The National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC) invites new proposals for general research in 2015.

NITC is the U.S. Department of Transportation’s national center for livable communities and one of five U.S. DOT national university transportation centers. The NITC program is a Portland State-led partnership with the University of Oregon, Oregon Institute of Technology, University of Utah and University of South Florida.

NITC is focused on contributing to transportation projects that support innovations in livability, incorporating safety and environmental sustainability. We will award at least $1 million to research and technology transfer projects that support NITC’s theme.

What's new in ths RFP

This request for proposals has a special emphasis on economic impacts. Up to $250,000 of these funds will prioritize research projects that study the economic impacts of livable communities.

All projects should range from $30,000 to $150,000 and must focus on research and technology transfer. Technology transfer proposals should support the application of transportation research to practice, including dissemination of research results, continuing education, and training.

All projects submitted for this RFP will undergo peer review. The proposals will also be scored by NITC staff based on programmatic criteria. The NITC executive committee will review the ranked projects and approve awards. All awards require a 1:1.2 non-federal match in the form of cash or in-kind services from project partners—to include universities, transportation and other public agencies, industry, and nonprofit organizations. Projects awarded under this RFP may start as soon as August 1, 2015 and must be completed by December 31, 2016, including the final report.

A separate RFP will be released in the spring of 2015 for the doctoral dissertation program and the pooled-fund research program.

See the RFP or visit the researchers page for more information.

Abstracts are due March 16. Full proposals are due April 15.