ELIXIR is a Marie Curie Initial Training Network funded by the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) of the European Commission. The network has started officially on 1st December 2008 for a duration of 4 years.

The overall objective of ELIXIR is to develop European expertise in searches for primeval galaxies and in the extraction of key physical information from deep sky observations, to ensure the maximum scientific return of the future James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) that will be launched in 2014. The direct observation of the first sources of light that acted as seeds for the formation of galaxies in the Universe at the end of the “dark ages” is the primary science goal of this major collaborative project between the European Space Agency (ESA), the National Air and Space Administration (NASA) and the Canadian Space Agency. The ESA near-infrared spectrograph NIRSpec, one of the four scientific instruments on board JWST, is fully funded by Europe. It will be the first multi-object spectrograph in space, capable of collecting spectra of more than 100 very faint objects simultaneously. Access to spectroscopy in the wavelength range 0.6—5 µm makes of NIRSpec the key instrument on board JWST to probe the physical properties of primeval galaxies, whose light, on its way to us, has been “redshifted” into the infrared by the expansion of the Universe. The instrument also includes an integral field unit (IFU), which will allow astronomers to take 2-dimensional spectra and map the structure and kinematics of the star-forming gas, metals and dust in individual proto-galaxies.

The scientists of the ELIXIR network have been appointed by ESA to monitor the predicted scientific performance of NIRSpec, plan and participate in the ground calibration campaigns, and help define the operational and data processing procedure. They are also responsible for defining and executing a major science program exploiting 900 hours of observing time early in the mission, which will showcase the capabilities of NIRSpec. In this context, the ELIXIR network will develop European expertise in searches for primeval galaxies and in the extraction of key physical information from deep sky observations, to ensure the maximum scientific return of NIRSpec for the European community. The accomplishment of this goal requires the combined expertise of 4 different communities:

• Observational astronomers with expertise in deep sky surveys and in spatially resolved studies of distant galaxies.
• Experts in spectral models of galaxies, to interpret the light emitted by distant galaxies in terms of physical parameters such as star formation rate, metallicity and dust content.
• Theoreticians with expertise in modelling galaxy formation in its proper cosmological context.
• Industrial engineers who are responsible for the performance and calibration of NIRSpec.

The ELIXIR network will bring together these communities to work on the interpretation of the physical properties of distant galaxies deduced from their spectra and images and to develop practical analysis tools of interest to the exploitation of NIRSpec. It will serve as a training ground for a new generation of young researchers, who will gain broad insights into the problem of galaxy formation — both in the area of theoretical models and in the preparation and analysis of state-of-the-art observations — and into the development and implementation of an astronomical space project.