USDOT Office of Research and Technology

09/10/2026

⏳T-minus 15 days until the ARPA-I Ideas Challenge Finals!

🗓️ Date & time: Friday, September 25, 2026 | 9 AM ET
📍 Location: USDOT Headquarters
🔗 Learn more: https://www.transportation.gov/arpa-i/ideas-challenge

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Advanced Research Projects Agency - Infrastructure (ARPA-I) launched the Ideas Challenge to catalyze high-risk, high-reward technologies designed to modernize America’s infrastructure, boost safety, and reduce systemic costs.

Out of 448 nationwide submissions, four breakthrough finalist teams have advanced to showcase their concepts live at USDOT HQ and compete for a share of $700,000 in Stage 2 cash prizes (out of the $1M total challenge purse):

🔸Agentic Middle-Mile Freight (Dr. Lacy Greening, Dr. Reem Khir): Adaptive, resilient middle-mile freight operations.

🔸BIO-BUILDS (ARCTOS Technology Solutions): Biologically innovative operations for lean, durable infrastructure.

🔸NavSentinel (TruNav, LLC): Resilient, spoof-proof GNSS navigation receivers.

🔸PRISM (UTC Research Institute): AI-powered real-time intelligence for shared mobility.

More about the four finalists: https://www.transportation.gov/arpa-i/ideas-challenge/finalists

The ARPA Panel discussion, moderated by USDOT Chief of Staff, Pete Meachum, will feature senior leaders from all five ARPAs (a historic first) including the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency - DARPA, Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E), Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, IARPA (Intelligence), and ARPA-I (Infrastructure). This exciting panel discussion will feature a rare conversation between leaders of all of the ARPAs about the strengths of the ARPA innovation model for the development, commercialization, and scaling of transformative technologies.

09/09/2026

An inspiring day in Santa Cruz exploring the future of mobility with Assistant Secretary Seval Oz, Baskin Engineering at UCSC (part of our TraCR UTC), and Joby Aviation!

Remarkably, this visit marked the first time UCSC leadership, faculty, and PhD students sat down on campus with USDOT representatives. Closing that gap is a core priority, which is why THIS administration is ambitiously continuing to meet face-to-face with scientific academic institutions, and leading engineering and computer science programs, from across our nation.

From cutting-edge automation for aircraft robotics, transportation, and cyber-physical systems, to the multi-campus California initiative CITRIS and the Banatao Institute, UCSC is developing safety-critical tech with direct applications for the U.S. Department of Transportation and NHTSA. Nearby, Joby Aviation demonstrated how inter-state hub operations are charting a fast air mobility flight path toward automation.

Bridging federal research with world-class academic innovation and industry leaders accelerates real-world progress. Our doors are wide open for collaboration!

09/08/2026

𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙪𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝘿𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨! 100% 𝙋𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣! 𝘼𝙪𝙩𝙤𝙣𝙤𝙢𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙖 𝙬𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙜𝙚𝙖𝙧.

Autonomous driving achieved a landmark milestone at the Indy Autonomous Challenge (IAC) as university engineering teams battled in the world’s first head-to-head passing competition on a technical road course at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

Assistant Secretary Seval Oz served as Grand Marshal, championing the researchers and student leaders defining the future of AI, vehicle safety, and high-performance mobility. Following intense time trials, the top teams put on an extraordinary display of real-time autonomous decision-making and precision passing.

The official podium:
🥇 1st Place: Unimore Racing
🥈 2nd Place: Purdue AI Racing
🥉 3rd Place: PoliMOVE Autonomous Racing Team

Thank you to IAC President and CEO Paul Mitchell for a spectacular event, and congratulations to every team accelerating safety and innovation on and off the track.

👉 ICYMI: https://www.youtube.com/live/L_HBfhxSUIo?si=7bG5dJPBds15pbEE

09/03/2026

𝘾𝙤𝙖𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙫𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙪𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙖𝙘𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙢𝙞𝙖 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙮 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙄𝙣𝙙𝙮 𝘼𝙪𝙩𝙤𝙣𝙤𝙢𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘼𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙩!🏎️

Assistant Secretary Seval Oz served as Grand Marshall at the Indy Autonomous Challenge at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, CA, where top university teams pushed autonomous racecars to the limit (with speeds close to 200mph) on a technical road course.

No drivers, no safety net. Just high-speed, head-to-head software competition.

This autonomous race demonstrates visionary automated software technology under President Trump and Secretary Duffy’s Golden Age of Transportation.🌟

↗️ 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Translating track-tested autonomous software and Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems into real-world, commercial safety solutions.

🌎 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲: Keeping the U.S. at the forefront of AI, robotics, and advanced transportation infrastructure.

🔬 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗠: Empowering top student talent to build the high-tech workforce of tomorrow.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗶𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝘃𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘇𝗼𝗻, 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸.

The teams: https://www.indyautonomouschallenge.com/teams

09/02/2026

𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗟𝗼𝘂𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗮!

The city was among 10% of applicants nationwide awarded the nearly $1 million U.S. Department of Transportation SMART Grant funding the state’s first autonomous bus.

Introducing autonomous buses in Shreveport-Bossier will create more than a new way to get around. Under President Trump and Secretary Duffy’s Golden Age of Transportation, the move is expected to create new jobs in the city.

SporTran now has a self-driving bus, a first for the state of Louisiana.

09/01/2026

$𝟭𝗠 U.S. Department of Transportation 𝗦𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗧 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗟𝗼𝘂𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗮!

“It is the first time that we have an autonomous bus in the state of Louisiana,” said Assistant Secretary Seval Oz. “The eyes of America, and not just America but the world, are looking at us today.”

The new bus is part of a pilot program that SporTran hopes to expand across the Shreveport-Bossier area.

Rolling out its first autonomous electric transit vehicle is Sportran.

08/28/2026

History in the making for Louisiana public transit!🚘

Assistant Secretary Seval Oz was in Shreveport to announce the state’s FIRST autonomous bus, funded by a nearly $1 Million U.S. Department of Transportation SMART grant. Testing begins in the Downtown Entertainment District and Medical Corridor with SporTran to evaluate cutting-edge automated transit technology focused on safety, efficiency, and accessibility.

Safety is our #1 priority, and through SMART grants, American communities of every size are benefiting from transformative technology.

The eyes of the nation are on Shreveport as it leads the way under President Trump and Secretary Duffy’s Golden Age of Transportation.

08/27/2026

08/25/2026

𝘾𝙤𝙜𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣.

Assistant Secretary Seval Oz recently spoke at the Rhode Island Department of Transportation Symposium/Peer Exchange on AI in the Road & Mobility Sector at the New England Institute of Technology, highlighting how the U.S. Department of Transportation is bringing real-world AI solutions to our transportation system.

🛣️𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗼𝗿𝘀: Mobilizing multi-state coalitions, along with academic and private sector partners, through the Digital Corridors Initiative to share interoperable, real-time data on work zones, lane closures, and truck parking.

🏗️𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲: Directing $20M toward digital infrastructure through the Every Day Counts (EDC-8) program and upcoming Digital Corridors Initiative NOFO, plus a $550K SMART grant for intelligent traffic signals in East Providence, RI to curb local congestion.

💻𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲: Training the next generation of transportation professionals through the ITS JPO Professional Capacity Building Program and University Transportation Center research.

Thank you to RIDOT Assistant Director for Administrative Services Christos Xenophontos and all participants for an inspiring, forward-leaning conversation!

08/24/2026

𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙚𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙚, 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙚𝙨 𝙠𝙚𝙥𝙩: 𝘿𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙖𝙙𝙡𝙮 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙣 𝙞𝙣𝙛𝙧𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙍𝙝𝙤𝙙𝙚 𝙄𝙨𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙙!🏗️👏

Assistant Secretary Seval Oz and Federal Highway Administration Administrator Sean McMaster recently joined Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee, Rhode Island Department of Transportation Interim Director Robert Rocchio, and members of the Rhode Island Congressional delegation to inspect the $144 million I-95 “Missing Move” and Quonset Ramps project in East Greenwich.

First planned in the 1960s, these freight routes and southbound travel ramps were delayed for generations. Under President Trump and Secretary Duffy, we are finally delivering an uninterrupted freeway link between I-95, Route 4, and the Quonset Business Park, including the Port of Davisville.

This is exactly how we deliver:
🔨Building critical infrastructure connections to get Rhode Island traffic moving again.
🛣️Connecting over 15,000 American workers at the Quonset Business Park and the Port of Davisville to the main interstate.
⏲️Saving commuters 30 minutes at peak congestion.
🚛Getting heavy trucks out of neighborhoods and back onto highways.

The visit concluded with a tour of REGENT, a seaglider startup in Quonset. Joined by Co-Founder and CEO Billy Thalheimer and his team, officials viewed a prototype and simulator, toured the new manufacturing facility, and saw the Viceroy seaglider and the deep-water port at the Port of Davisville where the company has been testing the water craft.

Infrastructure is the backbone of our economy. We are spending wisely and getting things done to support American jobs and families. Thank you to our hosts for partnering with the U.S. Department of Transportation to rebuild American infrastructure! 🇺🇸