General Research Grants

Annually, we fund general research through a competitive, peer-reviewed RFP process for projects ($30,000 - $150,000) that look at improving the mobility of people and goods to build strong communities. Download the 2021 General Research RFP

See our project database for a full list of projects funded under the General Research program.

ELIGIBILITY

Faculty members and research faculty eligible to serve as Principal Investigators (PIs) at Portland State University, Oregon Institute of Technology, University of Arizona, University of Oregon, University of Utah, or University of Texas at Arlington may submit proposals. 

HOW TO APPLY

Application Forms

Download current documents from Application Forms.

Project Abstracts 

All proposers must first submit a proposal abstract online (http://ppms.trec.pdx.edu/). The abstract should consist of 1-2 paragraphs describing the project objectives and proposed methods. The abstract should also briefly explain how it fits the NITC theme. NITC will only accept proposals for projects for which the PI has submitted an abstract online. The abstract is used for two purposes: to make sure that the project fits the NITC theme, and to aid staff in identifying potential peer reviewers. A PI may decide for other reasons not to submit a proposal after submitting an abstract. However, a PI may not submit a proposal for which an abstract was not submitted. Abstracts are due June 3, 2021 at 5:00 PM PDT.

Project Proposals, Budgets, and Data Management Plans

Complete the proposal form and the Data Management Plan as a PDF and the budget form as an Excel spreadsheet and submit online (http://ppms.trec.pdx.edu/). Proposals are typically 10 to 12 pages long. Do not use prior year forms. 

CURRENT GRANT TIMELINE

  • RFP issued: May 2021
  • Abstracts due: June 3, 2021
  • Proposals due: July 2, 2021
  • Peer review of proposals: July 2021
  • Project selection, awards and task orders: August/September 2021
  • Projects begin: October 1, 2021
  • All progress reports due: March 30, 2022
  • All progress reports due: September 30, 2022

MATCH EXPECTATION

All awards require a 1:1.2 (120%) 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. Learn more about this requirement.

PROPOSAL EVALUATION CRITERIA

Proposals will be peer reviewed and scored using programmatic criteria (see RFP for details) and both will be used to rank proposals. The NITC Executive Committee selects the final slate of proposals via consensus. We recommend you discuss your project idea with the Executive Committee member of your NITC campus prior to submitting your funding request.

This NITC grant is part of the University Transportation Center program, funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation, and is a partnership between Portland State University (PSU), the Oregon Institute of Technology (Oregon Tech), University of Arizona (UA), University of Oregon (UO), University of Utah (UU), and University of Texas at Arlington (UTA).