6
Summary and Recommendations
Although technology transfer in the highway industry is complex and requires considerable effort from all participants, the process is essential to accelerated innovation and to the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA’s) technology delivery mission. The committee’s proposed strategy for future FHWA technology transfer activities as described in the previous chapter reflects recognition of the complexity of technology, as well as the fragmented nature of the highway industry and the unpredictable nature of technology transfer. The proposed strategy serves as straightforward guidance for directing FHWA’s limited resources at industry needs in support of enhancing the nation’s highway system. In addition, the effectiveness of various technology transfer tactics and tools should be examined on a regular basis to determine their effectiveness. The final component of the proposed strategy includes gathering information that should be useful in measuring performance in specific technology transfer activities. This information can also be used to assess the overall effectiveness of technology transfer and to make future resource allocation decisions.
FHWA’s recent reorganization included the elimination of the Office of Technology Applications (OTA), formerly the focus for FHWA technology transfer activity, and the creation of new technology transfer groups within each of the five new core business units and the research, development, and technology service unit. However, FHWA did not assign agencywide management responsibility for technology transfer activities to any single office. Technology transfer is too important to FHWA’s technology delivery mission for the agency to neglect key management requirements of the process, such as setting agencywide technology transfer priorities; coordinating technology transfer activities across the core business units; maintaining internal expertise in the process; and determining what works in the long run, in terms of both new technologies and technology transfer methods, for new research products and FHWA’s customers. Failure to address these management requirements could hinder FHWA’s ability to fulfill its technology delivery mission. Moreover, if overall management responsibility for technology transfer is not assigned, FHWA will be unable to track technology transfer performance and measure progress toward goals. In this context, the committee offers the following recommendations for strengthening FHWA’s technology transfer program.
FHWA should assign agencywide management responsibility for technology transfer to one of its headquarters offices. That office should then prepare a management plan for future FHWA technology transfer activities. The functions recommended here would differ significantly from those formerly carried out by OTA. OTA’s mission was to implement new technology. This recommendation is for an office with the mission of providing a strategic focus at the corporate level for technology transfer activities throughout the core business units. The recommended plan should describe how the office would coordinate future FHWA technology transfer activities across the core business units; the Research, Development, and Technology service unit; and the field organization. Specific items that should be addressed in the plan include how FHWA will set agencywide technology transfer priorities, monitor individual technology transfer activities, and measure performance so it can learn what does and does not work.
FHWA’s technology transfer management plan should include a strategy for the agency’s technology transfer activities. This strategy
should incorporate the key characteristics of successful technology transfer and the four strategy components outlined in Chapter 5. The committee believes FHWA needs such a fundamental strategy if it is to carry out its stated mission of delivering technology to the highway industry with the limited resources available.
Finally, FHWA needs to develop strong partnerships with those who use and implement highway technologies, as well as the decision makers who are responsible for funding related to innovation. The committee believes involvement of the user community is critical to the success of both R&D and technology transfer activities, and recognizes that FHWA has initiated efforts to identify and engage its technology partners. The agency should continue these efforts and bring its partners into the research phase of its technology development activities as early as possible to help define and direct the research effort. FHWA’s partners, particularly the states, are much closer to the operating environment in which technology must succeed and are essential to its successful implementation.
