NIJ FY09 Forensic DNA Unit Efficiency Improvement

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is the research, development, and evaluationagency of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and a component of the Office ofJustice Programs (OJP). NIJ provides objective, independent, evidence-basedknowledge and tools to enhance the administration of justice and public safety. NIJsolicits applications to inform its search for the knowledge and tools to guide policy andpractice.Enhanced DNA laboratory capacity is critical for public crime laboratories to meet theincreasing demand from the criminal justice community for DNA testing services. Morelaw enforcement officers are realizing the importance of collecting, preserving, andsubmitting forensic evidence from both violent and nonviolent crime scenes, resulting insharp increases in submissions of DNA evidence to the Nation’s public crimelaboratories. In addition, the passage of State statutes expanding DNA samplecollections from offenders convicted of violent crimes to all felons upon conviction and, inmany jurisdictions, to all arrestees has further increased the workload of public forensiclaboratories. Innovative ideas and programs are necessary in order to have significantimpacts on the growing capacity needs of these laboratories.With this solicitation, NIJ is seeking proposals from States and units of local governmentfor projects to improve the efficiency and capacity of public forensic DNA laboratoriesthrough the development and adoption of an improved laboratory process. Eligible publicforensic DNA laboratories may submit proposals for projects that will increase capacityto meet the mission-critical needs of these laboratories within the scope of thissolicitation. Priority consideration will be given to proposals that involve novel orinnovative solutions and/or have the potential to affect the entire DNA forensiccommunity. NIJ’s objective is to publish successful, carefully evaluated, and novelefficiency improvement methodologies as models to be considered by other publicforensic laboratories.This solicitation will not fund proposals seeking to support efficiency and capacityenhancement projects that would duplicate projects eligible for support and planned tobe supported under the FY2009 Forensic DNA Backlog Reduction Program.Applications must include a detailed plan that clearly describes how FY 2009 ForensicDNA Unit Efficiency Improvement Program funds will be used to meet the goals of thissolicitation. Highest priority will be given to proposals that focus on the implementation ofan innovative approach suitable for publication by NIJ as a model program for theforensic community.