Call for Environmental Research Ideas

You are invited to submit your favorite transportation and environmental research ideas to the Center for Environmental Excellence by AASHTO via the Transportation and Environmental Research Ideas Database. The TERI database is a “one stop” location for keeping track of transportation practitioners’ research ideas across the environmental spectrum. It has become a valuable resource for organizations that fund, conduct, and utilize research. You can access TERI at www.environment.transportation.org/teri_database.

Each spring, AASHTO makes a special request for new TERI ideas. Once fresh ideas have been gathered, the Center works with AASHTO’s Standing Committee on Environment (SCOE) to select and refine a group of the best ideas listed in TERI to recommend for NCHRP funding.

Last year, AASHTO used TERI to put forward 13 research ideas for funding through the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) including nine ideas for the quick turnaround, environmentally-focused NCHRP “25-25” program and four ideas for funding as full-scale NCHRP projects, which typically range from $200,000 to $750,000 and take two to three years to complete.

In order to submit your research ideas, please use the online suggestion submittal webpage (link below). The Center is accepting TERI research ideas through Friday, March 13th. Please note that if you have already submitted an idea to the TRB’s Research Needs Database, we are now copying these ideas into TERI. If you cannot make the deadline, you may submit your idea at any time although it will not be considered by SCOE for recommendation to NCHRP. The webpage provides a template for submitting research ideas. To help SCOE review your idea, please include a clear title, a detailed description of scope and information about approximate timeframe and budget. This will assist the committee in determining the immediate need and the appropriate funding source. In addition to submitting your own ideas, we hope you will share this notice widely with your colleagues and ask them to submit ideas too.

Thank you for helping us identify the most promising environmental research ideas. If you have any questions, please call Kate Kurgan at 202-624-3635.