University Transportation Centers Program FY 2025 NOFO

The University Transportation Centers (UTC) Program, administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) through its Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology (OST-R), is reopening its competitive grant process for Fiscal Year 2025. This opportunity seeks to award five new UTC grants as authorized under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), building on the program’s legacy of advancing multimodal transportation research, education, and technology transfer through higher education institutions. Since its establishment in 1987, the UTC Program has funded university-based centers aimed at addressing pressing transportation challenges and developing future leaders in the sector. The FY25 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) offers funding for one Regional UTC in Federal Region 2 and four Tier 1 UTCs. These centers will focus on one of seven statutory research priorities: improving mobility, reducing congestion, promoting safety, enhancing infrastructure durability, preserving the environment, maintaining existing systems, and addressing cybersecurity risks. The centers are expected to lead breakthrough, advanced, and transformative research efforts that address real-world transportation needs and contribute to evidence-based policy, regulation, and innovation across surface transportation modes, including rail, maritime, highway, pipelines, and transit. The program encourages collaboration within university consortia, requiring each applicant to be a U.S.-based nonprofit institution of higher education leading a consortium of two or more such institutions. The involvement of minority institutions is encouraged but not mandatory. Eligible applicants include institutions that were not selected as lead institutions in the previous UTC cycle. Collaboration with external partners such as state and local DOTs, the private sector, and nonprofit entities is permitted, though only qualifying educational institutions count toward consortium requirements. Each Regional Center must be based entirely within Region 2 (New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands). Funding will be awarded as grants, with $10,731,847 from FY2024 appropriations to be obligated for the initial awards in May 2026. Regional Centers will receive approximately $2.93 million, and Tier 1 Centers around $1.95 million in their first year, with anticipated renewals for FY2025 and FY2026. Regional Centers must match 100% of DOT funding with non-federal contributions, while Tier 1 Centers require a 50% match. All UTCs must allocate at least 5% of their total budget toward technology transfer and commercialization activities. Applications must follow a two-stage process: submission of a Letter of Intent by January 19, 2026, and a full application by February 20, 2026, through the Valid Eval platform. Hard copies must also be received by February 25, 2026. Required components include a cover sheet, two-page research abstract, 35-page narrative response to five evaluation criteria, budget plan, standard federal forms, and documentation of overhead/fringe rates. Applications must also include appendices with CVs, minority enrollment data (if applicable), and budget details for each consortium member. Strict formatting and content rules apply, and failure to follow these will result in disqualification. Applications will be reviewed for responsiveness, completeness, and merit based on five criteria: research activities and capability, leadership, education and workforce development, technology transfer and collaboration, and program efficacy. Proposals must clearly articulate their vision, research priorities, planned impact, performance metrics, and institutional capacity. Awards will be selected by the Secretary of Transportation based on panel reviews and recommendations from DOT agency heads. The period of performance for all awards extends through April 30, 2030. Questions about the NOFO may be submitted via email to [email protected] until February 17, 2026. Award notifications are anticipated by May 1, 2026. The UTC Program provides long-term strategic research funding and capacity-building for the U.S. transportation ecosystem, and this opportunity offers a competitive path for institutions to contribute meaningfully to the transformation of national and regional transportation systems.