The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently released a report on the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) research and development portfolio, stating that the agency was not fully consistent with federal requirements, agency guidance, and leading best practices with how it managed its portfolio.
GAO was tasked with assessing how the FAA managed its R&D portfolio, the extent to which it coordinated with the National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA) on R&D activities, and how it cooperated with the private sector on various R&D projects.
GAO found that the FAA needed to be more strategic with how it develops its R&D portfolio, specifically regarding how it identified long-term research needs and how projects were selected. Due to those deficiencies, the report said the FAA could not be assured that its highest-priority R&D projects were being conducted.
While the FAA tracks and evaluates its research projects, the report found that it did not fully address all statutory reporting requirements, namely identifying long-term resources for research in the National Aviation Research Plan or in its R&D Annual Review.
The FAA’s relationship with NASA was found to reflect leading best practices. As an example, GAO cited the types of technology transferred from NASA to the FAA for its day-to-day operations, such as software that improves air traffic departure efficiency.
The FAA was found to have a similarly positive relationship with the private sector, with GAO citing the agency’s use of the private sector in various technology-transfer partnerships in sharing facilities, equipment, and staff.
To address issues made in its report, GAO recommended that the Secretary of the Department of Transportation require the FAA administrator to identify long-term R&D priorities, disclose how projects are selected, and ensure that the agency’s research plans and annual reviews meet statutory requirements for content.
The Department of Transportation, which oversees the FAA, concurred with the report’s recommendations.