USDOT seeks to create 4 new university transportation centers

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The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has announced competitive grant solicitation for nearly $5 million for four new University Transportation Centers (UTCs).

Through the Notice of Funding Opportunity, DOT intends to fund one UTC in each of the following specific topic areas:

• Highly automated transportation systems research
• Communications technology and e-commerce effects on travel demand
• Implications of accessible automated vehicles and mobility services for people with disabilities
• Strategic implications of changing public transportation travel trends.

Only U.S. non-profit institutions of higher education are eligible to apply or to be members of a proposed UTC consortium. Non-profit institutions of higher education may include qualifying two-year institutions.

“Our University Transportation Centers are not only the seeds of our future transportation system, they serve as living labs, bringing research to reality. Four new UTCs will address a variety of important 21st century transportation topics,” said Deputy Assistant Secretary Diana Furchtgott-Roth.

Thee Tier 1 UTCs will support research needs that DOT has identified under two of the FAST Act research priorities (49 U.S.C. § 6503(c)(1)): “Promoting Safety” and “Improving Mobility of People and Goods.”

The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is available now. For more information on the UTC program, contact Nancy Wilochka, (202) 366-5128.