Opportunity Information: Apply for BJA 2016 9080
The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) grant opportunity titled "Enhancing Researcher-Practitioner Partnerships: Smart Suite Training and Technical Assistance" is a discretionary federal grant aimed at strengthening the working relationships between criminal justice practitioners and researchers. BJA has been steadily expanding the number of its funded programs that require formal researcher-practitioner partnerships, with the broader goal of increasing the use of research, data, and evidence in day-to-day criminal justice decision-making. These partnership-based programs are collectively referred to as BJA's "Smart Suite," and the focus of this opportunity is to make those partnerships function better in practice, not just on paper.
At its core, the grant supports the selection of one strong, experienced organization or team to build and deliver training and technical assistance that helps researchers and practitioners collaborate more effectively and efficiently. BJA is looking for a partner that can help bridge common gaps between the two groups, such as differences in timelines, language, incentives, data access, research design, operational constraints, and how findings are translated into policy and practice. The funded provider would also be expected to support a community of practice, meaning an ongoing forum where Smart Suite participants can share lessons learned, tools, strategies, and challenges, and collectively improve how action-oriented research is planned and used across jurisdictions.
BJA frames the purpose of these partnerships around practical, measurable public safety and justice system outcomes. The intended impact is to promote data-driven approaches that can reduce crime, improve community safety, reduce recidivism, and prevent unnecessary confinement. The training and assistance are meant to help jurisdictions use science and data to support criminal justice planning and programming, strengthen local capacity to translate research into practice, increase the adoption and quality of evidence-based practices, and ultimately improve both public safety and the fair administration of justice.
Applicants are expected to bring deep subject-matter and implementation experience, specifically the ability to work directly with jurisdictions and guide real-world "action research" partnerships across multiple criminal justice topic areas. That implies hands-on technical capability in building the infrastructure of collaboration: setting shared goals, establishing roles and governance, developing research questions that match operational needs, designing feasible studies, addressing data quality and privacy concerns, interpreting results responsibly, and integrating findings into programs and policies. The opportunity is not limited to one narrow program type; instead, the provider must be able to support partnerships across different criminal justice subject areas where Smart Suite awards operate.
Eligibility is limited to organizations capable of providing and coordinating training and technical assistance at a national level for researcher-practitioner partnerships. Eligible applicants include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education (including tribal institutions), nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status (including tribal nonprofits), and for-profit organizations (including tribal for-profits), as well as certain other eligible entities identified by BJA. A key condition is that for-profit applicants must agree to forgo any profit or management fee, reinforcing that the award funding is intended to support service delivery rather than generate commercial gain.
Administratively, the opportunity is issued by the Bureau of Justice Assistance under CFDA 16.738 (Law, Justice and Legal Services). The funding opportunity number is BJA 2016 9080. BJA anticipated making a single award, with an award ceiling of up to $2,000,000. The original application closing date was April 26, 2016, and the opportunity was created on February 24, 2016. Overall, this solicitation is designed to institutionalize stronger, more productive partnerships between research and practice so that BJA-funded jurisdictions can more consistently turn data and evidence into effective criminal justice strategies.Apply for BJA 2016 9080
- The Bureau of Justice Assistance in the law, justice and legal services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Enhancing Researcher-Practitioner Partnerships: Smart Suite Training & Technical Assistance" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.738.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2016-02-24.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2016-04-26. (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 $2,000,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Others.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What is the name of this BJA grant opportunity?
The opportunity is titled "Enhancing Researcher-Practitioner Partnerships: Smart Suite Training and Technical Assistance."
2. What is the main purpose of this grant?
The grant is designed to strengthen day-to-day working relationships between criminal justice practitioners and researchers by funding training and technical assistance (TTA) that makes those partnerships work better in practice, not just on paper.
3. What does BJA mean by the "Smart Suite"?
BJA uses the term "Smart Suite" to describe a set of BJA-funded programs that require formal researcher-practitioner partnerships, with the broader goal of increasing the use of research, data, and evidence in criminal justice decision-making.
4. What kind of work will the funded organization be expected to deliver?
The selected provider is expected to build and deliver training and technical assistance that helps researchers and practitioners collaborate more effectively and efficiently across Smart Suite programs and jurisdictions.
5. How many awards does BJA expect to make under this solicitation?
BJA anticipated making a single award under this opportunity.
6. What is the maximum award amount?
The award ceiling is up to $2,000,000.
7. What are the intended outcomes BJA is trying to achieve through these partnerships?
BJA frames these partnerships around practical, measurable public safety and justice system outcomes, including promoting data-driven approaches that can reduce crime, improve community safety, reduce recidivism, and prevent unnecessary confinement.
8. What are examples of the collaboration gaps this grant is meant to address?
The training and technical assistance is intended to help bridge common gaps between researchers and practitioners, such as differences in timelines, language, incentives, data access, research design expectations, operational constraints, and how findings are translated into policy and practice.
9. What is meant by "training and technical assistance" in this context?
In this solicitation, training and technical assistance refers to practical support that helps jurisdictions and partnership teams build the infrastructure of collaboration, conduct feasible action-oriented research, interpret results appropriately, and integrate findings into programs and policies.
10. What is a "community of practice" and what role does it play here?
The funded provider is expected to support a community of practice, described as an ongoing forum where Smart Suite participants can share lessons learned, tools, strategies, and challenges, and improve how action-oriented research is planned and used across jurisdictions.
11. What does BJA mean by "action research" partnerships?
Based on the solicitation description, "action research" partnerships are research-practice collaborations focused on real-world operational needs, where research is designed to be feasible within justice system constraints and used to inform practical decisions, programs, and policies.
12. Is this opportunity limited to one criminal justice topic area?
No. The provider is expected to support partnerships across different criminal justice subject areas where Smart Suite awards operate, rather than focusing on a single narrow program type.
13. What capabilities are expected of applicants?
Applicants are expected to bring deep subject-matter and implementation experience and the ability to work directly with jurisdictions to guide real-world researcher-practitioner partnerships. This includes building collaboration structures, aligning research with operational needs, and supporting the translation of findings into practice.
14. What specific partnership-building activities does BJA emphasize?
The solicitation highlights hands-on capabilities such as setting shared goals, establishing roles and governance, developing research questions that match operational needs, designing feasible studies, addressing data quality and privacy concerns, interpreting results responsibly, and integrating findings into programs and policies.
15. Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is limited to organizations capable of providing and coordinating training and technical assistance at a national level for researcher-practitioner partnerships. Eligible applicants include:
- Public and state-controlled institutions of higher education
- Private institutions of higher education (including tribal institutions)
- Nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status (including tribal nonprofits)
- For-profit organizations (including tribal for-profits)
- Other eligible entities identified by BJA
16. Are for-profit organizations allowed to apply?
Yes. For-profit organizations are eligible, including tribal for-profits, but they must agree to forgo any profit or management fee.
17. Why does BJA require for-profits to forgo profit or management fees?
The solicitation describes this condition as a way to reinforce that award funding is intended to support service delivery rather than generate commercial gain.
18. What federal office is issuing this opportunity?
This opportunity is issued by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA).
19. What is the CFDA number for this program?
The opportunity is issued under CFDA 16.738 (Law, Justice and Legal Services).
20. What is the funding opportunity number?
The funding opportunity number is BJA 2016 9080.
21. What were the key solicitation dates?
The opportunity was created on February 24, 2016, and the original application closing date was April 26, 2016.
22. What is the broader goal behind requiring researcher-practitioner partnerships?
BJA has been expanding programs that require formal partnerships to increase the routine use of research, data, and evidence in criminal justice decision-making and to institutionalize stronger, more productive relationships between research and practice.
23. What does success look like for this grant, based on the solicitation summary?
Success is tied to stronger collaboration that helps jurisdictions use science and data to support criminal justice planning and programming, strengthens local capacity to translate research into practice, increases adoption and quality of evidence-based practices, and improves public safety and the fair administration of justice.
24. Is the focus on creating new Smart Suite awards or supporting existing ones?
The solicitation description focuses on improving how Smart Suite researcher-practitioner partnerships function and supporting Smart Suite participants through training, technical assistance, and a community of practice.
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