With this solicitation, NIJ seeks proposals for rigorous research and evaluation projects that will:
- Identify and inform the forensic community of best practices through the evaluation of existing laboratory protocols; and/or
- 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 this 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. Projects should address the challenges and needs of the forensic science community, including, but not limited to, the operational needs discussed at the 2021 and 2022 TWG meetings, which may be found on NIJ.ojp.gov. NIJ’s Forensic Science Technology Working Group (TWG) assists in identifying and prioritizing operational needs and requirements of the field, which are intended to facilitate proposal development. Additional research needs of the forensic science community can be found at the Organization of Scientific Area Committees for Forensic Sciences website.