The Department of Transportation (DOT), via its University Transportation Centers (UTC) program, is seeking college and university funding applications for four new Tier 1 UTCs.
“Our University Transportation Centers are not only the seeds of our future transportation system, they serve as living labs, bringing research to reality,” Deputy Assistant Secretary Diana Furchtgott-Roth said. “Four new UTCs will address a variety of important 21st-century transportation topics.”
Furchgott-Roth noted the awards would total $4.925 million.
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 may include qualifying two-year institutions.
The funding allotment would address a UTC in the topic areas of 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, or strategic implications of changing public transportation travel trends.
Officials indicated the initiative supports DOT-identified research needs of promoting safety and improving the mobility of people and goods.