Research and Evaluation for the Testing and Interpretation of Physical Evidence in Publicly Funded Forensic Laboratories, Fiscal Year 2020

With this solicitation, NIJ seeks proposals for research and evaluation projects that will:

1. Identify and inform the forensic community of best practices through the evaluation of existing laboratory protocols; and
2. Have a direct and immediate impact on laboratory efficiency and assist in making laboratory policy decisions.

The intent of this program is to direct the findings of the research and evaluation toward the identification of the most efficient, accurate, reliable, and cost-effective methods for the identification, analysis, and interpretation of physical evidence for criminal justice purposes. Review the most current forensic science operational needs discussed at the 2020 Forensic Science Research and Development Technology Working Group (TWG) meeting. The TWG assists in identifying and prioritizing operational needs and requirements of the field and are intended to facilitate proposal development. Additional research needs of the forensic science community can be found at the Organization of Scientific Area Committees website.