The U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program seeks innovative research proposals from small businesses to address specific transportation challenges the nation's transportation system is facing through novel technologies.
The SBIR Program Office has posted the second and final SBIR Program solicitation for fiscal year 2011, inviting small businesses to submit research proposals that address high-priority U.S. DOT goals. Proposals are due on June 13, 2011. The solicitation is now available online at http://www.volpe.dot.gov/sbir.
The solicitation has identified three research topics from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety (FMCSA) Administration, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). The research topics include: developing a proof of concept for a trailer attribute determination system from within the tractor, simulation techniques for studying night driving effects on driver behavior, and examination of hazardous materials portable tanks within the transportation system.
When Vehicles Talk, What Should They Say? Vote for the Best Ideas
The U.S. DOT's Research and Innovative Technology Administration's (RITA) Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Joint Program Office has just completed the first phase of its Connected Vehicle Technology Challenge, in which it invited entrants to develop new ideas for using or improving vehicle-to-vehicle communications. The final submissions are available at http://connectedvehicle.challenge.gov as of May 2, and the public can vote as of May 7. The winner of public voting will join five other finalists at the ITS World Congress in Orlando, Florida, in October 2011. Go cast your vote!
The U.S. DOT SBIR Program is administered by the Volpe Center, which is part of the RITA.
