The fields of evolutionary biology, developmental biology and ecology are moving ever closer together into the newly synthetic field of Evolutionary and Ecological Developmental Biology, or "Evo-Devo-Eco." Advances in this field rely heavily on technology transfer, particularly on the modification of protocols originally developed for traditional laboratory model organisms. At present, insufficient networking often leads laboratories working on new or emerging model organisms to inefficient duplication of effort when developing new protocols for use in their systems. We have therefore created an Evo-Devo-Eco Network (EDEN).

The major aims of EDEN are the following:

1. To fund active interchange of tools and techniques among labs working on emerging model systems. To find out how to apply for a research exchange grant, click here.
2. To fund undergraduates in the field of Evo-Devo-Eco with an emphasis on emerging model systems. To find out how to apply for an undergraduate internship, click here.
3. To document the tools and techniques being used in these organisms and make them publicly available for future users. To see protocols developed by EDEN members, click here.
4. To promote interactions across the Evo-Devo-Eco community through conference funding and the sponsorship of workshops. To find out about upcoming workshops, click here.

The EDEN Research Coordination Network has the overarching goal of facilitating new support networks and collaborations among labs that do not currently enjoy the large community resources of traditional model species. These labs are highly variable in their membership, resources, and biological questions. At the same time there is an enormous untapped potential for the exchange of techniques, ideas, and knowledge that we hope will flow not just from established models to lesser-known systems, but also from the unique biology exposed by lesser-known systems to traditional models.