Forensic Science Center of Excellence Program

NIST is soliciting applications to establish a Forensic Science Center of Excellence (COE) in which NIST researchers collaborate with interdisciplinary researchers from academia and industry for the wide-spread adoption of probabilistic methods within the forensic science community, specifically in the areas of pattern evidence and digital evidence, by developing the necessary analytical methods, creating a suitable education and training infrastructure in probabilistic methods for the relevant stakeholders, and engaging the forensic science community to promote competence building.

Accredited institutions of higher education, non-profit organizations, and commercial organizations that are organized and operated in the United States and its territories. An eligible organization may work individually or include proposed subrecipients, contractors and/or unfunded collaborators in a project application, effectively forming a team or consortium. An organization may only serve as the lead organization on one application. In a team or consortium structure, eligible subrecipients are U.S. non-profit organizations, accredited institutions of higher education, commercial organizations, and State, Tribal, and local governments. Federal agencies may participate in projects but may not receive NIST funding.