United States Department of Transportation (DOT)

Limit: 3 // Tickets Available: 2
H. Rastgoftar (Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering) 

Limiting Language
Any eligible entity may lead the submission of up to three Concept Papers describing distinct technologies and is eligible to receive multiple State 1 prizes.

Overview
Americans are demanding more from our transportation sector—enhanced safety, faster project delivery, lower costs, increased efficiency, and improved resilience against physical and cyber threats for all users. Meeting these goals will require new and emerging innovative transportation technologies that can be scaled, deployed, and commercialized—advanced digital infrastructure, automation, modern air traffic control, novel infrastructure materials, new construction techniques, enhanced operations systems, smart planning tools, precision sensing, high performance computing, and more.  

Authorized in Section 25012 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA, Pub.L. 117-58; codified at 49 U.S.C. § 119), the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Infrastructure (ARPA-I) of the U.S. Department of Transportation is poised to accelerate and commercialize the essential breakthrough technologies that can tackle these national goals. ARPA-I is modeled after the successful Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which has a proven track record of success that includes the development of world changing technologies such as the Internet, autonomous vehicles, and GPS.  

The Ideas and Innovation Challenge, or Ideas Challenge, is ARPA-I’s open call to innovators across the public and private sectors to help identify the most promising and transformative Research and Development (R&D) proposals that have the potential to deliver technologies that radically: 

• Enhance the safe, secure, and efficient movement of people and goods,
• Lower the long-term costs of infrastructure planning, construction, and maintenance,
• Strengthen the resilience of infrastructure against physical, natural, and cyber threats, and
• Enhance the United States’ position as a global leader in advanced transportation infrastructure technologies and materials. 

Winning Ideas Challenge proposals may be awarded prizes of up to a total of $320,000 each across two stages, with the winners recognized by U.S. DOT leadership as well as by a distinguished panel of judges from the private and public sectors. The winners will be invited for further in-depth discussion of their ideas and proposals, and their ideas will aid in informing the R&D path forward for ARPA-I and U.S. DOT, including its modal R&D organizations. The organization of the Challenge will include: 

• Stage 1: The submission of a Concept Paper describing a project idea for developing and commercializing a breakthrough transportation technology and/or capability:
  • Up to 15 Stage 1 prizes may be awarded. Each Stage 1 winner will be awarded a prize of $20,000 and invited to an U.S. DOT innovation workshop in late 2025, where they will present and discuss their concept with U.S. DOT R&D leadership and stakeholders and receive feedback to refine their ideas and approach for Stage 2.
• Stage 2: All Stage 1 winners will be eligible to submit a detailed project proposal and R&D plans for their concept. Up to 10 finalists will then be selected to the ARPA-I Ideas Challenge Finals event planned for early 2026 where they will present their project proposal to a distinguished panel of judges and audience members from the public and private sector to compete for Stage 2 prizes:
  • Up to five (5) Stage 2 prizes may be awarded to recognize the best proposals and plans submitted and presented, totaling $700,000. 3 o Stage 2 prizes may be tiered; each prize will have a maximum value of $300,000.
  • More details for Stage 2 will be provided in subsequent communications to Stage 1 applicants.
• The total prize purse for all Stage 1 and 2 cash prizes awarded will be a maximum of $1,000,000.

No Applicants  // Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 1 

The purpose of this NOFO is to solicit applications for the Highway Construction Training Program (HCTP) to award highway construction workforce development grants. The NOFO will result in the distribution of up to $4,226,871. The purposes of the HCTP as described in 23 U.S.C. 504(f) are to:

1) Develop, test, and review new curricula and education programs to train individuals at all levels of the transportation workforce; and

2) To implement the new curricula and education programs to provide for hands-on career opportunities to meet current and future needs.

As further described in 23 U.S.C. 504(f)(2), in making grants, FHWA may consider the extent to which the project will:

A) Develop new curricula or education program to meet the specific current or future needs of a segment of the transportation industry, States, or regions.

B) Provide for practical experience and on-the-job training.

C) Be oriented toward practitioners in the field rather than the support and growth of the research community.

D) Provide for new curricula or programs that will provide training in areas other than engineering, such grants as business administration, economics, information technology, environmental science, and law.

E) Provide programs or curricula that train professionals for work in the transportation field, such as construction materials, information technology, environmental science, urban planning, and industrial or emerging technology.

F) Demonstrate the commitment of industry or a State DOT to the program.