The European Astrobiology Network Association (EANA) was founded in spring 2001 during the first European Workshop on Astrobiology co-organized with European Space Agency (ESA) at the European Space Research Institute (ESRIN) research facility in Frascati, Italy. Since then, EANA has organised a meeting every year in various member states. EANA is a network of individuals, and everyone interested in Astrobiology can join the EANA network. But EANA is also a network of existing Astrobiology networks, and for that consists of a council with representatives from to date 18 different European countries as well as Japan. The main aim of EANA is to provide a platform where scientists could regularly meet and share their expertise and facilities, not only among themselves but also with Early Career Scientists. From the very beginning, the idea of promoting and supporting young scientists was a cornerstone of the EANA program. This supporting force finally made the founding of AbGradE possible, which became a venue for young astrobiologists in Europe and beyond.

Point of contact: Barbara Cavalazzi

Q&A:

1. What kind of program does EANA offer for Early careers?
   In 2011, the EANA committee started to award poster prizes, which often have been received by students as post-docs. In the same year, the EANA Student Contest (known as Space Factor Student Contest) was initiated. For further information, click here. Further, the EANA committee supports students to attend the annual EANA meetings by offering a high number of travel grants each year.
2. How could I get more information about national astrobiological programs?
   Each country represented in the EANA council offers a short summary of their national activities. If you have further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact the national representative or the EANA board.
3. Where could I find information on jobs and free positions in Astrobiology?
   The best would be to frequently check the main EANA page, which is updated in regular intervals. Here, you can find not only job offers, but also announcements for meetings, published papers, books, etc. Further, check the AbGradE twitter and facebook channel for such information.
4. Where can I find out more about Astrobiology courses (online or at university)?
   EANA regularly hosted an Astrobiology course in the years 2005-2013 called ABC-Net (Astrobiology Lecture Course Network). Several of the recordings can still be found here. Since then, Astrobiology courses became integrated into many university curricula, including several online courses, which are listed on the same webpage. EANA also hosts an Astrobiology Wiki with information on the habitability of different bodies in the solar system, experiments done on the ISS, life in extreme environments, and on the origin of life on Earth.
5. How can I become a member of EANA?
   To become a member of EANA, you need to identify two sponsors, which are Astrobiologists already being members of the EANA network. The easiest way to find such sponsors is to attend one of the EANA annual meetings or to contact Kai Finster, who is the EANA treasurer. Click here for more information.