Opportunity Information: Apply for NIJ 2016 8976
Apply for NIJ 2016 8976
- The USDOJ-OJP-NIJ in the law, justice and legal services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Developing Improved Means to Collect Digital Evidence" 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 Jan 15, 2016 and posted on Jan 15, 2016.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 14, 2016. (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 $1,500,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 3 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), 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.
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Opportunity Summary:
The National Institute of Justice (NIJ), under the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs, offered a discretionary funding opportunity titled Developing Improved Means to Collect Digital Evidence (Funding Opportunity Number NIJ 2016 8976). The purpose of the solicitation was to fund research and technology development that could move into real-world law enforcement and forensic practice, specifically by creating new, innovative tools that make digital evidence collection more effective, scalable, and legally defensible.
The grant focused on three distinct technical problem areas, and applicants were expected to choose only one per application. The first area centered on processing large-scale computer networks for digital evidence in a forensically sound way, with an emphasis on preserving the probative value of what is found. In practice, this means developing methods and tools that can handle enterprise-sized environments without compromising evidence integrity, chain of custody, or the ability to explain and defend the process in court.
The second area targeted mobile devices that are voluntarily provided to law enforcement by witnesses or victims. NIJ sought tools that can discriminate between information that is relevant to the alleged crime and information that is not, and then collect only the data that is germane. This reflects a strong interest in privacy-protective, narrowly tailored collection approaches that reduce over-collection while still allowing investigators to obtain what they need. The goal is technology that supports focused acquisition and filtering so that irrelevant personal data is not unnecessarily captured.
The third area aimed at automating the detection of children in pornographic videos, even when video quality varies. This topic implies research into robust, automated analysis techniques capable of working across low-quality, compressed, or otherwise degraded media, helping to identify content that may involve child sexual exploitation in a way that can support investigative workflows.
Awards were to be made as cooperative agreements, which generally indicates more direct involvement by NIJ during the project compared to a standard grant. The solicitation anticipated about three awards, with an award ceiling of $1,500,000. Eligible applicants included a broad range of entities such as state, county, and local governments; federally recognized tribal governments; public and private institutions of higher education; nonprofits (both with and without 501(c)(3) status); individuals; for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The opportunity was posted January 15, 2016, with an application closing date of April 14, 2016, under CFDA number 16.560, within the law, justice, and legal services category.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the title of this NIJ funding opportunity?
The opportunity is titled Developing Improved Means to Collect Digital Evidence.
Who offered this grant opportunity?
It was offered by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) under the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number?
The Funding Opportunity Number is NIJ 2016 8976.
What is the main purpose of the solicitation?
The purpose was to fund research and technology development that could move into real-world law enforcement and forensic practice, specifically by creating new, innovative tools that make digital evidence collection more effective, scalable, and legally defensible.
What type of award was anticipated?
Awards were anticipated to be made as cooperative agreements, which generally indicates more direct involvement by NIJ during the project than a standard grant.
How many awards were anticipated?
The solicitation anticipated about three awards.
What was the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?
The award ceiling was $1,500,000.
What were the technical problem areas supported by this grant?
The grant focused on three distinct technical problem areas:
- Processing large-scale computer networks for digital evidence in a forensically sound way.
- Targeted collection from voluntarily provided mobile devices (witness/victim devices), emphasizing relevance-based collection and privacy protection.
- Automated detection of children in pornographic videos across varying video quality.
Could an applicant address more than one problem area in a single application?
No. Applicants were expected to choose only one technical problem area per application.
What does the large-scale computer network problem area focus on?
This area focuses on developing methods and tools to process enterprise-sized environments for digital evidence in a forensically sound manner, while preserving the probative value of what is found.
What forensic considerations are emphasized for large-scale network evidence processing?
The solicitation emphasizes maintaining evidence integrity, chain of custody, and the ability to explain and defend the process in court, without compromising the soundness of the evidence collection and handling approach.
What does the mobile device problem area focus on?
This area targets mobile devices voluntarily provided to law enforcement by witnesses or victims, seeking tools that can distinguish between information that is relevant to the alleged crime and information that is not.
What is the key goal for mobile device data collection under this solicitation?
The goal is to enable focused acquisition and filtering so that investigators can collect only data germane to the alleged crime, reducing unnecessary capture of irrelevant personal information.
How does the solicitation address privacy concerns in mobile device evidence collection?
It reflects a strong interest in privacy-protective, narrowly tailored collection approaches that reduce over-collection while still supporting investigative needs.
What does the video analysis problem area focus on?
This area focuses on automating the detection of children in pornographic videos, including situations where video quality varies.
What kinds of video quality challenges are implied in the video analysis area?
The topic implies the need for robust automated techniques that can work across low-quality, compressed, or otherwise degraded media, supporting investigative workflows.
Who was eligible to apply?
Eligible applicants included:
- State, county, and local governments
- Federally recognized tribal governments
- Public and private institutions of higher education
- Nonprofits (with and without 501(c)(3) status)
- Individuals
- For-profit organizations other than small businesses
- Small businesses
When was the opportunity posted?
The opportunity was posted on January 15, 2016.
What was the application closing date?
The application closing date was April 14, 2016.
What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?
The CFDA number is 16.560.
What category does this opportunity fall under?
It falls under the Law, Justice, and Legal Services category.
What does "legally defensible" digital evidence collection mean in this context?
Based on the solicitation description, it refers to tools and processes that support evidence collection and handling in a way that can be explained and defended in court, including attention to forensic soundness and chain of custody.
What does "forensically sound" imply for the tools being developed?
Within the context provided, it implies approaches that do not compromise evidence integrity and preserve the probative value of evidence, including practices consistent with defensible chain of custody and courtroom explanation.
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