The ALBA Network: The first Lights of the Universe, intends to detect the first sources to appear in the Universe. The ALBA collaboration started from a sub-group of researchers from the Consolider-Ingenio2010 project (CSD2006-00070): First science with the GTC, whose principal Investigator was the PI of this Red Temática.

The ALBA collaboration intends with this proposal to become an official network, in order to optimize the work of its members, and specially to help prepare for the future launch of a micro-satellite whose mision is to detect the first sources to appear in the Universe. The members of this collaboration are researchers especialists in various and diverse topics. As such, each of the members has its own research project funded by the Plan Nacional. This Thematic Network will allow us both to strengthen the collaboration of its members and facilitate the team work. Soon we will be getting data, including 90 hours of observing time in two of the largest telescopes, namely Gemini and GTC, that have been alloted to our team in preparation for the ultimate goal, that is to detect the first sources in the Universe. This Tematic Network is devoted to the preparatory work for the micro-satellite launch, in order to have all the preparatory science ready well in advance of the micro- satellite launch.