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Capacity enhancement

Tribal-Researcher Capacity-Building Grants Solicitation, Fiscal Year 2021

Closing Date
With this solicitation, NIJ seeks applications to fund new tribal-researcher capacity-building planning grants involving scientists working with tribal nations and organizations to develop tangible and mutually beneficial criminal or juvenile justice research studies that are rigorous and culturally appropriate. Research proposals must be tribally driven and address the challenges of fighting crime and strengthening justice systems in Indian country and Alaska Native villages.

Expanding Research to Examine the Impacts of Forensic Science on the Criminal Justice System

December 2020

In 2004, the National Institute of Justice created the social science research on forensic sciences (SSRFS) research program to explore the impact of forensic sciences on the criminal justice system and the administration of justice. Much of the early research from the SSRFS program focused on DNA processing and the use of DNA in investigations and prosecutions.

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Tribal-Researcher Capacity Building Grants Solicitation, Fiscal Year 2020

Closing Date
NIJ actively supports research that involves federally recognized tribes (or tribally-based organizations) on issues of crime and justice in the United States. In doing so, NIJ is committed to ethical and engaged efforts in line with responsible research conduct and federal trust responsibilities. This solicitation seeks applications for funding for planning grants to develop new and innovative criminal and juvenile justice research or evaluation projects that address the challenges of fighting crime and strengthening justice in Indian country and Alaska Native villages. To ensure proposed projects result in tangible and mutually beneficial studies, they must include a new tribal-researcher partnership component.

Data from the DNA Capacity Enhancement and Backlog Reduction (CEBR) Grant Program

The goal of NIJ's DNA Capacity Enhancement for Backlog Reduction (CEBR) program is to assist States and units of local government with existing crime laboratories to increase the capacity of publicly funded forensic DNA and DNA database laboratories to process more DNA samples, thereby helping to reduce the number of forensic DNA and DNA database samples awaiting analysis and/or prevent a backlog of forensic and database DNA samples.