NIJ FY23 Research and Development in Forensic Science for Criminal Justice Purposes | O NIJ 2023 171606

Opportunity Information: Apply for O NIJ 2023 171606

The NIJ FY23 Research and Development in Forensic Science for Criminal Justice Purposes opportunity is a National Institute of Justice (NIJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP) solicitation that funds rigorous basic or applied research and development intended to strengthen forensic science used in the criminal justice system. It sits within OJP goals that emphasize civil rights and racial equity, improved access to justice, support for victims and justice-involved individuals, stronger community safety, protection from evolving threats, and improved trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve. In practical terms, NIJ is looking for projects that either expand the scientific knowledge base that informs forensic policy and day-to-day practice, or produce tangible and usable outputs such as materials, devices, systems, or methods that could be applied in forensic settings.

The program is framed around moving forensic science toward methods that are highly discriminating, accurate, reliable, cost-effective, and fast, covering the full chain of forensic work: identification, analysis, and interpretation of evidence for criminal justice purposes. NIJ makes clear that projects do not have to deliver an immediate field-ready solution, but they must at least lay credible groundwork that leads to eventual solutions. Proposed work should align with known needs and challenges in the forensic community, including priorities in the NIJ Forensic Science Strategic Research Plan, operational needs raised through NIJ Technology Working Group (TWG) meetings, and additional community-identified needs cataloged through the Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC).

A notable expectation in this solicitation is the encouragement of multidisciplinary teams. NIJ is signaling that complex forensic problems often require combined expertise (for example, chemistry, biology, statistics, computer science, engineering, human factors, and legal/criminological perspectives), and that strong proposals will bring complementary methods together rather than relying on a single narrow approach. Alongside technical merit, NIJ also wants applicants to consider and, where applicable, measure issues of diversity, discrimination, and bias across protected and identity dimensions such as age, gender and gender identity, race, ethnicity, religion, and sexual orientation. This reflects concern not only with technical performance, but with how forensic methods and their downstream use can affect equity and fairness in real-world justice outcomes.

Partnerships with criminal justice agencies or other organizations are allowed and encouraged when they strengthen the research or help with real-world validation, but they come with documentation and compliance expectations. Applications that include such partnerships should include letters of support signed by an appropriate decision-making authority from each partner agency. These letters must acknowledge that de-identified data generated, provided, or obtained through the NIJ-funded work will be archived by the grant recipient according to the project’s data archiving plan at the end of the award. NIJ points applicants to its data archiving guidance and also sets a clear post-award expectation: if funded, the recipient must have a formal agreement in place with partnering agencies by January 1, 2024, and that agreement must include a provision ensuring the data archiving requirements are met.

Another emphasis is dissemination that actually changes practice. NIJ is not only funding research for publication; it wants robust, creative, multi-pronged dissemination plans that increase the likelihood findings translate into policy and operational improvements. This includes building strategic partnerships with organizations and professional associations positioned to push adoption, training, standards updates, or guidance changes across the forensic and criminal justice landscape.

Administratively, this is a discretionary opportunity using a cooperative agreement funding instrument, meaning NIJ typically expects more substantial federal involvement than a standard grant (for example, coordination, milestones, or collaboration during the project). The funding activity falls under science and technology and other research and development, under CFDA 16.560. Eligibility is broad and includes state, county, and local governments; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public and private institutions of higher education; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (excluding IHEs in those categories); public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; for-profit organizations (including small businesses and other than small businesses); and even individuals. When multiple entities will use federal funds to carry out the work, only one organization can apply as the primary applicant; other partners must be structured as subrecipients, and the applicant is expected to perform the majority of the proposed work.

Key opportunity details from the posting include the funding opportunity number O-NIJ-2023-171606, an original closing date of April 19, 2023, and an award ceiling listed as $12,000,000. The solicitation was created February 16, 2023. While the notice references “expected awards,” the provided text does not specify a final number in the excerpt. Overall, the opportunity is designed to push forward foundational and applied forensic R&D while ensuring careful attention to real-world operational needs, data stewardship and archiving, equity and bias considerations, and strong pathways for getting results into the hands of practitioners and decision-makers.

• The National Institute of Justice in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NIJ FY23 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 2023-02-16.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-04-19. (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, Unrestricted.

Apply for O NIJ 2023 171606

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: