U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

National Institute of Justice

National Institute of Justice

Solicitation

Jeremy Travis, Director July 1999

Solicitation for Forensic DNA

 Research & Development

APPLICATION DEADLINE:

September 15, 1999
U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

810 Seventh Street N.W.

Washington, DC 20531

Janet Reno

Attorney General

Raymond C. Fisher

Associate Attorney General

Laurie Robinson

Assistant Attorney General

Noël Brennan

Deputy Assistant Attorney General

Jeremy Travis

Director, National Institute of Justice

For grant and funding information contact:

Department of Justice Response Center:

800–421–6770

Office of Justice Programs

World Wide Web Site:

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov

National Institute of Justice

World Wide Web Site:

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij
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Solicitation for Forensic DNA Research & Development

I. Introduction

The intent of this solicitation is to stimulate all

areas of research or development that can enhance

or increase the capacity, capability, applicability,

and/or reliability of DNA for forensic uses.

Proposals that build or improve upon existing

technologies, methods, or approaches as well as

proposals based on new or novel technologies,

methods, or approaches are encouraged to meet the

goal of maximizing the value of DNA evidence to

the criminal justice system.

II. Background 

Forensic DNA analysis has played a crucial role

in the investigation and resolution of thousands

of violent crimes since the late 1980’s. Heralded

as the most powerful and discriminating method

of identifying the source of biological evidence

available to the criminal justice system, forensic

DNA testing has evolved both in the

technologies it uses and in its protocols to

promote reliability and courtroom admissibility.

Originally, DNA evidence was analyzed by

crude million-plus cell extracts using restriction

fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) testing of

variable number of tandem repeats (VNTRs).

Southern blotted membranes were generally

probed with four to six hypervariable

minisatellite markers to establish a DNA profile

that, statistically, could differentiate virtually all

unrelated individuals. The process, which is both

time consuming and technically demanding, is

limited to a few private and public crime

laboratories and is largely being replaced by

other methods.

Forensic DNA testing became more widely

available with the development of commercially

available “reverse-dot-blot” kits. These kits

allowed “low-technology” testing of single

nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) by the

polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using singlestrand oligonucleotide (SSO) membranes.

Although the markers available using reversedot-blot kits lack the discriminatory power of

VNTRs, these kits permitted mass technology

transfer of the PCR method to public crime labs. 

Results from the kits were robustly reliable, in

large measure because the kits included internal

sensitivity controls and had minimal equipment

needs.

At present, STRs (short tandem repeats) are the

current marker of choice for forensic DNA

testing. Plentiful in the human genome, their

high discriminatory power enhances the forensic

application beyond the reverse-dot-blot method

while continuing to use the power of DNA

amplification with the PCR. Samples can be

rapidly processed since numerous loci can be

multiplexed in a single amplification and sexual

assault cases are easier to resolve since the STRs

can be coupled with a Y- chromosome probe to

help identify the male component in mixed

evidence.

Because of this high discriminatory power, good

resolution of alleles, and the potential for

additional STRs for even more unique profile

identification when needed, 13 STRs have been

chosen as the core loci upon which the national

convicted offender database (CODIS) is being

built. The related, but distinct, issues of highthroughput databasing and customized case work

analysis continue to be of concern to the forensic

DNA community.

Through appropriations to the National Institute

of Justice, the Department of Justice has been a

strong supporter of new technologies and tools

for criminal justice applications, especially in the
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area of DNA testing. Previously funded and ongoing projects in the DNA research and

development area can be reviewed on the NIJ

Web page (www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij). 

Additional research and development agendas for

appropriate criminal justice applications of DNA

are being identified by the National Commission

on the Future of DNA Evidence

(www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/dna). The

Commission—comprised of 22 nationally

recognized experts in the areas of DNA testing,

law enforcement, law, ethics and policy—was

empaneled by Attorney General Janet Reno in

1998. It provides her with recommendations to

enhance the power of DNA evidence to be used

more rapidly, efficiently, and economically in the

exoneration of those falsely accused and the

prosecution of those implicated by the evidence.

III. Areas of Research Required

In order to use DNA to its maximum value for

the criminal justice system, the forensic DNA

community, now comprised of more than 150

public and private crime laboratories, will need

faster, less costly, and fundamentally reliable

technical tools and innovations that can be

appropriately validated, quality-controlled, and

quality-assured for forensic use.

Research demonstrating the reliability of

existing, future methods is also encouraged. 

Emphasis is placed on developing methods or

technologies that address the needs of databasing

for CODIS application and/or methods that can

be used for the analysis of crime scene samples,

which are often limited in quality and quantity. 

Guidelines for forensic validation, quality

control, and quality assurance, the cornerstones

for courtroom admissibility, are detailed by the

DNA Advisory Board (DAB) and need to be

considered by applicants when developing their

proposals. Applicants should also be familiar

with other important forensic DNA

recommendations such as those put forth by the

Technical Working Group for DNA Analysis

Methods (TWGDAM), The National

Commission on the Future of DNA Evidence, 

and the National Research Council. 

Applicants should have an appreciation of and

general familiarity with the current uses of

forensic DNA testing, including mixed stain

extraction and analysis, CODIS collection and

through-put issues, off-ladder variants,

population genetics issues, and other issues in

order to design projects that will enhance

analysis in one or more of these areas. However,

applicants should consider not only existing

technologies but are encouraged to develop new

and innovative solutions to DNA profiling that

may be beneficial in the future.

In order to facilitate appreciation of forensic

issues, NIJ encourages partnerships between

developers and members of the forensic

community. Such partnerships foster a greater

understanding of the forensic needs and

applications on the part of the applicant.

 Applicants should further consider costs of the

resulting technologies or tools. All areas of

forensic science, including DNA testing, suffer

from demand that is far greater than the available

means. Cost factors can impede the timeliness in

accepting new technologies.

This solicitation focuses on near-term

innovations which can be completed in a one- to

five-year framework. It is open to a wide variety

of proposals in order to achieve a balanced

portfolio of product development,
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implementation and assessment projects. By

applying new tools to the analysis of DNA

evidence, our ability to solve and prevent crimes

and safeguard those falsely accused will become

even greater than current abilities now afford.

The following questions can be used as

guidelines to ensure that your proposal is framed

appropriately to benefit forensic application. As

guidelines, the questions do not need to be

explicitly addressed. Rather, they can be used as 

implicit themes to be considered.

• What areas of forensic DNA testing will

the new technology/ development you are

proposing impact?

• How do you plan to market/ make available

your technology/development to the

forensic community?

• How much will the technology/

development cost to purchase and

maintain? 

• How will your proposed technology/ 

development impact on the reliability,

affordability, and/or speed of forensic DNA

analysis?

• What kind and extent of training will be

required for the forensic community to use

your technology/development?

• How will your technology/development be

validated for forensic use?

• What kinds of admissibility issues do you

foresee for your technology/development in

U.S. courts and how will those be

addressed?

IV. Selection Criteria

NIJ is firmly committed to the competitive

process for awarding grants. All proposals are

subjected to an independent, peer-review panel

evaluation. The peer-review panel consists of

members with academic, practitioner, technical,

and operational expertise in the subject areas of

the solicitation. Selection criteria used to

evaluate proposals are as follows:

1. Quality and Technical Merit

o Soundness of methodology, analytic, or

technical approach.

o Innovation and creativity.

o Feasibility of proposed project;

awareness of pitfalls.

o Awareness of existing research and

related applications.

2. Impact of the Project

o Understanding the importance of the

problem.

o Potential for significant advance in crime

prevention, law enforcement, forensic

science, courts, corrections, or other

practice or policy areas.

o Potential for advancement of scientific

understanding of the problem area.

o Relevance to practice, including

development and demonstration in

application domains (if applicable).

o Affordable end products (if applicable).

3. Capabilities, Demonstrated Productivity, and

Experience of Applicants

o Qualifications and experience of

personnel as related to proposed project. 

o Responsiveness to the goals of the

solicitation.

o Demonstrated ability to manage proposed

effort.

o Adequacy of proposed resources to

perform effort.

4. Budget Considerations
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o Total cost relative to perceived benefit.

o Appropriate budgets and level of effort.

o Use of existing resources to conserve

costs.

o Cost-effectiveness of program or product

for application in the criminal justice

system (if applicable).

After peer-review panelists’ consideration,

Institute staff make recommendations to NIJ’s

Director based on the results of the independent

reviews. Final decisions are made by the NIJ

Director following consultation with Institute

staff.

V. How to Apply 

Those interested in submitting proposals in

response to this solicitation must complete the

required application forms and submit related

required documents. (See below for how to obtain

application forms and guides for completing

proposals.) Applicants must include the following

information/forms to quality for consideration:

C Standard Form (SF) 424—application for

Federal assistance 

C Assurances

C Certifications Regarding Lobbying,

Debarment, Suspension and Other

Responsibility Matters; and Drug-Free

Workplace Requirements (one form)

C Disclosure of Lobbying Activities

C Budget Detail Worksheet

C Budget Narrative

C Negotiated indirect rate agreement (if

appropriate)

C Names and affiliations of all key persons from

applicant and subcontractor(s), advisors,

consultants, and advisory board members.

Include name of principal investigator, title,

organizational affiliation (if any), department

(if institution of higher education), address,

phone, and fax 

C Proposal abstract

C Table of contents

C Program narrative or technical proposal

C Privacy certificate

C References

C Letters of cooperation from organizations

collaborating in the research project

C Résumés

C Appendices, if any (e.g., list of previous NIJ

awards, their status, and products [in NIJ or

other publications])

Proposal abstract. The proposal abstract, when

read separately from the rest of the application, is

meant to serve as a succinct and accurate description

of the proposed work. Applicants must concisely

describe the research goals and objectives, research

design, and methods for achieving the goals and

objectives. Summaries of past accomplishments are

to be avoided, and proprietary/confidential

information is not to be included. Length is not to

exceed 400 words. Use the following two headers:

Project Goals and Objectives:

Proposed Research Design and Methodology:

• Page limit. The number of pages in the

“Program Narrative” part of the proposal

must not exceed 30 (double-spaced pages).

No other materials will be provided to the peerreview panels for consideration. Please do not

send video or audio tapes, computer files or other,

non-paper support materials. Photographs,

diagrams or other paper figures are accepted as part

of your application.
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• Do not use 3-ring binders. Staples, rubber

bands, binder-clips or paper-clips are

acceptable.

• Facsimile transmissions will not be

accepted

Due date. Completed proposals must be received

at the National Institute of Justice by 4 PM Eastern

Time on September 15, 1999. Extensions of this

deadline will not be permitted.

Award period. In general, NIJ limits its grants and

cooperative agreements to a maximum period of 12

or 24 months. However, longer budget periods may

be considered.

Number of awards. NIJ anticipates supporting

multiple cooperative agreements and grants under

this solicitation, based upon available funding and

peer-review recommendations. 

Award amount. Awards totaling approximately $3

million will be made available for this phase of the

Forensic DNA Research and Development

solicitation, contingent upon the availability of

anticipated Fiscal Year 2000 appropriations.

Applying. Two packets need to be obtained: (1)

application forms (including a sample budget

worksheet) and (2) guidelines for submitting

proposals (including requirements for proposal

writers and requirements for grant recipients). To

receive them, applicants can:

C Access the Justice Information Center on the

web: 

http://www.ncjrs.org/fedgrant.htm#NIJ

or the NIJ web site:

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/NIJ/funding.htm 

These web sites offer the NIJ application

forms and guidelines as electronic files that

may be downloaded to a personal computer.

C Request hard copies of the forms and

guidelines by mail from the National Criminal

Justice Reference Service at 800–851–3420 or

from the Department of Justice Response

Center at 800–421–6770 (in the Washington,

D.C., area, at 202–307–1480).

C Request copies by fax. Call 800–851–3420

and select option 1, then option 1 again for

NIJ. Code is 1023.

Guidance and information. Applicants who wish

to receive additional guidance and information may

contact the U.S. Department of Justice Response

Center at 800–421–6770. Center staff can provide

assistance or refer applicants to an appropriate NIJ

professional. Applicants may, for example, wish to

discuss their prospective research topics with the

NIJ professional staff.

Send completed forms to:

Solicitation for Forensic DNA Research &

Development

National Institute of Justice

810 Seventh Street N.W.

Washington, DC 20531

[overnight courier ZIP code 20001]
For more information on the National Institute of Justice, please contact:

National Criminal Justice Reference Service

Box 6000

Rockville, MD 20849–6000

800–851–3420

e-mail: askncjrs@ncjrs.org

You can view or obtain an electronic version of this document from

the NCJRS Justice Information Center web site (http://www.ncjrs.org) or the NIJ web site

(http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij).

If you have any questions, call or e-mail NCJRS.