Research and Development in Forensic Science for Criminal Justice Purposes, FY 2019 | NIJ 2019 15387

Opportunity Information: Apply for NIJ 2019 15387

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ), within the U.S. Department of Justice, offered this FY 2019 discretionary grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number: NIJ 2019 15387; CFDA: 16.560) to support research and development in forensic science for criminal justice purposes. The program is aimed at funding clearly defined, stand-alone projects in either basic research or applied research and development. In practical terms, NIJ is looking for projects that can either expand the scientific knowledge base that shapes forensic policy and day-to-day practice, or produce tangible outputs such as materials, devices, systems, or methods that could be used in forensic casework. The emphasis is on moving from scientific insight to real-world forensic value, even when the project is not expected to solve an operational problem immediately.

A central goal of the solicitation is to translate advances from broader scientific fields into forensic science improvements. NIJ highlights outcomes that make forensic methods more discriminating (better at telling sources apart), more accurate and reliable (more valid results and fewer errors), more cost-effective (affordable for routine laboratory adoption), and faster (supporting timely investigations and court processes). The work is framed around strengthening how physical evidence is identified, analyzed, and interpreted in ways that hold up in the criminal justice system. That includes both laboratory-side improvements (measurement, instrumentation, validation, quality assurance) and interpretation-side improvements (statistics, uncertainty, error rates, decision frameworks), so long as the research is clearly connected to forensic application.

Projects are expected to respond to the needs and challenges identified by the forensic science community. NIJ points applicants to operational needs discussed at its FY 2016 Forensic Science Technical Working Group (TWG) meeting, available through NIJ.gov, and also to additional topic needs documented by the Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC). The solicitation makes it clear that proposals do not have to deliver an immediate, deployable fix to those published needs. However, they should directly relate to them and produce results that meaningfully move the field toward eventual solutions, such as foundational data, validated procedures, performance measures, or prototype capabilities that can later be matured for operational use.

Eligibility for this opportunity is broad and includes state, county, and city or township governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; nonprofit organizations (including both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3) nonprofits); individuals; for-profit organizations (including small businesses and other for-profits). That broad eligibility signals that NIJ expected proposals from a mix of academic researchers, forensic laboratories, technology developers, and other organizations capable of producing rigorous scientific work tied to forensic outcomes.

The opportunity was posted on January 17, 2019, with an original closing date of April 11, 2019. NIJ anticipated making about 50 awards. The posted award ceiling is listed as $20,000,000, indicating that awards could vary widely in size depending on project scope and that some projects could be large, multi-year efforts (subject to NIJ’s final funding decisions and typical grant conditions). Overall, the solicitation is best understood as NIJ’s mechanism for investing in the scientific backbone of forensic practice: building validated knowledge, improving measurement and interpretation, and developing methods or tools that can ultimately strengthen evidence quality and confidence in criminal justice outcomes.

• The Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Research and Development in Forensic Science for Criminal Justice Purposes, FY 2019" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.560.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jan 17, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 11, 2019. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $20,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 50 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Individuals, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses.

Apply for NIJ 2019 15387

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: