What Is ENFSI and What Does the Organization Do?

Updated

ENFSI stands for the European Network of Forensic Science Institutes, a network founded in 1995 to improve the mutual exchange of information in forensic science and to raise the quality of forensic science delivery in Europe. It is relevant to forensic institutes, laboratories, and practitioners who want a European-level body coordinating quality, research, training, and specialist expertise. The network describes itself as having been recognized by the European Commission as the monopoly organization in the field of forensic science.

Core purpose and scope

ENFSI's stated main issues are twofold:

  • Improving mutual exchange of information among forensic science institutes in Europe.
  • Improving the quality of forensic science delivery in Europe.

Beyond that general work, the network organizes its professional activity around three broad areas plus specialist expertise:

Area What ENFSI covers
Quality and competence management Work on quality and competence within forensic science
Research and development R&D activity across the field
Education and training Training-related work for the network
Specialist expertise Handled through 17 different Expert Working Groups

How the organization is structured

The site's navigation points to the bodies that make up the network: the Board, the Secretariat, Standing Committees, and Working Groups, alongside a Vision page. The 17 Expert Working Groups are where individual forensic disciplines are dealt with, and their activity is visible in the network's news and events — for example, meetings of the Fingerprint Working Group (FINWG), the Fire and Explosion Investigation Working Group, and joint meetings such as ENFHEX and EDEWG.

What the site is useful for

If you are checking whether ENFSI is the right body to follow or contact, the site serves as an entry point for:

  • News — recent working-group meetings and cooperation announcements, such as the launch of ENFSI–EUDA cooperation.
  • Events — upcoming meetings with dates and locations, including the APST meeting 2027 in Wiesbaden, Germany (20–23 April 2027), the ENFSI Annual Meeting 2027 in Zagreb, Croatia (18–21 May 2027), and the Fire and Explosion Investigation Working Group Annual Meeting in Prague, Czech Republic (6–9 September 2027).
  • Contact — a contact form for reaching the network.

Note that the homepage embeds a Google Maps placeholder; the actual map content only loads if you choose to unblock it and accept sharing data with third-party providers.

Who this matters to

ENFSI is aimed at the forensic science community — institutes and their representatives, working-group members, and those interested in European coordination on forensic quality, methods, and training. If your question is about a specific forensic discipline, the relevant Expert Working Group is the place to look; if it is about the network overall, the Board, Secretariat, and Standing Committees pages are the starting points.