Request for Proposals
MID-ATLANTIC TRANSPORTATION SUSTAINABILITY UNIVERSITY
TRANSPORTATION CENTER (MATS UTC)
Overview
The MATS UTC serves as the focal point in the mid-Atlantic to accelerate adoption of sustainable practices in the
provision of transportation services. Agencies and firms in the region recognize that the standard environmental
practice in transportation has focused on “compliance” with regulations, as opposed to a focus on sustainability.
Given the significant changes that have resulted from the focus on sustainability in other industries (for example,
the rise of LEED certification in building construction), it is critical that transportation agencies transition from
minimal compliance to sustainability. The MATS UTC will serve the region through applied research, education,
workforce development, and technology transfer focused on environmental sustainability, an area that is not
mature in existing regional transportation research and education resources.
A critical element of the MATS UTC is the competitive, collaborative research program, which is intended to
provide investigators in the MATS UTC consortium (University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, Old Dominion University,
Morgan State University, Marshall University and University of Delaware) an opportunity to propose research that
directly addresses the goal of accelerating adoption of sustainable practices in the provision of transportation
services.
MATS UTC Research Areas of Interest
This request for proposal is targeted to two types of proposals: (i) investigator generated ideas for projects that
meet MATS UTC goals and focus areas, and (ii) proposals responding to a set of regionally significant project needs
identified by the advisory panel. Responses to both types are encouraged in this call. More detail on these two
types of proposals is provided below.
Investigator Generated Ideas Addressing MATS UTC Focus Areas
MATS UTC investigators are invited to prepare proposals that directly address at least one of the five MATS UTC
focus areas presented below. Submitted proposals must clearly denote which focus area(s) are addressed by the
project. Proposals not addressing one of the focus areas will not be considered.
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Sustainable Freight Movement
Freight movement is particularly critical in the mid-Atlantic region given the large port facilities,
critical trucking routes, extensive rail network and inland waterways. While the movement of
freight plays a key economic role, the impact of freight movement on the environment in the region
is significant and must be directly addressed.
Coastal Infrastructure Resiliency
The majority of the population in the mid-Atlantic region lives in coastal areas that are directly
impacted by the effects of climate change – particularly sea-level rise and extreme weather events.
The MATS UTC will conduct research to better understand risks and identify innovative adaptations.
Energy Efficient Urban Transportation
The I-95 Urban Corridor in the mid-Atlantic region experiences extreme congestion. According to
the Texas Transportation Institute’s Urban Mobility Report, the Washington D.C. region is the most
congested in the nation, with Philadelphia also in the top-10. The MATS UTC will focus research on
energy efficient, environmentally sound methods to address this urban congestion problem.
Enhanced Water Quality Management
Given the mid-Atlantic’s coastal location and important inland waterways, the management of
stormwater on transportation facilities is particularly important to protect watersheds. Regional
transportation agencies are particularly interested in looking beyond meeting minimum regulations
to developing more sustainable water quality management practices.
Sustainable Land-use Practices
The mid-Atlantic region is made up of an incredibly diverse mix of densely populated urban areas,
sparsely populated forested regions, brownfield sites, and others. One-size-fits-all land use policies
and practices simply will not work. The center will investigate practices that promote
environmental sustainability.
Note that a number of projects are currently underway in each of the focus areas, as part of the MATS UTC Core
Research Program. The titles of these projects are listed below. Descriptions of the projects may be found on the
MATS UTC website (www.matsutc.org ).
Sustainable Freight Movement
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Multimodal Freight Distribution to Support Increased Port Operations
Alternative Fuels Usage in Maritime Transportation System
Coastal Infrastructure Resiliency
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Structural Enhancements to Adapt to Impacts of Climate Change
Multimodal Transportation Facility Resilience Index
Infrastructure Resilience and Adaptation for Hurricanes in Coastal Areas
Energy Efficient Urban Transportation
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Mode Choice Between Electric Vehicles and Rail Transit for Commute Trips
Network-wide Impacts of Eco-routes and Route Choice Behavior/Evaluation of AERIS Applications
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Traffic Control Systems Monitoring to Reduce Emissions and Fuel Consumption
Enhanced Water Quality Management
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Monitoring of Highway Pollution Runoff
A GIS-based Tool for Tracking Transportation Infrastructure Impacts on Water Resources
Sustainable Land Use Practices
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Land Use Master Planning for Environmental Sustainability
Investigation of Infrastructure and Development Patterns to Support Reduced Driving
Project Needs Identified by the MATS UTC Advisory Panel
Members of the MATS UTC Advisory Panel have suggested the following topics as being of importance for
investigation in the mid-Atlantic region. Investigators are encouraged to submit proposals that address these topic
areas.
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Freight movement - Increasing the future share of freight movement by barge and rail to respond to future
port expansion and demand
Recurrent flooding and sea level rise impacts on transportation investments and infrastructure –
incorporating in the project prioritization and selection process
Enhancing multimodal planning and energy efficient modes to reduce congestion and improve air
quality/environment. (fast ferry, high(er) speed passenger rail and effective transit service)
Analysis of transit data to compare hybrid and non-hybrid buses
Comparison of life-time fuel costs of diesel versus gas engines in light duty transit vehicles
Conducting Research within the MATS UTC
Collaboration Requirements
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Each proposal must include 2 or more MATS UTC member institutions. The underlying philosophy of
the center is that collaboration will result in projects with greater impact. Only proposals that include 2 or
more MATS UTC member institutions will be considered.
Each PI may only submit one proposal as lead investigator. The lead investigator must be at one of the
six universities in the MATS UTC consortium.
Each MATS UTC member university may only submit a maximum of five proposals with lead
investigators from that university.
Budget Considerations: Key items to consider include:

There is a maximum of $750K available in this first round of funding in the competitive, collaborative
research program. In order to allow for a breadth of projects, it is desirable for proposal budgets to be less
than $150,000 from Federal sources ($300,000 total including non-federal match); however, there is not a
specific maximum project funding limit.
Schedule Considerations:
 All Research must be completed no later than May 31, 2016. We will be eager to share the results of
these projects.
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Reporting Considerations
 Investigators must be responsive to the UVA Director and Managing Director in terms of communication,
reporting and providing inputs. The UVA team must be kept abreast of project changes and activities
spanning challenges and triumphs. Reports will include:
o Project description in MATS UTC format (due two weeks after project award).
o Semi-annual progress reports in MATS UTC format
o Lists of associated papers and presentations, media mentions, other technical transfer
o Updated deployment plan (annually and with project completion)
o Final project report in MATS UTC format (due by May 31, 2016 or 45 days after project completion,
whichever is earlier).
General submission guidelines:
1) Minimum font size of 11 pt, in Cambria, Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, or Times New Roman. Single-spaced, 1 inch
margins, written in English.
2) Overall, following the attached template and must be at or under 9 pages total in length to include:
a. Three pages following the template exactly of investigator and collaborator contact information,
project dates, MATS UTC focus area, research need, research goals and objectives, future research,
USDOT-ready Research Description, and Technical Transfer/Research Deployment Plan. The
Research Deployment Plan/Route to Implementation is ½-1 page. Ideally external champions for
the project should be identified with proposal submission or by the Advisory Board.
b. Technical descriptions must be no longer than 4 pages - The four-page maximum includes all
graphics. Technical description should include Overview, Methodology/Work Plan, and Expected
Impacts/Benefits. The contributions of different investigators and different universities should be
obvious and complementary in the joint project.
c. Budget and schedule should be provided on 1-2 pages. These projects require 100% non-federal
match. These proposals do not have to be submitted through your OSP (that will happen after
award) but the review will include whether the budget, schedule, described match and roles of each
investigator seem realistic and supported given the scope of the technical text. We expect that
these projects will start on January 1, 2015.
3) Proposals may be accompanied by letters of support.
Submissions will be evaluated by a panel of external reviewers with expertise in transportation and sustainability.
The evaluators will consider relevance to the call, originality, potential impact, implementation feasibility, quality
of presentation, budget and schedule realism. The evaluations will be provided to inform the MATS UTC Advisory
Panel who will advise the MATS UTC leadership team in project selection.
Deadline:
Electronic submission of proposals:
 Submit your proposal by no later than October 15, 2014 by 7pm EDT to Emily Parkany at
[email protected] . Note that your proposal may become a permanent part of the MATS UTC
website, visible to everyone.
 You will be notified regarding the status of your proposal once the external reviewers have made their
reviews and the Advisory Board has reviewed all submissions and made their selections. Further
instructions from the advisory board on proceeding with your research will be available in the terms of
your acceptance.
 We anticipate funding up to five projects in Fall 2014.
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Mid-Atlantic Transportation Sustainability Center
Regional University Transportation Center Consortium led by the University of Virginia
Research Project Proposal
Contact & Project Title
Person submitting
Email
Institution
Date submitted
Project Title:
Principal Investigator Contact Information
Principal Investigator
Co-Principal Investigator (if applicable)
Name
Name
Title
Title
Institution
_______
Institution
Address
City
Office Phone
Address
State
Zip
City
Mobile
State
Office Phone
Zip
Mobile
Collaborator from within the consortium but external to your university
Name
Title
Institution
Address
City
State
Email
Office Phone
Mobile
Zip
Collaborator from within the consortium but external to your university
Name
Title
Institution
Address
City
State
Email
Office Phone
Mobile
1
Zip
Anticipated start and end dates:
From
To
Research Area: Please select which of the MATS-UTC research areas this project applies to (check all that apply)
□ Sustainable Freight Movement
□ Coastal Infrastructure Resiliency
□ Energy Efficient Transportation
□ Enhanced Water Quality Management
□ Sustainable Land-use Practices
Need for Research: Describe why this research is necessary, the problem/issue you propose to address, and/or the need statement
put forth by the customer. (Limit to space here.)
Research Goals and Objectives: Describe the anticipated or desired outcome of the research. (Limit to space here.)
Future Research: Please describe how this research can lead to larger research projects with diverse research partners. Include
who you envision being part of that research team. (Limit to space here.)
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Research Description and Approach: Enter a clear, succinct project description, including the approach/process planned. Describe
how the objectives will be accomplished through a logical, innovative, and rational plan. This is the description that will be
submitted to USDOT immediately following project selection. (Fill space here or use a maximum of one page.)
Expected Technical Transfer Outcomes: Please select all that apply, then describe how these will be executed in the next item.
□ I anticipate this project will result in a traditional or online training program for professionals
□ I anticipate this project will result in a guidebook or similar publication in addition to an academic report
□ I anticipate this project will result in a potential patent or otherwise marketable product
□ I anticipate this project will be a viable subject for a webinar
□ Other
Expected Technical Transfer Outcomes (cont.): Technology Deployment/Research Implementation Plan: Describe in detail your
plan for how these research results will be implemented in the field, adopted into best practices, or otherwise find application in
the real world that will be of direct benefit to your customer or the transportation community at large. Identifying agency project
champions in the proposal stage is encouraged. Describe the potential professional development opportunities, training, products,
and/or processes that will result from this research. (Fill space here or use a maximum of one page.)
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Technical Description (Limited to maximum of four pages.) The Technical Description MUST include: Overview,
Methodology/Work Plan with detailed description of the tasks to be conducted and a schedule for each phase or task, and
Expected Impacts and Benefits. The contributions of different investigators and different universities should be obvious and
complementary in the joint project. The page limit includes all graphics.
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Budget and schedule should be provided on 1-2 pages. These projects require 100% non-federal match. These proposals do not
have to be submitted through your OSP (that will happen after award) but the review will include whether the budget, schedule,
described match and roles of each investigator seem realistic and supported given the scope of the technical text. We expect that
these projects will start on January 1, 2015.
UTC costs total $
Non-federal cost-share total $
Anticipated funding source(s) for non-federal cost share:
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