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Pages 55-83

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From page 55...
... 55 Case example interviews were conducted with transportation research programs of five agencies: District DOT, Louisiana DOTD, Minnesota DOT, Ohio DOT, and Utah DOT. These states were chosen on recommendation by state DOT survey participants, the NCHRP Synthesis Panel, and by the study team in order to gain a diverse range of perspectives on how agencies of different sizes, budgets, research models, and geographical locations manage their research programs for program quality and value.
From page 56...
... 56 Managing State Transportation Research Programs Agency Summary and Unique Features District (of Columbia) Department of Transportation The District Department of Transportation has one of the smallest agency research programs, yet it is one of the few that is implementing a strategic plan for continuous improvement.
From page 57...
... Case Examples 57 Agency Summary and Unique Features Services Division and the Local Road Research Board use research strategic plans to set the direction of their programs and to contribute to the overall State Multimodal Transportation Plan to fulfill the Minnesota GO Vision. Ohio Department of Transportation The Ohio DOT's research program has gone through significant structural and procedural changes over the last 5 years to maximize its program value.
From page 58...
... 58 Managing State Transportation Research Programs Background DDOT's Research Program is located in the Planning and Sustainability Division, reporting to the Associate Director for the Planning and Sustainability Division. The research program administers research funding, manages research projects, and promotes agency innovation.
From page 59...
... Case Examples 59 procedures, and process documents. To improve the quality of its research projects, the agency has decided to incorporate peer reviewers (outside experts)
From page 60...
... 60 Managing State Transportation Research Programs Although the size of the research program is small, the program feels that it is well staffed relative to its research funding. There is generally enough capacity to oversee its projects with a typical load of three to seven projects per staff member.
From page 61...
... Case Examples 61 Program Quality Oversight for project execution, budgeting, and implementation is the responsibility of the Research Program Manager at DDOT. The agency does not withhold payment for poor-quality research, and there is currently no consistent method for evaluating completed research projects through performance measures.
From page 62...
... 62 Managing State Transportation Research Programs located on a university campus, with roughly half of research projects conducted by DOTD staff members and half of research projects conducted by university faculty. In recent years, LTRC developed a Local Technical Assistance program to evaluate issues in the field and provide recommendations.
From page 63...
... Case Examples 63 Current Initiatives The research program has a technology transfer engineer who proofreads, edits reports for technical issues, and creates technical summaries and capsules. Project capsules are short research briefs published when a research study begins, outlining the need for the research, the study's objectives and methodology, and the potential for future implementation.
From page 64...
... 64 Managing State Transportation Research Programs LTRC is expending significant effort to reach out to the consulting community and DOT employees at large to include more of them in the research project identification process. The program hopes to gain research engagement from underrepresented offices that do not typically do research.
From page 65...
... Case Examples 65 4. The Policy Committee has broad oversight over LTRC activities and is made up of deans of all degree-granting engineering schools as well as DOTD's division directors.
From page 66...
... 66 Managing State Transportation Research Programs Figure 31. LTRC problem statement solicitation form.
From page 67...
... Case Examples 67 learned as well as to evaluate individual researcher performance. Most of the research conducted is peer reviewed, a unique attribute of the program.
From page 68...
... 68 Managing State Transportation Research Programs Source: LTRC 2016b. Figure 33.
From page 69...
... Case Examples 69 Background MnDOT Research Services and Library are located within the Modal Planning and Project Management (MPPM) Division and report to the Office Director of Transportation System Management.
From page 70...
... 70 Managing State Transportation Research Programs Program Capability Research Direction The Research Services and Library set their research direction through both the development of a DOT-wide strategic plan as well as through the development of a research strategic plan. Executive leadership, mid-level managers, and the Research Advisory Committee are all involved in the development of these strategies.
From page 71...
... Case Examples 71 and conduct 62% of MnDOT-sponsored research projects. MnDOT research staff also principally rely on other external partners such as AASHTO for committee participation; TRB for its core services such as webinars, annual conference, and publications; local associations for LRRB program administration through city and county representatives; and technology vendors for videos, marketing materials, website development, research database support, and development and report generation.
From page 72...
... 72 Managing State Transportation Research Programs MnDOT Research Services uses its own Automated Research Tracking System (ARTS) database to manage research administration and track proposals, project progress, and project outcomes.
From page 73...
... Case Examples 73 Research is overseen by a combination of the two governing boards (LRRB and TRIG) , the Research Program Manager, project managers, and university faculty contractors.
From page 74...
... 74 Managing State Transportation Research Programs The research program administers research funding, manages research projects, promotes agency innovation, and monitors implementation. The program also manages library services.
From page 75...
... Case Examples 75 relies on AASHTO for surveys to support ongoing research, TRB for NCHRP research and annual field visits in topical areas, as well as local associations to provide board members for and propose research ideas to ORIL. Research Funding The program's total research budget for FY2017 was $11,152,110 and came from three main sources: 78% State Planning and Research Part B funds, 19% state funds (including the 20% match for SPR funds)
From page 76...
... 76 Managing State Transportation Research Programs Program Quality The research program maintains quality through research report reviews by the research technical panel and the project manager. Ohio DOT's payment policy also supports quality control by withholding 20% of each invoice payment during the project that is not paid until final deliverables have been received.
From page 77...
... Case Examples 77 Program Value Research dissemination is tracked by the research program, but there is no designated position for tracking this. Research dissemination occurs most frequently through the website, research reports, research briefs, and sometimes through journal articles or research presentations.
From page 78...
... 78 Managing State Transportation Research Programs The research program administers research funding, manages research projects, performs in-house research, promotes agency innovation, and monitors implementation. The program also manages library services.
From page 79...
... Case Examples 79 Program Capability Research Direction The Research and Innovation Division sets its vision, goals, and objectives through an advisory board but not through a formal strategic plan. The UTRAC annual workshop helps identify components of the program's research strategic direction.
From page 80...
... 80 Managing State Transportation Research Programs State Planning and Research Funds 65% State Funds 20% Multi-State Pooled Funds 10% Other Federal Funds 5% Figure 42. UDOT research funding sources.
From page 81...
... Case Examples 81 Program Management UDOT uses a multifaceted method for prioritizing research areas and topics, through the UTRAC Workshop and council, open submission and voting, and focus groups. The UTRAC council and priorities defined at the annual workshop help inform the development of the division's vision, goals, and objectives.
From page 82...
... 82 Managing State Transportation Research Programs Source: UDOT Research Newsletter, Spring 2018, Page 1. Figure 44.
From page 83...
... Case Examples 83 is improved, as long as the researcher is willing to improve and re-deliver it. However, even in cases of a poor-quality final report, payment for the work completed and the final deliverable is typically made to the researcher.

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