NESSIE, the "Network of Economic and Social Science Infrastructures in Europe", is a cooperation network of four major European social science research centres. It was launched in 2001, with the aim of addressing some of the barriers that exist within Europe to and European comparative research.

Funded by the European Commission under its Access to Research Infrastructures Program, the Network is concentrating on identifying tasks that will make access to large data collections more feasible and to make recommendations to ensure their comparability across Europe. It works through a programme of active exchange, Roundtables, the identification of Guidelines of Good Practice, the location and description of data sources and resources, and through the implementation of web-based tools for information exchange and information access.

The four partners are:

• European Centre for Analysis in the Social Sciences (ECASS), Essex, UK
• Zentralarchiv, Cologne, Germany
• CEPS/Instead, Luxembourg
• Norwegian Social Science Data Services, Bergen

The NESSIE network represents a continuation of the work of earlier European Commission study groups and roundtables and builds upon the particular expertise, resources and procedures as well as the technical and conceptual tools of these research infrastructures, and seeks to consult widely with representatives and users of other social research infrastructures in Europe. Identification of areas for future research, and research funding, will be an important outcome of its activities.

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