(VISAGE) Visible Attributes through Genomics: Broadened Forensic Use of DNA for Constructing Composite Sketches from Traces

Project summary

The VISible Attributes Through GEnomics – VISAGE – Consortium aims to overcome the general limitation of current forensic DNA analysis by broadening forensic DNA evidence towards constructing composite sketches of unknown perpetrators from as many biological traces and sources and as fast as possible within current legal frameworks and ethical guidelines. The VISAGE Project will establish new scientific knowledge, develop prototype tools for DNA analysis and statistical interpretation, validate and implement these tool in forensic practice, investigate the ethical, societal and regulatory dimensions, widely disseminate the outcome and educate stake holder and target groups concerning the prediction of a person’s appearance, age, and bio-geographic ancestry from DNA traces, which will help finding unknown perpetrators of crime unidentifiable with standard DNA profiling via focused police investigation. The VISAGE Consortium consists of 13 partners from academic, police and justice institutions of 8 European countries, and brings together forensic genetic researchers and forensic DNA practitioners, statistical geneticists and social scientists to achieve the project aims. The VISAGE Project & Consortium receives funding from Horizon 2020 The EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, Secure Societies Challenge.

Overall, the VISAGE Consortium aims to overcome the general limitation of current forensic use of DNA by broadening it towards constructing composite sketches of unknown perpetrators from traces recovered at crime scenes.