EVAN (European Virtual Anthropology Network) was initiated and coordinated by Gerhard W. Weber. The application within the 6th Framework Program of the EU in 2005 ranked sixth out of 372 and was awarded a maximum contribution of 3.3 Million Euros between the years 2006 and 2009. The consortium consisted of 15 partner institutions from the academic, medical, private research and industrial sector in six European countries (Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Spain, United Kingdom).

EVAN employed and trained 28 Ph.D.s and Post-docs to implement a total of 546 labor months. Fellows came from various European countries, India, and Africa. In this Marie Curie Program mobility was mandatory, thus fellows had to take positions in another than their home country. To stimulate further mobility and education, 26 network events such as training workshops, summer schools, and yearly meetings were organized by the sites, many of them also open for external researchers.

EVAN has led to a de-fragmentation of the European scientific landscape in Virtual Anthropology and established long-term collaborations between partners. It also facilitated promoting the new interdisciplinary science of Virtual Anthropology worldwide. The new generation of trained scientists found jobs in many parts of the world. The EVAN infrastructure is now open to all colleagues, inside and outside the former EVAN consortium, through the EVAN-Society.