Synthesis of Information Related to Highway Practices

NCHRP Announces New Synthesis Study Topics - Seeking Panel Member Nominations

19 May 2023

Panel Nominations Due by June 30, 2023

NCHRP announces 21 new synthesis study topics selected for next year’s program. The new project numbers, titles, and preliminary scopes of work are available in the New NCHRP Synthesis Studies box below and online at this link.

NCHRP invites you to nominate yourself or other candidates to serve on the expert panels that oversee the technical content of these studies. Nominees should be knowledgeable about the subject matter and willing to serve on a panel that will meet in person twice in a 10-month period and review materials developed by the principal investigator. Panels for the new projects will meet in Washington, DC during September and October.

Nominations should be submitted online at the MyTRB portal. You will be asked to log on to MyTRB. If you do not already have an account, you will be asked to quickly create one using your email and a password. Scroll down to synthesis projects beginning with 20-05/Topic 55-01.

Before nominating yourself to serve as a panel member, please review our Conflict of Interest Resource Page.

Please submit nominations by June 30, 2023. If you have any questions, please contact Jo Allen Gause at jagause@nas.edu.

Contacts to determine an individual’s interest in serving will be made from this office after we have matched available expertise with that required by the nature of the project.

We are grateful for your support of the NCHRP Synthesis Program by providing nominees each year. With the nominees continuing to outnumber the available positions, we have been able to establish panels outstanding in their ability to play a critical role in the accomplishment of successful research. Please know that if your nominee(s) is not selected, there are several factors to be considered when forming well balanced and objective panels. Although expertise is the primary factor, we try to achieve a balance of geographic distribution, gender, and ethnicity of panel members.

Seeking Principal Investigators for New Synthesis Topics

19 May 2023

Due by August 28, 2023

NCHRP is seeking principal investigators for 21 new synthesis topics. The new project numbers, titles, and preliminary scopes of work are available in the New NCHRP Synthesis Studies box below and online at this link.

To express interest in being a principal investigator for a topic, a two-page Letter of Interest and a resume or CV are required. The Letter of Interest and resume should convey a concise idea of the principal investigator's knowledge and related work experience in the subject area.  The deadline for submitting Letters of Interest is August 28, 2023.  Panel meetings for the new topics will be held in September and October. During these meetings, scopes of work will be finalized and principal investigators chosen.

Please note the following information for potential principal investigators:

1. View a template of our synthesis subaward. There is a modified version of this for state entities.
   Please note that TRB does not negotiate the terms of these fixed-price contracts.
2. The eleven-month period of performance is based on the following milestones:
   1. TRB Notice to Proceed.
   2. Draft Work Plan, Report Outline, and Survey Questionnaire - Due 2 weeks after TRB Notice to Proceed.
   3. Disseminate survey to state departments of transportation – Due 10 weeks after TRB Notice to Proceed.
   4. First Draft Report- Due 7 months after TRB Notice to Proceed.
   5. Second Draft Report - Due 9 months after TRB Notice to Proceed.
   6. Final Report - Due 11 months after TRB Notice to Proceed.
3. The principal investigator will participate in a one-hour conference call with panel members at the start of the project and a one-day meeting with the panel to review the first draft report. NCHRP will pay the principal investigator’s travel cost.
4. Principal Investigators will be paid $55,000 on a fixed-price basis. 
5. To propose, please send a single pdf containing a one-to-two page Letter of Interest, a resume providing the principal investigator's qualifications, and a statement that you can comply with the terms of our contract. Note: the statement of compliance should be signed by the contracting entity (e.g., university, company, or an individual sole proprietor). This is the only requirement for expression of interest. 

Please submit Letters of Interest to the Letters of Interest Submission Portal.

For further information on the NCHRP synthesis program and processes, see Information for Principal Investigators Preparing Syntheses.