The European Social Science Genetics Network (ESSGN) brings together eight academic beneficiaries with a shared interest in social science genetics, i.e., in incorporating genetic information to improve our understanding of age-old questions in the social sciences, such as the origins of inequality, the ‘nature versus nurture’ debate, and the extent to which the interplay between environments and genes is important in shaping individuals’ lives. The consortium consists of an interdisciplinary group of academics, as well as several non-academic partners committed to using data science to address inequalities in life chances. There is an urgent need for training in social science genetics due to recent technological advances in genetics, the intricacies of using genetic data, and the growing availability of such data in surveys traditionally studied by social scientists. Our aim is to train the next generation of social scientists in the responsible and technically correct use of genetic data and in objective communication about what can and cannot be learned from working with genetic data in the social sciences.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s HORIZON-MSCA-2021-DN-01 programme under grant agreement number 101073237