NIJ FY22 Research and Development in Forensic Science for Criminal Justice Purposes | O NIJ 2022 171186

Opportunity Information: Apply for O NIJ 2022 171186

The NIJ FY22 Research and Development in Forensic Science for Criminal Justice Purposes opportunity is a discretionary National Institute of Justice (NIJ) grant (CFDA 16.560) aimed at strengthening forensic science through rigorous basic or applied research and development. It sits within the Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs (OJP) broader priorities, including promoting civil rights and racial equity, improving access to justice, supporting victims and justice-involved individuals, enhancing community safety, and building trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve. In practical terms, the program is designed to fund well-defined projects that either expand the scientific evidence base used to shape forensic policy and practice or produce tangible outputs such as materials, devices, systems, or methods that could be used in forensic casework.

The core emphasis is on advancing forensic science toward methods that are more discriminating, accurate, reliable, cost-effective, and faster for identifying, analyzing, and interpreting forensic evidence for criminal justice purposes. NIJ is looking for research that is solidly designed and clearly scoped, with outcomes that contribute to eventual real-world impact even if they do not immediately solve an operational problem. Proposals are expected to connect to known challenges and needs within the forensic science community, including (but not limited to) operational needs discussed at NIJ's FY 2020 Forensic Science Technology Working Group (TWG) meeting (materials referenced on NIJ.OJP.gov) and additional needs identified through the Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC). The solicitation signals that projects should at least tackle foundational work that plausibly leads to future solutions, rather than exploratory work with no clear path to application.

Collaboration is encouraged, especially where research benefits from partnerships with criminal justice agencies or other operational organizations. When partnerships are part of the project, the application is expected to include a strong letter of support from an appropriate decision-making authority at each partnering agency. These letters are not just general endorsements; they must explicitly acknowledge that de-identified data generated by, shared with, or obtained through the project will be archived according to the recipient's data archiving plan. If an award is made, the recipient is expected to have formal agreements in place with partnering agencies by January 1, 2023, and those agreements must include terms that satisfy the award's data archiving requirements. Where multiple agencies will be involved financially, the solicitation clarifies that only one entity can be the applicant; other participating organizations must be included as subrecipients if they will receive and use award funds.

Eligibility is broad across government, academia, nonprofits, and industry, reflecting the R and D nature of the program. Eligible applicants include state, county, city or township, and special district governments; federally recognized tribal governments and certain tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; public and private institutions of higher education; nonprofits (both with and without 501(c)(3) status); individuals; for-profit organizations (including small businesses and other for-profits); and other categories listed in the solicitation. Federal agencies may also apply, but any award to a federal agency would be structured as an inter-agency reimbursable agreement. The program defines "state" broadly to include U.S. states and several U.S. territories and commonwealths. At the same time, the opportunity explicitly excludes foreign governments, foreign organizations, and foreign colleges and universities from applying.

The solicitation also includes compliance conditions tied to Executive Order 13929, Safe Policing for Safe Communities. Specifically, state, local, and university or college law enforcement agencies must be certified by an approved independent credentialing body, or have begun the certification process, to be eligible for FY 2022 DOJ discretionary grant funding. The certification standard requires (1) use-of-force policies that comply with applicable federal, state, and local laws and (2) a prohibition on chokeholds except when deadly force is legally authorized. This certification requirement applies not only to direct recipients but also to law enforcement agencies receiving DOJ discretionary funds through a subaward, which matters for applicants proposing operational partners as subrecipients. The solicitation points applicants to DOJ resources listing the standards, implementation guidance, and designated credentialing bodies.

Administratively, the opportunity number is O-NIJ-2022-171186, the original closing date was May 2, 2022, and the listed award ceiling is $12,000,000. A notable financial condition is that all recipients and subrecipients, including for-profit organizations, must forgo any profit or management fee, meaning the award is intended to cover allowable project costs rather than generate profit. Overall, the program is structured to push the field forward through credible research designs, clear deliverables, responsible data stewardship, and practical alignment with the needs of forensic science stakeholders.

• The National Institute of Justice in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NIJ FY22 Research and Development in Forensic Science for Criminal Justice Purposes" 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 2022-03-04.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-05-02. (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 $12,000,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), 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, Others.

Apply for O NIJ 2022 171186

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