Framing Surface Transportation Research for the Nation’s Future (2013) / Chapter Skim
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APPENDIX B: Workshop Discussion Papers
APPENDIX B: Workshop Discussion Papers
Pages 154-158
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From page 154... ...
These themes were • Agenda setting and processes, • Models for collaboration, • Performance assessment, and • Funding long-term research. The committee formulated questions relating to each theme and included them in the papers to provide guidance to workshop guests and help stimulate informative discussions.
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From page 155... ...
transportation experts who toured Europe and Asia in April 2008 observed that, in the countries visited, transportation RD&D is directly related to national economic growth and competitiveness, among other goals.1 Questions • What processes do you use to set the national RD&D agenda and establish multiyear RD&D program plans? Are these processes top down or bottom up?
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From page 156... ...
Examples include the widespread adoption of premium steel and aggressive track-maintenance protocols, which have reduced derailments and doubled the service life of rails; and, in the case of highways, the adoption of protocols for longerlasting pavements. The transportation sector is becoming more reliant on public–private– academic partnerships and on leveraging RD&D conducted in all three sectors to their mutual benefit.
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From page 157... ...
THEME 4: FUNDING LONG-TERM RESEARCH Context In the United States, efforts to develop and sustain long-term research initiatives have often run into difficulties because of politically mandated research agendas that are relatively short term. Research for which a payoff is years, or even decades, away is less likely to receive funding than research offering more immediate benefits.
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From page 158... ...
For example, such research might consider the impacts of climate change on transportation systems or the implications of changing demographics for future travel behavior and demand, thereby providing guidance about whether to invest in costly and long-lived transportation infrastructure. Questions • Does your research portfolio include funding for long-term initiatives as well as for short-term applied research?
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