Transportation Cooperative Research Program

Program Participants

The FTA sponsors the TCRP, which received $6.5 million in federal funding for research in fiscal [Page 1511]year 2012. Operations of the research program are managed by the TCRP Oversight and Project Selection (TOPS) Committee with the administrative support of the Transportation Research Board (TRB), a unit of the National Research Council of the National Academies. The TCRP's research is conducted with the assistance of state and local government officials, transportation industry professionals, transit equipment and service providers, and diverse research organizations. The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) acts as the program's liaison with the transit community.

Each research project is assigned to a dedicated panel appointed by the TRB that is responsible for providing technical guidance throughout the project's life cycle. The panels are comprised of voluntary members who are industry professionals and researchers and, when possible, represent in some way the project's targeted demographic. The panel members draft the specific project statements and select contractors based on their proposals submitted through an open process that enables all research agencies to compete for the project work based on their technical merit. The process ensures that the TCRP has access to the best talent available for each project.

In selecting contractors to work on the TCRP's research projects, the panel members evaluate submitted proposals according to six key criteria: demonstrated understanding of the research problem; merit of the proposed research methodology and design; demonstrated experience, qualifications, and objectivity in the same or similar research area as the project; specified plan for the application of research results; inclusion of small business enterprises owned or controlled by women or minorities; and adequacy of research facilities. The panel also considers potential sources of bias and conflict of interest among contractor candidates that might jeopardize the integrity of the research activity and final report.

Once a TCRP report is completed, the primary objective of the program is to disseminate the results to the intended end users of the research, such as transportation agencies, service providers, suppliers, and other interested parties. The APTA has the lead role in ensuring that the TCRP research results are made available to the relevant constituents via conventional channels, as well as through more interactive means. The APTA conducts field visits, workshops, training, and other activities to disperse the TCRP results and facilitate understanding and action by transportation industry professionals.

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