Description
The University Transportation Centers (UTC) Program is a competitive grant program that aims to advance transportation expertise and technology through education, research, and technology transfer activities. The program is authorized under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and is administered by the Department of Transportation. The program seeks to establish and operate university transportation centers to provide a critical multimodal transportation knowledge base outside of the Department of Transportation and to address critical workforce needs and educate the next generation of transportation leaders. The program has a total funding of $33 million and will operate from 2026 to 2030.
Key aspects of the program include:
• Advancing transportation expertise and technology in various disciplines
• Providing a critical multimodal transportation knowledge base
• Addressing critical workforce needs and educating the next generation of transportation leaders
• Conducting research that identifies and addresses gaps in current transportation knowledge and practice
• Fostering the development and application of innovative concepts, tools, and technologies
• Contributing to the advancement of the state of the art and the state of practice in transportation
• Ensuring that research findings inform the development of effective regulations, policies, and standards
• Conducting technology development and transfer to practice and commercialization of such technology