Notice
In fiscal 2020, all state and local forensic capacity enhancement programs previously managed by NIJ moved to the Bureau of Justice Assistance.
The awards made under this solicitation now are being managed by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. To see the complete list of awards, visit the Bureau of Justice Assistance.
The objective of this program is to assist eligible States and units of local government to reduce forensic DNA sample turnaround time, increase the throughput of public DNA laboratories, and reduce DNA backlogs. These improvements are critical to preventing future DNA backlogs and to helping the criminal justice system use the full potential of DNA technology. Eligible States and units of local government may request funds to increase the capacity of their existing crime laboratories that conduct DNA analysis in order to analyze DNA samples more efficiently and cost effectively. Eligible applicants also may request funds to handle, screen, and analyze backlogged forensic DNA casework samples. State-designated DNA Database laboratories may also use supplemental funding available under this solicitation to build the capacity of their laboratory to process more database samples or to reduce the number of backlogged database samples.