Change Programme – Research Development & Innovation

As a field of study, forensic science is in a constantly shifting environment with new opportunities emerging all the time to deliver new science to uncover insights and intelligence that can help bring criminals to justice, eliminate innocent individuals and bring closure for families.

A key design element of the Operating Model was the establishment of a Research Development and Innovation (RD&I) capability, fully aligned to our strategic vision for scientific excellence and our commitment to growing our influence to encourage innovation throughout Forensic Services and the wider forensic community.

The successful recruitment of our RDI Manager and bringing together our Forensic Leads into a cohesive team was a significant first step towards consolidation, strategic alignment and prioritisation of the inflight projects with our overall business plan.

Scoping work for the development of our RD&I Strategy has also commenced with the drafting of our RD&I stakeholder engagement plan and initial activity around building our technology road maps. 

Informed by engagement with criminal justice and academic partners, along with other forensic service providers and scientific networks, our RD&I strategy will set out our plan to harness emerging technologies and scientific innovation to deliver real-world benefits to the public and meet the wider needs of the criminal justice system.