National Conference On Intermodal Transportation October 12, 2012

Future Network Vision

Transportation Networks that provide

• Safety, where deaths and serious injuries are rare events;
   
• Efficiency, where travel times are assured;
   
• Conservation of resources, where infrastructure conditions and system operations minimize the need for new materials and energy

Key Processes

• Focus on high-risk, high payoff research
   
• Merit review is used to enhance the quality of research processes and results
   
• Research stakeholders are involved throughout 
   
• Commitment to successful project handoff

Partner Collaboration

• Research stakeholders are involved throughout 
   
  • From scoping of focus areas through communication of research results 
     
• Stakeholders include
   
  • Academic
     
  • Government (federal, state, and local)
     
  • Industry (businesses, associations)
     
  • International

Breadth with Depth

• All projects begin with initial stage investigations
   
  • Reference searches, scanning trips, convening workshops, etc.
     
• Assure leverage of the most recent, relevant and advanced research from all fields
   
• Not all initial stage investigations lead to (or are expected to lead to) research investments

Focus Areas

• Connected highway and vehicle systems
   
• Breakthrough concepts in material science 
   
• Human behavior and travel choices
   
• New technology and advanced policies for energy and resource conservation
   
• Technology for assessing performance
  
  Cross cutting
   
• Nanoscale research
   
• Information sciences

Program Status

• 100+ Initial stage investigations
   
  • Video decoding, feature extraction
     
  • Adaptive materials
     
• Six solicitations resulting in
   
  • 50 projects awarded; 37 ongoing
     
  • $43M federal, $17M match
     
• 7^th closed October 4
  • Topics: Novel binders, low-powered, wireless sensors

EAR Program Payoff

• Pointing the way to new technology, applications
   
• Connecting with new partners
   
• Growing scientific capacity and pushing disciplinary frontiers
   
  • Building tools that accelerate discovery, allow for new measurements, concepts
     
• Encouraging original ideas