National Center for Transit Research at the University of South Florida Selected as a Tier 1 University Transportation Center

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9/29/06. The U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT's) Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) has selected the University of South Florida (USF) as one of the ten (10) Tier I University Transportation Centers (UTC) in the country. The UTC Program was established in 1987 with the mission "to advance U.S. technology and expertise in the many disciplines comprising transportation through the mechanisms of education, research and technology transfer at university-based centers of excellence." Tier I UTCs are expected to work collaboratively with DOT and state and local transportation stakeholders, and provide leadership in making national and regional contributions to solving immediate and long-range transportation challenges.

"We couldn’t have done it without the great partners we have at Florida DOT, who have matched our federal UTC dollars for many years, the Florida Transportation Commission, and the member agencies of the Florida Public Transportation Association," said Ed Mierzejewski, Director of the Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) at USF.

"We are excited about the opportunities to continue to add value to transportation agencies, professionals, and students. We know it is not about us… it is about how we can help the transportation community do its best in providing a balanced and safe transportation system. We look forward to more years of carrying out that mission," added Joel Volinski, Director National Center for Transit Research at CUTR.

A total of 36 universities applied for the four-year designation, which authorizes each of the selected universities to receive up to $1 million per year beginning in FY 2007. Federal UTC grants must be matched on a dollar-for-dollar basis with non-federal funding, except as provided by SAFETEA-LU. Following the established practices of previous UTC competitions, each proposal underwent a rigorous screening process by a multi-modal, interdisciplinary evaluation team from across DOT prior to final selection by the RITA Administrator.