, participating composers will write for Nieuw Ensemble, Icarus Ensemble or Ensemble 10/10 and will bring sketches to two sets of workshops in Amsterdam, Reggio Emilia or Liverpool over the course of the year, where they can try out new ideas with their respective ensembles and receive advice and guidance from the tutors. Each composer will write for an ensemble based in a country other than their own. In addition to this composers will receive independent mentoring support throughout the year from experienced composers, business advice seminars including guidance on marketing and promotion and access to an on-line discussion forum to facilitate dialogue between the composers and ensembles throughout the year. Composers will also have the opportunity to experience cultural events whilst in other countries and will benefit from learning alongside their peers from different countries. The programme will culminate with two presentations of the finished works by the ensembles, in two different countries. The pieces will also be professionally recorded and issued as a CD by HCMF, to enable further dissemination and international promotion of the works. This cycle will be repeated in Year Two with a new intake of composers.