The Impact of Scientific Partnerships on the Future of Transportation

Federal support of innovative research

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Workshop Outline

Objectives

• Communicate big issues in highway research
• Name who conducts highway research
• Describe the FHWA Exploratory Advanced Research Program (EAR)
• Illustrate research partnerships lessons
• Assess future opportunities in highway research

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Big Research Issues

• Breakthrough concept for integrating highway safety and system operations
• Nanoscale research
• Massive scale systems
• Human behavior in traffic
• Financing highways for the next century
• New yechnologies and advanced policies for energy and resource conservation

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Who Conducts Highway Research?

• FHWA
• University Transportation Centers
• State Departments of Transportation
• Industry
• International

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EAR Key Process

• Focus on high-risk, high payoff research
• Research stakeholders are involved throughout
  • From scoping of focus areas through communication of research results
• Merit review is used to enhance the quality of research processes and results
• All projects begin with initial stage research (e.g. scanning, literature review, etc.)
  • Assure leverage of the most recent, relevant and advanced research from all fields
• Not all initial stage research leads to (or is expected to lead to) follow-on or actionable results

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Current Partnerships

• Academic
  • University Transportation Centers, other universities
• Government
  • Other Federal Agencies, State, Local
• Non-Governmental, Non-Profit
• Industry

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Forming Partnerships

• Competitive advantage
  • Expertise
  • New ideas
  • Leverage resources, risk
• Potential obstacles
  • Gaining agreements
  • Partner viability
  • Project management and coordination

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Managing Partnerships

• Competitive advantage
  • Flexibility and depth
  • Awareness and outreach
• Potential obstacles
  • Project management and coordination
  • Accountability

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Continuing Partnerships

• Competitive advantage
  • Knowledge capacity building
  • Implementation across sectors
• Potential obstacles
  • Rights and ownerships
  • Bringing in new partners
  • Research results’ hand-off

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Future Opportunities with FHWA EAR

• Agenda scoping
• Open competitions
• Short and longer-term work exchanges
• Serving as expert reviewers

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Thank You

David Kuehn Program Manager (202) 493-3414 david.kuehn@dot.gov

Terry Halkyard Program Coordinator (202) 493-3467 terry.halkyard@dot.gov

Samyra Simmons Program Analyst (202) 493-3469 samyra.simmons@dot.gov

Program Web Site www.fhwa.dot.gov/advancedresearch