European Association of Vertebrate Palaeontologists

The European Association of Vertebrate Palaeontologists (EAVP) is a scientific society founded in 2003 to advance vertebrate palaeontology in Europe. It brings together individuals interested in the study of fossil vertebrates, with membership consisting predominantly of professional vertebrate palaeontologists and numbering more than 100 according to the available reference description. The association is legally based in Germany and treats Europe as a geographical and cultural region rather than strictly as a political or institutional grouping. EAVP functions as a forum for cooperation across a traditionally multilingual and multicultural research area. Its objectives include initiating and supporting international projects involving European participation, encouraging students to join collaborative research, developing funding from foundations and other sponsors, preserving methodological pluralism, and strengthening contacts among vertebrate palaeontologists. Student development is an explicit part of its mission: the association seeks to help students participate in research projects and to expand the future community of vertebrate palaeontologists. A central activity is the organization of an annual workshop or meeting in a different European country. These gatherings continue the tradition of the European Workshop on Vertebrate Palaeontology and provide opportunities for scientific presentations, professional networking, and international collaboration. Recorded EAVP meetings have been held in Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Germany, France, Slovakia, Spain, Italy, Greece, Poland, the Netherlands, Portugal, and elsewhere in Europe. In 2009, the association also organized an extraordinary meeting at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences in connection with the bicentenary of Charles Darwin's birth. EAVP's publication activities include its official peer-reviewed journal, Oryctos. The journal publishes original work in vertebrate palaeontology and comparative anatomy, along with contributions addressing the history of these disciplines. Articles may be written in French or English. The association also produces an abstract volume for each workshop, preserving a record of the research presented at its meetings. The association supports early-career participation through the Raymonde Rivoallan Fund, which provides travel assistance for two students each year to attend EAVP workshops. Taken together, its meetings, publications, project support, and student funding make EAVP a coordinating and community-building organization rather than a commercial product brand. No information in the supplied material establishes a commercial parent, public listing, corporate owner, or a separate operating website.

The EAVP was established in 2003 as a European society for people interested in vertebrate palaeontology. Its creation formalized a cross-border professional network in a field that had already developed through the European Workshop on Vertebrate Palaeontology. The organization was designed to serve a geographically broad and culturally diverse European research community, rather than to represent a single country or a narrowly defined political region. Its legal base is in Germany. From its foundation, EAVP emphasized collaboration. Its stated purposes include supporting international research projects with European participation, encouraging student involvement, obtaining financial support from foundations and other sponsors, and maintaining a plurality of scientific methods. The association also aimed to provide continuity for regular European gatherings of vertebrate palaeontologists. Annual workshops became the principal recurring activity, with the host location changing from year to year. This rotating model has allowed researchers from different national communities to participate in and host the association's activities. The recorded sequence of EAVP meetings began with Basel, Switzerland, in 2003, followed by Brno, Czech Republic, in 2004; Darmstadt, Germany, in 2005; Budapest, Hungary, in 2006; Carcassonne, France, in 2007; and Spišská Nová Ves, Slovakia, in 2008. Berlin hosted the seventh meeting in 2009, and Aix-en-Provence hosted the eighth in 2010. Later meetings took place in Heraklion, Crete, in 2011; Teruel in 2012; Villers-sur-Mer in 2013; Torino in 2014; Opole in 2015; Haarlem in 2016; Munich in 2017; and Caparica, Portugal, in 2018. These meetings demonstrate the association's continuing geographical reach across Europe. In addition to its regular program, EAVP held an extraordinary meeting at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences to mark the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin in 2009. Publication and dissemination have been another part of EAVP's development. Oryctos serves as the association's official journal and publishes peer-reviewed research in vertebrate palaeontology and comparative anatomy, as well as historical studies of those fields. The journal accepts work in French and English, reflecting the association's multilingual orientation. Each EAVP workshop also generates an abstract volume, providing a formal record of the contributions presented at the meeting. EAVP has further supported professional development through the Raymonde Rivoallan Fund. The fund provides travel assistance for two students each year to participate in EAVP workshops. This initiative aligns with the association's stated interest in bringing students into international projects and developing the next generation of European vertebrate palaeontologists. The available material does not identify individual founders, officers, executive appointments, membership fees, a current officeholder, or a commercial operating structure. It also does not establish a current public website or describe the association as a listed or corporate entity. Its documented role is that of an active scholarly association organized around research exchange, meetings, publications, funding, and community development.

• 2018

  Annual meeting in Caparica

  [1]EAVPen.wikipedia.org

  The sixteenth recorded EAVP annual meeting took place in Caparica, Portugal.

• 2017

  Annual meeting in Munich

  [1]EAVPen.wikipedia.org

  The fifteenth annual meeting was held in Munich, Germany.

• 2014

  Annual meeting in Torino

  [1]EAVPen.wikipedia.org

  The twelfth annual meeting took place in Torino, Italy.

• 2010

  Annual meeting in Aix-en-Provence

  [1]EAVPen.wikipedia.org

  The eighth EAVP annual meeting was held in Aix-en-Provence, France.

• 2009

  Extraordinary Darwin bicentenary meeting

  [1]EAVPen.wikipedia.org

  EAVP held an extraordinary meeting at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences in connection with the bicentenary of Charles Darwin's birth.

• 2003

  EAVP founded and first annual meeting held

  [1]EAVPen.wikipedia.org

  The association was founded, and its first annual meeting took place in Basel, Switzerland.

• 1996

  First European Workshop on Vertebrate Palaeontology

  [1]EAVPen.wikipedia.org

  The first recorded European Workshop on Vertebrate Palaeontology was held in Copenhagen, Denmark, establishing the meeting tradition that later provided continuity for EAVP activities.

• Raymonde Rivoallan Fund established

  [1]EAVPen.wikipedia.org

  EAVP established a fund providing annual travel support for two students attending its workshops.

Academic professional organization supporting research, communication, training, and international collaboration in European vertebrate palaeontology.

• Peer-reviewed scientific journal

  Oryctos

  Oryctos is the official journal associated with EAVP. It publishes peer-reviewed original research covering vertebrate palaeontology and comparative anatomy, together with work on the history of these scientific disciplines. The journal accepts contributions in French or English, matching the association's emphasis on communication across Europe's multilingual research community.

• Scientific publication

  EAVP workshop abstract volumes

  An abstract volume is produced for each EAVP workshop. These volumes document the presentations and research contributions associated with the annual meeting program and provide a durable scholarly record of the association's events.

• Student mobility and research support

  Raymonde Rivoallan Fund

  The Raymonde Rivoallan Fund supports student participation in EAVP workshops by contributing travel funding for two students each year. It is part of the association's broader effort to involve students in international palaeontological projects and strengthen the future professional community.

1. 1EAVPen.wikipedia.org