The Astrophysical Virtual Observatory to EURO-VO Transition

The Astrophysical Virtual Observatory (AVO) initiative, jointly funded by the European Commission and six European organisations, had the task of creating the foundations of a regional scale infrastructure by conducting a research and demonstration programme on the VO scientific requirements and necessary technologies. The AVO project is now formally concluded. I highlight AVO's main achievements and then describe its successor, the EURO-VO project. With its three new interlinked structures, the Data Centre Alliance, the Facility Centre, and the Technology Centre, the EURO-VO is the logical next step for the deployment of an operational VO in Europe.