The NCST's research program is organized around three core domains that reflect long-standing areas of expertise within the consortium and align with the US DOT's priorities: Next-Generation Vehicle Platforms and Automation, Infrastructure Performance and System Management, and Travel Behavior and Network Efficiency. These research areas support safety, cost-effectiveness, transportation system efficiency, and nationwide economic vitality across both passenger and freight travel.
We support policy innovation through four kinds of research activities inspired by the US DOT goal of matching research and policy to advance breakthroughs:
- building tools to support policy making, including datasets, lifecycle cost assessments, and predictive simulation models that support scenario planning;
- developing systems and data that be used by policymakers, such as evidence-based standards, model regulations, pricing strategies, funding strategies, and others;
- conducting evaluation studies that assess the outcomes of policies using techniques such as experimental designs and econometric modeling; and
- undertaking basic research that provides a solid foundation for each of these activities by improving our understanding of the transportation system.
NCST research is disseminated through printed materials, events, briefings, webinars, social media, and other techniques—and we go beyond dissemination to truly engage stakeholders in shaping our research program. Our education programs provide a conduit for the products of our research to our students, who then bring this knowledge to their work in the transportation field. In these ways, the three elements of the NCST program are complementary and intertwined:
- We deliver a cutting-edge research program that provides new models and datasets, analytical frameworks, case study evaluations, and basic knowledge;
- We shape and deliver our products through an innovative engagement program using multiple techniques and involving all levels of government, tribal councils, other public and private sector stakeholders, and communities themselves;
- We provide education and workforce development programs that provide training and build multiple pathways to careers in transportation.
