Chapter 3: Which Program Fits?

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Chapter 3: Which Research Program is the Best Fit for Your Research Statement?

This chapter contains the details on transportation research programs. Keep in mind only those programs that accept research statements and/or proposals from the transportation community are included in this listing. A summary of key information on each program can be found in Appendix B. Learn more about databases and websites that offer information about proposed, ongoing, and completed research in Chapter 4. More information is available in the calendar of funding program deadlines on the Research Program and Project Management website.

Most research program descriptions in this chapter contain the following information:

General description,
Type of research funded,
Funding levels and project time frame,
Schedule,
Project solicitation and submission,
Selection process, and
Project selection criteria and tips for writing winning research statements.

Further Information

Additional information is always available from research program staff. They can offer guidance to improve an initial submittal, or provide advice for future funding requests if a submittal is not successful.

Did we miss a research program that should be included? Appendix C contains a form to submit information on additional programs. Alternatively, you can contact MyTRB@nas.edu with corrections, suggestions, questions, or additional information.

The table below contains general information about the research programs appearing in this guide. Click on the program title for complete information. A similar table with a few more details about each program can be found in Appendix B.

Federal Research Programs
Agency	Program Name	Mode or Topic	Annual Funding	Project Type
Federal Aviation Administration	Aviation Research Grants Program	Aviation	~ $32 million for FY17 through FY21	Standard
Federal Aviation Administration	FAA Centers of Excellence	Aviation	Not available	Collaborative research
Federal Highway Administration	Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Deployment	Highway	$60 million annually through FY20	Standard
	Exploratory Advanced Research Program	Highway	Varies	Standard
	Highway Research and Development	Highway	$125 million annually through FY20	Standard
	Intelligent Transportation Systems Program	Highway	$100 million annually through FY20	Standard
	Surface Transportation System Funding Alternatives	Highway	$20 million annually through FY20	Standard
	Technology and Innovation Deployment Program	Highway	$67.5 million annually through FY20	Standard
	Training and Education	Highway	$24 million annually through FY20	Training and education
Federal Transit Administration	Public Transportation Innovation (Section 5312)	Transit	$100 million for FY16 through FY20	Standard
Federal Transit Administration	Safety Research and Demonstration Program	Safety, Transit	$7 million	Standard
National Science Foundation	Civil Infrastructure Systems	General	Not available	Standard
	Energy for Sustainability	Engineering	Not available	Standard
	Energy, Power, Control, and Networks	Cyber-Physical Systems	Not available	Standard
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology	University Transportation Centers	General	$300 million for FY16 through FY20	Standard
Small Business Administration	Small Business Innovation Research	General	~ $10 million	Standard
U.S. Department of Energy	Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy	Energy	$636 million	Standard
	Innovative Development in Energy-Related Applied Science (IDEAS)	Energy	Not available	Early-stage applied research
	Open Funding Opportunity Announcements (ARPA-E)	Energy	$100 million for FY18	Standard
	Other ARPA-E Transportation-Related Programs	Energy	$1.85 billion for FY17 through FY20	Standard
State Department of Transportation Programs
Program Name	Mode or Topic	Annual Funding	Project Type
State Planning and Research	General	~ $204.2 million in 2018	Typically applied research
Transportation Pooled Fund Program	General	Not available	Standard
Transportation Research Board Programs
Program Name	Mode or Topic	Annual Funding	Project Type
NCHRP Regular Projects	Highway, General	$40 million	Standard
Domestic Scans (NCHRP 20-68A)	General	$500,000	Scan
NCHRP 20-24: Research on Administration of Highway and Transportation Agencies	Administration	$1 million	Quick response (task order projects)
Innovations Deserving Exploratory Analysis (IDEA)	Highway, Safety, Transit	Not available	Standard
ACRP Regular Projects	Aviation	$15 million	Standard
ACRP Graduate Research Award Program	Aviation	$100,000	Student research
Airport Cooperative Research Program University Design Competition for Addressing Airport Needs	Aviation	Not available	Student research
TCRP Regular Projects	Transit	$3 million	Standard
TCRP Synthesis Study Programs	Transit	Not available	Synthesis report
NCHRP Synthesis Study Programs	Highway	Not available	Synthesis report
ACRP Synthesis Study Programs	Aviation	Not available	Synthesis report
TCRP J-05: Legal Aspects of Transit and Intermodal Transportation	Transit	$250,000	Brief of legal issues
ACRP 11-01: Legal Aspects of Airport Projects	Aviation	Not available	Brief of legal issues
NCHRP 20-06: Legal Problems Arising out of Highway Programs	Highway	$100,000	Brief of legal issues
International Research Programs
Program Name	Mode or Topic	Annual Funding	Project Type
Horizon 2020	General	€80 billion for FY14 through FY20	Standard

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