The U.S. Department of Transportation released its Research, Development and Technology Strategic Plan for fiscal years 2022-26.
The RD&T Strategy aims to confirm the Department's governance role in supporting, encouraging and protecting transportation innovation and presents a unique opportunity to modernize the country's transportation system, the agency said in a Jan. 11 news 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," Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology and Chief Science Officer Dr. Robert C. Hampshire said in the release.
The plan will provide $500 million in funding to the Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation Program to help implement a new generation of smart city innovation and $50 million per year in funding to establish a new open research initiative that will fund high-impact high-reward projects, the release reported
It will invest in UTCs or University Transportation Centers, including at Historically Black Colleges and Universities and other Minority Serving Institutions. In addition, the plan will establish an Advanced Research Projects Agency for Infrastructure (ARPA-I) to upscale research and development efforts, the news release said.
"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," Hampshire said in the release.
