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TRB's IDEA Programs
Innovations Deserving Exploratory Analysis |
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About NCHRP Highway IDEA
A project of the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP), the NCHRP Highway IDEA program seeks proposals with potential to advance the construction, safety, maintenance, and management of highway systems. The program is sponsored by the member states of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
The program is guided and advised by a committee of experts who volunteer their time and service. The committee reviews proposals twice a year (deadlines are March 1st and September 1st) and selects the most promising of those that meet program criteria.
All NCHRP Highway IDEA projects are described in the NCHRP Highway IDEA Annual Progress Report. Suggested research focus areas, proposal evaluation criteria, and the forms for submitting proposals are provided in the IDEA Program Announcement, which is published in January of each year.
Please note the following important changes for submitting proposals:
The NCHRP IDEA Program now accepts proposal only electronically (no paper copies). The proposal, along with all attachments, enclosures, and support letters, should be e-mailed in PDF at ideaprogram@nas.edu.
Proposals for the NCHRP IDEA Program are limited to 15 pages (typed single-spaced). This limit includes the liability statement, budget, and cover sheets. Letters of support or endorsement, however, are not counted in the 15-page limit.
The minimum font size is 12 points, and margins one inch on each side. Exhibits and photographs can be in color or black and white.
The NCHRP IDEA Committee uses this evaluation form when reviewing proposals.
Program Assessment
At the request of the AASHTO’s Standing Committee on Research (SCOR), the NCHRP IDEA Program Committee Chair, Ms. Sandra Larson, made a presentation at its December 2010 meeting on the program’s accomplishments. Ms. Larson’s PowerPoint presentation describing the program’s history and highlighting examples of the program’s successes is posted here. Also posted are the two documents: 1) IDEA products that are already in the market place or show a high potential for implementation in the very near future. 2) Detailed description of notable products with an impact on current practices.