NCHRP Research Proposal Web Site for the Subcommittee on Design
Welcome to the Subcommittee on Design’s Research Proposal Web Site. This site is intended for use by members of the Subcommittee and its Technical Committees to submit research proposals in their areas of expertise for consideration by the Subcommittee’s Executive Council prior to submission to the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP).
NCHRP is an applied, contract-research program that develops near-term, practical solutions to problems facing transportation agencies. The AASHTO Standing Committee on Research (SCOR) solicits research needs statements annually from three authorized sources:
- CEOs of the AASHTO member highway and transportation departments
- Chairs of AASHTO's committees and subcommittees
- Federal Highway Administrator
After proposals have been submitted to NCHRP by the Subcommittee on Design, evaluations are performed by FHWA and NCHRP. These evaluations are sent to submitters in mid-November, and submitters have until early-December to comment on the evaluations or withdraw the proposed research needs statement. The NCHRP is also experimenting with evaluation panels for some of the more popular subject areas, such as bridges, materials, traffic, and safety. In these cases, the collective thoughts of the panel are conveyed back to the submitter instead of the FHWA and NCHRP evaluations.
SCOR makes the final decision as to which proposals receive funding each year. When projects are funded, panels of experts from public agencies, private industry, and academia direct the research, and panel members may be nominated from AASHTO committees or from individual states. The goal of each panel is to have a diverse group of knowledgeable persons to guide the research and to ensure that usable products are developed as a result.
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