As the impacts of climate and environmental change take place at an increasing pace, we urgently need tools for understanding, planning, managing, and communicating the future of biodiversity and the future of our world. ExperTS is motivated by the realisation that more powerful tests of biodiversity theories need to move beyond species richness and explicitly focus on mechanisms that generate diversity. Trait-based approaches offer a range of powerful tools and approaches towards this end, grounded in ecological and evolutionary theory. To make progress in testing, developing and applying theory, however, these tools and approaches should be applied to and combined with the rich resource of empirical biodiversity and ecosystem data now available from global networks of climate change change experiments. ExperTS will (i) increase the recognition and use of the theoretical, conceptual frameworks and experimental methods in biological research, (ii) develop theoretical expertise and comparative research between different ecosystems and academic cultures, (iii) offer unique student opportunities for courses and international research experiences that support the students in integrating theory and experimentation, and (iv) strengthen institutional collaboration over student-active research and research-based education in the interface between ecological theory and global change biology. ExperTS supports a partnership between nine institutions in five countries. Together, we will train students, do research, and devellop knowledge on the impact of international internship experience on student motivation and learning. The project will inform how global change influences biodiversity and ecosystem services important to society, and how we can manage and mitigate those impacts. Outcomes will be implemented in research and education at all partner institutions, and findings will be communicated to the scientific and educational community and to the public.