As part of its University Transportation Centers (UTC) program, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is seeking applications from universities for up to 35 UTC awards, with total funding of $450 million for the five-year period from 2022 through 2026.
“I am inspired by the cutting-edge transportation technologies our UTCs are developing,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “With this investment, we’ll be able to support a new generation of visionary leaders and advance research that will help to transform our transportation system with safer, cleaner, more accessible ways for people and goods to move in this country.”
“DOT’s multimodal UTC program is the bedrock of our innovative, transformative and cohesive transportation future,” said Dr. Robert C. Hampshire, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology. “These investments will lead to cutting edge transportation research, train a diverse next generation of transportation professionals, and ultimately help the American people get to where they need to go much more quickly and affordably.”
President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law continues the UTC Program, with all 35 authorized grants again open for competition. Through this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), DOT intends to select up to five National UTCs, 10 Regional UTCs, and up to 20 Tier 1 UTCs, each of which will conduct a combination of research, education, workforce development, and technology transfer and implementation activities.
UTCs must propose a focus area from among the legislation’s stated research priorities:
- Improving Mobility of People and Goods;
- Reducing Congestion;
- Promoting Safety;
- Improving the Durability and Extending the Life of Transportation Infrastructure,
- Preserving the Environment;
- Preserving the Existing Transportation System; and,
- Reducing Transportation Cybersecurity Risks.
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. DOT highly encourages Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), as well as Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) to apply and/or partner in proposed UTC consortiums.
Read the announcement at the Department of Transportation
