impact
our impact.
Forensic Human Identification Co.’s social enterprise model ensures our primary social purpose remains at the heart of everything we do.
our commitment.
We operate a direct benefit and cross-subsidy model to deliver and honour our social purpose.
We reinvest the majority of our surplus to advance and amplify our social purpose.
We maintain a legal and financial structure that embeds and protects our social purpose.
our 2024 – 2025 impact:
We supported clients across Australia and Ireland in matters involving unidentified human remains (UHR), unresolved death investigations, long-term missing persons cases and potential miscarriages of justice.
We partnered with the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA and Genetic Genealogy Pty Ltd to build an end-to-end forensic investigative genetic genealogy (FIGG) capability in Australia, and formed a transnational collaboration with the Snow Molecular Anthropology Lab, to advance challenging and Indigenous UHR cases.
We helped establish the ODAIT DNA Identification Program, piloted new forensic genomics technologies, reviewed unsolved homicide cases and provided pro-bono services to organisations and families otherwise excluded from access by cost or circumstance.
our 2025 – 2026 impact:
In Ireland, we continued to provide forensic genetics consultancy to the ODAIT DNA Identification Program, with excavations commencing at the site of the former Tuam Mother and Baby Institution in July 2025.
In Australia, we applied FIGG to decades-old UHR cases, generating investigative leads in each case. We provided independent DNA testing to confirm a decedent’s identity prior to burial, technical expertise to Unrecovered War Casualties – Army and forensic advice to families searching for missing loved ones.
We partnered with The Disappeared Project and Crime Stoppers International to expand collaboration on disappeared and unidentified person cases in Australia and internationally. We also contributed expertise to a coroners roundtable on exhumations and a national missing persons intelligence workshop to inform best practice across the sector.
By prioritising purpose, people and planet over profit, we create social impact by:
- Delivering accessible, objective and considerate forensic human identification (HID) services that address unmet community needs, fill gaps in existing forensic services and inspire public trust and confidence
- Restoring dignity, protecting rights and advancing justice for victims of crime, armed conflict, forced migration, natural or man-made disasters, historical institutional practices and human rights violations
- Collaborating with Indigenous stakeholders to apply culturally informed forensic practices that help locate, identify and return the remains of First Nations people to family and Country, while supporting truth-telling and healing for communities impacted by colonial, institutional and racial injustices
- Providing families with timely answers about the fate or whereabouts of their missed or disappeared loved ones, bringing resolution to their ambiguous loss and enabling them to perform commemorative rituals in accordance with cultural or religious customs
- Subsidising forensic HID services for non-governmental or under-resourced cases, projects and partners, prioritising those involving missing and murdered First Nations people and unidentified and disappeared children
- Augmenting death investigation, public safety and emergency management operations by offering specialist testing, priority processing, surge capacity, backlog reduction and field-forward forensic HID services
- Supporting for-purpose organisations that assist families of missing persons and homicide victims, and survivors of institutional care systems and human rights violations
- Consulting with people with lived experience to ensure our forensic HID services are family-centred, trauma-informed and culturally appropriate
- Educating and engaging key stakeholders to promote the equitable and ethical use of evidence-based forensic HID capabilities for humanitarian forensic investigations
- Researching and validating new forensic HID techniques to continuously improve the efficacy, effectiveness and efficiency of our services
- Facilitating capability and capacity-building activities to equip developing countries with the knowledge, skills and abilities to deploy a best-practice forensic HID framework
- Creating employment, training and research opportunities that empower women, First Nations and regional, rural or remote-based professionals, researchers and students
- Sourcing products and services from socially, environmentally and ethically responsible businesses, prioritising those owned and operated by women
- Adopting sustainable laboratory practices to reduce resource consumption, waste generation and carbon emissions