Partnership to Advance Research and Scientific Evidence (PARSE) | INL24CA0085 KMDDL PARSE 061324

Opportunity Information: Apply for INL24CA0085 KMDDL PARSE 061324

The Partnership to Advance Research and Scientific Evidence (PARSE) is a U.S. Department of State, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) funding opportunity designed to strengthen how the United States and its international partners use evidence to counter crime, illegal drugs, and instability overseas. The award will be made as a cooperative agreement, which signals that INL expects to be actively involved during implementation rather than simply providing funding and receiving reports. The program sits in the law, justice, and legal services space (CFDA 19.703) and is framed around producing practical, scientifically credible knowledge that can improve real-world criminal justice policies and operations in partner countries.

At its core, PARSE is trying to close public knowledge gaps about "what works best" in building sustainable, effective criminal justice systems and rule of law approaches across diverse international settings. INL is looking for research that is methodologically rigorous and relevant, but also actionable: findings should be usable by practitioners and decision makers, not just academics. The intent is that the evidence generated through PARSE can inform strategies to improve civilian security, reduce internal and transnational threats and risks, and support more stable, legitimate criminal justice institutions among U.S. partner nations.

INL lays out two major expected results. First, the selected organization is expected to identify priority research themes, areas, or questions, essentially building a clear learning agenda that helps define what the most pressing evidence needs are in this field. Second, the project should produce a set of research outputs that include (1) synthesis reports, which typically pull together and assess what existing studies collectively say, and (2) novel studies that generate new evidence where gaps are too large to address through synthesis alone. Across both categories, INL emphasizes that outputs should offer contextually diverse international insight, rather than conclusions that only fit one country or a narrow setting, and should be framed in ways that allow findings to be adapted or extrapolated to multiple countries and contexts.

A major theme of the opportunity is communication to non-scholarly audiences. Applicants must show they can translate evidence into clear, concrete, compelling products that people in the rule of law community will actually use. The target audiences include law enforcement and justice sector officials, as well as policy makers, program designers, and practitioners responsible for strategic, operational, project-level, or tactical implementation. In practice, this means the work cannot stop at academic-style publications; it needs to be packaged so that busy officials can understand the implications, apply lessons learned, and make decisions based on the research.

Because this is a cooperative agreement, close coordination with INL is not optional. INL anticipates frequent engagement with the implementing organization, including weekly or bi-weekly meetings as one of the mechanisms to maintain alignment. The opportunity also notes that, depending on performance, continued relevance, and funding availability, INL may expand the project to support additional research products and results, so applicants should be prepared for a program that could grow beyond the initial scope if it is working well.

Eligibility is broad across nonprofit and higher education sectors, including both U.S.-based and foreign-based organizations. Eligible applicants include U.S. nonprofits and NGOs, U.S. educational institutions meeting applicable tax-code status requirements, foreign-based nonprofits and NGOs, and foreign-based nonprofit educational institutions. In the source listing of eligible applicants, this is also reflected as public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, and nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education).

INL also sets explicit capacity expectations. Applicants must demonstrate that they can manage multiple research products at the same time, across various national and international locations, and across multiple individuals, groups, or institutions contributing to those products. In other words, INL is looking for an organization that can run a complex research portfolio, coordinate partners, and keep quality and timelines under control across different geographies. Applicants must also demonstrate the ability to produce high-quality research by submitting concrete examples or samples, including a sample learning agenda, a plan for generating synthesis reports, and a plan for generating novel studies, all meant to show that the applicant has a credible approach to research governance, quality assurance, and deliverable production.

Administratively, this opportunity is listed as Funding Opportunity Number INL24CA0085 KMDDL PARSE 061324, with an original closing date of August 19, 2024. INL anticipates making one award, with a funding ceiling of $2,887,000. The opportunity was created on June 13, 2024, and is run by the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs within the Department of State.

• The Bureau of International Narcotics-Law Enforcement in the law, justice and legal services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Partnership to Advance Research and Scientific Evidence (PARSE)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.703.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-06-13.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-08-19. (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 $2,887,000.00 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, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

Apply for INL24CA0085 KMDDL PARSE 061324

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