The National Center for Sustainable Transportation awards research funding for applied research projects, white paper grants, seed grants, translational grants, graduate-led research projects, and dissertation grants through competitive Calls or Requests for Proposals (CFPs or RFPs). Find out more information about each of these funding opportunities below:
Faculty Funding Opportunities Student Funding Opportunities
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR FACULTY & PROFESSIONAL RESEARCHERS
USDOT-Funded Research Grants
The NCST issues an RFP for USDOT-funded research projects, white papers, translational projects, and seed grants, typically in February or March, and the RFP is open for approximately one month. Individual awards range from $30,000 to $140,000 in total costs (per year), and vary by campus and grant type.
Requests for Proposals
The NCST is not currently accepting proposals for USDOT-funded projects.
Caltrans-Funded Research Grants
The NCST issues an RFP for Caltrans-funded research projects, white papers, translational projects, and seed grants, typically in the spring (though the timing will vary), and the RFP is generally open for approximately one month. Individual awards range from $30,000 to $120,000 in total costs. Priority is given to proposals with a California scope and that inform or help implement Caltrans' goals and activities.
Requests for Proposals
The NCST is not currently accepting proposals for Caltrans-funded projects.
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS
Dissertation Research Grants
The NCST offers dissertation research grants for current doctoral students who have advanced to candidacy. Dissertation proposals must relate to the NCST's mission of moving the nation towards a more sustainable transportation system from the standpoint of infrastructure and systems operation, vehicles and fuels, travel demand, and institutional change. Doctoral research may be in any discipline, and multidisciplinary topics are encouraged when appropriate.
Call for Proposals
CFPs are released each spring and fall. As stated above, students in any program are eligible, so long as their dissertation is in the area of sustainable transportation. The application requires a letter of recommendation from the student’s dissertation chair, and applicants must have passed their qualifying exam prior to the application deadline.
UC Davis is not currently accepting applications for dissertation grants.
Graduate Student Exchange
The NCST offers a graduate student exchange program in which graduate students work with faculty at the consortium universities to nominate students to travel to one of our partner universities to work with colleagues and collaborators.
[Exchange policy currently in development]
Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships
The NCST funds the ITS-Davis Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program, which is available to undergraduate students who are interested in working with UC Davis faculty, professional researchers, and graduate students on transportation-related research.
The program is currently available to undergraduates at UC Davis and Sacramento City College. The 2026 program will run for nine weeks and will follow a cohort model: Students begin and end the fellowship at the same time, meeting regularly to discuss their research projects, attend seminars, and at the conclusion of the fellowship, present their research findings.
2026 program dates: Monday, June 15 through Friday, August 14.
Call for Applications
The call for applications will be linked on the ITS-Davis SURF webpage, when available.