Released: USDOT’s Five-Year RD&T Strategic Plan

Written by Marybeth Luczak, Executive Editor
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The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has issued a strategic plan to guide transportation research, development and technology deployment activities over the next five years.

The Research, Development and Technology (RD&T) Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years (FY) 2022-2026 (download below) not only presents the USDOT’s research priorities and strategies related to safety, economic strength and global competitiveness, equity, climate and sustainability, and transformation, but also guides its research investments.

According to USDOT, the RD&T Strategic Plan will guide the more than $5 billion in research activities funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (also known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act), which created new programs “to drive innovation, create jobs and support the deployment of transformative technologies,” including:

  • Providing $500 million in funding to the Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) Program. This new competitive grant program supports state, local, and tribal governments “in conducting demonstration projects to advance smart city or community technologies and systems that improve transportation efficiency and safety, as well as other priority goals such as climate mitigation, resilience and equity,” according to USDOT.
  • Investing in University Transportation Centers (UTCs) that work on climate, equity and innovation, including at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other Minority Serving Institutions. The UTCs will support improvements to the nation’s surface transportation system, including rail, maritime, highway, pipeline, transit, and links to aviation, according to USDOT.
  • Establishing an Advanced Research Projects Agency for Infrastructure (ARPA-I) “to scale up research and development efforts to keep pace with and to drive innovation,” USDOT reported. 
  • Authorizing $50 million per year in funding to establish a new Open Research Initiative “to accelerate the achievement of the Department’s priorities and goals by funding unsolicited research proposals that yield disruptive technologies with high-impact potential,” according to USDOT.

Among the rail-related topics of study: identify and assess the root causes of rail grade crossing and trespass incidents to develop strategies to prevent future incidents; develop test tools, procedures, and performance measures that enable improved safety, durability, resiliency, and crashworthiness evaluations of railcars, aircraft, ships and vehicles; and evaluate strategies to reduce emissions from freight activities including trucks, rail and at ports.

“We recognize that the work of research, development and technology deployment takes collaborative effort across the public, private, academic and non-profit sectors,” USDOT Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology and Chief Science Officer Dr. Robert C. Hampshire said in the Jan. 11 announcement of the strategic plan’s release. “In this time of rapid change and experimentation, research must drive the learning necessary for the public sector to keep pace with technological advancement and to adapt to evolving socio-economic needs. By providing a vision for a future transportation system made possible by research, we seek to foster collaborative innovation to create a better transportation future for all.” 

USDOT Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology and Chief Science Officer Dr. Robert C. Hampshire
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