Southeastern Transporation Research, Innovation, Development and Education Center (STRIDE)
Section A - Introduction
A grant by the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation has been awarded to the Transportation Research Center (TRC) at the University of Florida. UF will lead a consortium of universities within the established Federal Region 4 (Southeast). The consortium, also known as the Southeastern Transportation Research, Innovation, Development and Education Center (STRIDE) includes: Auburn University, Florida International University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Mississippi State University, North Carolina State University, University of Alabama at Birmingham, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The center will receive approximately $3.5 million from federal Fiscal Year 2011 funds, and it is expected to obtain matching funds from non-federal sources in an amount at least equal to the U.S. DOT grant amount.
Research funds are available in the categories of research, education, workforce development, and technology transfer. U.S. DOT/RITA defines each area as:
Research: Basic and applied research, the products of which are judged by peers or other experts in the field of transportation to advance the body of knowledge in transportation.
Education and Workforce Development: An education program relating to transportation that includes multidisciplinary course work and participation in research, workforce development activities and programs to expand the workforce of transportation professionals
Technology Transfer: An ongoing program of technology transfer that makes transportation research results available to potential users in a form that can be implemented, utilized or otherwise applied.
This announcement invites pre-proposals in each of these categories for work to be conducted starting in the 2012 calendar year (expected start date is May 1, 2012). These pre-proposals require submission of a two-page statement of work along with an estimate of the proposed budget. If collaborative, the pre-proposal must include separate budgets from each participating institution. This document provides information on topics related to research, education, workforce development, and technology transfer that proposers should focus on, followed by including instructions on how to apply.