NIJ FY 2010 Forensic Technology Center of Excellence | Apply Online

FAQs: NIJ FY 2010 Forensic Technology Center of Excellence (NIJ 2010 2403)

What is this grant opportunity?

This is the NIJ FY 2010 Forensic Technology Center of Excellence solicitation (Funding Opportunity Number NIJ 2010 2403). It is a discretionary National Institute of Justice (NIJ) funding opportunity to create and operate a Forensic Technology Center of Excellence within the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC) System.

What is the overall purpose of the Forensic Technology Center of Excellence?

The Center is intended to strengthen NIJ's research, development, testing, and evaluation (RDTE) work across the full range of forensic science areas used in criminal justice. In practical terms, it is meant to function as a national-level hub that helps move forensic innovations from research into real-world use.

What kinds of forensic science areas does the opportunity cover?

The solicitation describes support across the full range of forensic science areas used in criminal justice, rather than limiting the Center to a single discipline.

Who is expected to benefit from the Center's work?

The Center is intended to help crime laboratories, forensic service providers that support criminal justice, law enforcement agencies, and other justice partners adopt effective tools, methods, and technologies more quickly and with greater confidence.

What is a central theme or major focus of the opportunity?

A central theme is hands-on scientific and technical support for NIJ's RDTE portfolio, including work that helps NIJ develop, demonstrate, and transfer forensic technologies into practice.

What does "hands-on scientific and technical support" mean in this context?

Based on the solicitation summary, it includes assisting NIJ in developing, demonstrating, and transferring technologies into practice, and helping agencies understand what works, how to implement it, and how to evaluate performance and limitations.

Is the Center expected to help with guidelines and standards?

Yes. Another major function described is supporting the development and dissemination of technology guidelines and standards to promote consistency and quality across jurisdictions.

Will the Center provide direct assistance and information to stakeholders?

Yes. The Center is expected to provide technology assistance and information support to criminal justice stakeholders and serve as a resource for agencies needing help understanding or deploying forensic technologies and related best practices.

What type of award is NIJ using for this opportunity?

The award mechanism is a cooperative agreement.

What does it mean that the award is a cooperative agreement?

In this opportunity, a cooperative agreement signals a more active partnership than a standard grant. NIJ is likely to be engaged in guiding priorities, coordinating activities, and ensuring alignment with national RDTE needs.

Is cost sharing or matching required?

No. The opportunity states that cost sharing or matching is not required.

What is the CFDA number associated with this solicitation?

The solicitation is listed under CFDA 16.560, titled "National Institute of Justice Research, Evaluation, and Development Project Grants."

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning it is open to any type of entity as allowed by the solicitation, subject to any specific clarifications in the full announcement.

Where were applications required to be submitted?

Applications were required to be submitted through the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) Grants Management System (GMS).

What is GMS and what is it used for?

GMS is an online system used to manage the full lifecycle of OJP grants, from application through award and administration.

Does the solicitation mention anything about preparing to use GMS?

Yes. Because GMS requires registration and setup steps, the solicitation emphasizes starting early, especially for first-time users, to avoid missing deadlines.

What was the application closing date?

The closing date for this opportunity was April 15, 2010. The opportunity was posted March 1, 2010.

Is this funding opportunity still open?

No. The opportunity was later archived on July 15, 2010.

Who should be contacted for technical help with submitting through GMS?

For technical support related to GMS submission, applicants could contact the GMS Help Desk at GMSHelpDesk@usdoj.gov or 1-888-549-9901 (option 3).

What were the GMS Help Desk support hours?

Support hours were Monday through Friday from 6:00 a.m. to midnight Eastern Time, excluding federal holidays.

Who should be contacted for programmatic questions about the solicitation?

For programmatic questions about solicitation requirements, the NIJ contact listed was Charles Heurich, Program Manager, at 202-616-9264 or charles.heurich@usdoj.gov.

Where can applicants find the detailed scope of work and deliverables?

The solicitation references an additional information link to the full announcement document, which would contain details such as scope of work, deliverables, performance measures, and any special conditions related to operating the Center within the NLECTC System.

How does this Center relate to the NLECTC System?

The Center is to be created and run within the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC) System, meaning its operations and role are tied to that system as described in the full solicitation.