TRB's IDEA Programs
Innovations Deserving Exploratory Analysis |
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John Hillman Receives ASCE’s 2013 Charles Pankow Award for Innovation for Hybrid-Composite Beam
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) presents the Charles Pankow Award for Innovation to recognize the contributions of organizations working collaboratively to advance the design and construction industry by introducing innovation into practice. The 2013 Charles Pankow Award was presented to HC Bridge Company LLC, University of Delaware, Transportation Technology Center, and TRB for the Hybrid-Composite Beam, which was developed by John Hillman with funding and technical support from TRB’s IDEA Programs. This award is one of ASCE’s Outstanding Projects and Leaders (OPAL) awards, which are given to civil engineers for bringing worldwide attention to the contributions and accomplishments of the civil engineering community.
Presentation of the 2013 Charles Pankow Award for Innovation for Hybrid-Composite Beam (HCB®) at ASCE’s 14th Annual OPAL Awards Gala, March 21, 2013. From left to right: Executive Director Patrick J. Natale, P.E., F.ASCE; Nick Shezchenko; Steve Millsup; Duane Otter; John Hillman; Jack Gillespie; TRB Executive Director Robert Skinner; and ASCE President Gregory E. DiLoreto, P.E., P.L.S., D.WRE, F.ASCE (right). (Photo by David Hathcox/ASCE)
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IDEA programs fund research into promising but unproven innovations for highways, transportation safety, and transit. The annual Program Announcement provides information about the programs and includes instructions for preparing and submitting proposals and Proposal Submission Forms. Annual progress reports that describe current and completed projects are published for each program. The programs are described below.
Active IDEA Programs Receiving Proposals
The following three IDEA programs are active and receiving proposals:
- The NCHRP Highway IDEA program reviews proposals for funding twice a year. The deadlines for submitting proposals to these review cycles are March 1 and September 1 every year.
- The Transit IDEA program reviews proposals for funding twice a year. The deadlines for submitting proposals to these review cycles are May 1st and November 2nd.
- Rail Safety IDEA proposals for the next cycle are due September 15, 2016.
Note the current focus of the Rail Safety IDEA Program is only on innovative ways to improve railroad safety or performance.
NCHRP Highway IDEA projects foster innovative concepts for highway design and construction, materials, operations, maintenance, and other areas of highway systems.
Transit IDEA projects support innovative approaches with potential to enhance security, increase ridership, and improve efficiency for transit systems.
Rail Safety IDEA projects support innovative approaches to improving railroad safety or performance.
IDEA Programs Not Receiving Proposals
The following two IDEA programs are no longer accepting proposals:
Reliability IDEA: This IDEA program supported innovations to improve travel time reliability and was funded by the Strategic Highway Research Program. Funding for the Reliability IDEA program ended in 2011. The program is no longer accepting new proposals.
High-Speed Rail IDEA: Federal Railroad Administration funding for the High-Speed Rail IDEA Program ended in 2007. That program is no longer accepting new proposals.
Resources
The Webinar on TRB's IDEA Programs: Webinars for Committee Research Coordinators was held on Wednesday, June 11, 2014. Access to a recording of the Webinar is available online. The presenter's PowerPoints is available online.
The Webinar on TRB’s IDEA Programs: Funding Your Transportation Innovation was held on Tuesday, December 9, 2008. Access to a recording of the Webinar is available online. The presenters’ PowerPoints and responses to participant questions are available online.