--- kind: "section" citation: "49 U.S.C. § 5506" title: "49" title_heading: "Transportation" number: "5506" heading: "Advanced transportation research initiative" release: "119-102" url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/49/5506" units: - "Subtitle III — General and Intermodal Programs" - "Chapter 55 — Intermodal Transportation" - "Subchapter I — General" --- # §5506. Advanced transportation research initiative - (a) **Definition of Eligible Entity.—** In this section, the term “eligible entity” means— - (1) a [State](/usc/49/31132.md?p=8) [agency](/usc/49/114.md?p=n-2-A-i); - (2) a local government [agency](/usc/49/114.md?p=n-2-A-i); - (3) an institution of higher education (as defined in section 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ([20 U.S.C. 1002](/usc/20/1002.md))), including a university [transportation](/usc/49/13907.md?p=e-2) center established under [section 5505](/usc/49/5505.md); - (4) a nonprofit organization, including a nonprofit research organization; and - (5) a private sector organization working in collaboration with an entity described in any of [paragraphs (1) through (4)](#a-1..a-4). - (b) **Pilot Program.—** The Secretary of [Transportation](/usc/49/13907.md?p=e-2) (referred to in this section as the “Secretary”) shall establish an advanced [transportation](/usc/49/13907.md?p=e-2) research pilot program under which the Secretary— - (1) shall establish a process for [eligible entities](#a) to submit to the Secretary unsolicited research proposals; and - (2) may enter into arrangements with 1 or more [eligible entities](#a) to fund research proposed under [paragraph (1)](#b-1), in accordance with this section. - (c) **Eligible Research.—** The Secretary may enter into an arrangement with an [eligible entity](#a) under this section to fund research that— - (1) addresses— - (A) a research need identified by— - (i) the Secretary; or - (ii) the Administrator of a modal administration of the Department of [Transportation](/usc/49/13907.md?p=e-2); or - (B) an issue that the Secretary determines to be important; and - (2) is not duplicative of— - (A) any other Federal research project; or - (B) any project for which funding is provided by another Federal [agency](/usc/49/114.md?p=n-2-A-i). - (d) **Project Review.—** The Secretary shall— - (1) review each research proposal submitted under the pilot program established under [subsection (b)](#b); and - (2) - (A) if funding is denied for the research proposal— - (i) provide to the [eligible entity](#a) that submitted the proposal a written notice of the denial that, as applicable— - (I) explains why the research proposal was not selected, including whether the research proposal fails to cover an area of need; and - (II) recommends that the research proposal be submitted to another research program; and - (ii) if the Secretary recommends that the research proposal be submitted to another research program under [clause (i)(II)](#d-2-A-i-II), provide guidance and direction to— - (I) the [eligible entity](#a); and - (II) the proposed research program office; or - (B) if the research proposal is selected for funding— - (i) provide to the [eligible entity](#a) that submitted the proposal a written notice of the selection; and - (ii) seek to enter into an arrangement with the [eligible entity](#a) to provide funding for the proposed research. - (e) **Coordination.—** - (1) **In general.—** The Secretary shall ensure that the activities carried out under [subsection (c)](#c) are coordinated with, and do not duplicate the efforts of, programs of the Department of [Transportation](/usc/49/13907.md?p=e-2) and other Federal [agencies](/usc/49/114.md?p=n-2-A-i). - (2) **Intraagency coordination.—** The Secretary shall coordinate the research carried out under this section with— - (A) the research, education, and technology transfer activities carried out by grant recipients under [section 5505](/usc/49/5505.md); and - (B) the research, development, demonstration, and commercial application activities of other relevant programs of the Department of [Transportation](/usc/49/13907.md?p=e-2), including all modal administrations of the Department. - (3) **Interagency collaboration.—** The Secretary shall coordinate, as appropriate, regarding fundamental research with the potential for application in the [transportation](/usc/49/13907.md?p=e-2) sector with— - (A) the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy; - (B) the Director of the National Science Foundation; - (C) the Secretary of Energy; - (D) the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology; - (E) the Secretary of Homeland Security; - (F) the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; - (G) the Secretary of Defense; and - (H) the heads of other appropriate Federal [agencies](/usc/49/114.md?p=n-2-A-i), as determined by the Secretary. - (f) **Review, Evaluation, and Report.—** Not less frequently than biennially, in accordance with the plan developed under [section 6503](/usc/49/6503.md), the Secretary shall— - (1) review and evaluate the pilot program established under [subsection (b)](#b), including the research carried out under that pilot program; and - (2) make public on a website of the Department of [Transportation](/usc/49/13907.md?p=e-2) a report describing the review and evaluation under [paragraph (1)](#f-1). - (g) **Federal Share.—** - (1) **In general.—** The Federal share of the cost of an activity carried out under this section shall not exceed 80 percent. - (2) **Non-federal share.—** All costs directly incurred by the non-Federal partners (including personnel, travel, facility, and hardware development costs) shall be credited toward the non-Federal share of the cost of an activity carried out under this section. - (h) **Limitation on Certain Expenses.—** Of any amounts made available to carry out this section for a fiscal year, the Secretary may use not more than 1.5 percent for coordination, evaluation, and oversight activities under this section. - (i) **Authorization of Appropriations.—** There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2026. ## Source credit (Added Pub. L. 117–58, div. B, title V, § 25013(a), Nov. 15, 2021, 135 Stat. 867.) ## Notes ### Editorial Notes ### Prior Provisions A prior section 5506, added Pub. L. 105–178, title V, § 5111(a), June 9, 1998, 112 Stat. 444; amended Pub. L. 109–59, title V, § 5402(a), Aug. 10, 2005, 119 Stat. 1815; Pub. L. 110–244, title I, §§ 111(g)(3), 116, June 6, 2008, 122 Stat. 1605, 1607, related to grants for university transportation research, prior to repeal by Pub. L. 112–141, div. E, title II, § 52010(a), July 6, 2012, 126 Stat. 887, effective Oct. 1, 2012.