Airport industry practitioners face many challenges as they respond to trends in passenger behavior and expectations, an ever-changing regulatory landscape, and limited resources. ACRP was established by an act of Congress in 2005 to serve as a valuable platform for industry practitioners to contribute to and engage with cutting-edge research that has real-world impacts at airports. ACRP is sponsored by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and managed by the Transportation Research Board whose mission is to promote innovation and progress in transportation through research.
ACRP undertakes research that directly involves and benefits the airport industry. Explore the 500+ ACRP research products that are available at no cost. All of ACRP's research publications are available online through the National Academies Press and may be downloaded free of charge. Review selected topics in ACRP Collections that highlight trending and pertinent research impacting the airport industry.
"The valuable contributions and active participation of our volunteers and contractors have helped keep ACRP at the forefront of providing actionable, evidence-based resources on emerging issues."
- Rhonda K. Hamm-Niebruegge, Former ACRP Oversight Committee Chair
ACRP's governing board, the ACRP Oversight Committee (AOC), meets annually to identify priority projects, define project funding levels, and articulate expected research products. It ensures that each approved project is responsive to airports' needs. ACRP also engages airport professionals during the research selection process to ensure a broad representation of perspectives, See the full list of ACRP Projects from submitted Problem Statements to funded projects.
ACRP follows and annual cycle to select its research projects summarized in the steps below.
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Generate Research Ideas
Throughout the year, industry practitioners submit research ideas via ACRP's Problem Statement Submission Page.
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Collect Comments from Airport Employees
Airport employees engaged with ACRP, by serving as panelists on active projects, are given an opportunity to rate and comment on submitted problem statements. These ratings and comments are provided to the AOC.
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Select Projects
Each spring, the AOC reviews the problem statements, along with industry comments, and selects projects that will best serve the airports' needs.
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Solicit Panel Nominations
By summer, ACRP calls for airport industry practitioners to nominate themselves or peers to serve as volunteers on projects panels.
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Convene Panels
In the fall, project panels convene to review the selected project and develop requests for proposals (RFPs).
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Select a Research Contractor
Project panels review submitted proposals and select a winning contractor the research.
Annual Reports highlight the program's accomplishments, annual publications, project status, and ACRP project activities. Since its inception in 2005, ACRP has overseen more than $180 million in funding for over 700 research projects.
"ACRP encourages and relies upon the extensive participation of volunteers and contractors to a growing body of research meant to respond to emerging challenges and to leverage opportunities for growth in the airport industry."
- Marianne Csaky, ACRP Oversight Committee Chair