NESET is an international advisory network of experts working on the social dimension of education and training. The social dimension of education refers to the potential of education and training systems to reduce poverty and enhance equity and social inclusion, laying foundations for the development of more prosperous and more cohesive European societies. It was set up to contribute to the improvement of European-level policy development and cooperation in education and training in order to support and supplement the efforts of the Member States to improve and modernise their education systems.

The network consists of almost 60 experts covering complementary areas of expertise in education and training representing 27 EU Member States, Albania, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Iceland, Kosovo[1], Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, the UK, and the US. NESET provides reliable, independent and rigorous scientific support, country-specific expertise, and advice to the European Commission in relation to the equity and social aspects of all types and levels of education and training. The Network also acts as a knowledge broker, bridging the gap between EU policy coordination and the academic world. Through its activities it aims to provide feedback from research to policy. The main tasks of the network are:

  • quality advice to the European Commission (advisory function);
  • research reviews for policy-makers (knowledge brokerage);
  • mapping of experts working on the social aspects of education and training.

NESET is one of the 7 official knowledge providers of the Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, along with EENEE, JRC, Eurydice, OECD, IEA and Eurostat.

This website is the main channel for dissemination of the Network‘s outputs. It is aimed at experts, policy-makers, researchers and other stakeholders working on the social dimension of education and training worldwide.

The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Education and Culture initiated the continuation of the network as the successor to NESSE (2007-2010), NESET (2011-2014) and NESET II (2015-2018). The Network’s scientific coordinator is Dragana Avramov. Counting with an experienced team of project managers and researchers capable of ensuring the highest standards of quality, PPMI is responsible for the administration, dynamization and expansion of the NESET network.

  • [1] Designation used by the European Union. This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.