Framing Surface Transportation Research for the Nation’s Future (2013) / Chapter Skim
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4 Transportation Research Frameworks in Other Countries
4 Transportation Research Frameworks in Other Countries
Pages 70-94
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From page 70... ...
It then presents certain of their research frameworks' key features that, if adopted in the United States, could potentially enhance the productivity of investments in U.S. surface transportation research.
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From page 71... ...
This strategy made the best use of available time and resources, allowing the committee to target foreign research practices most likely to benefit surface transportation research in the United States. The countries visited on the 2008 scan tour provided useful pointers as policy makers considered enhancing the U.S.
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From page 72... ...
TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH ORGANIZATIONS Transport Directorate, Directorate–General for Research and Innovation, European Commission The EU is an economic and political coalition of 27 member states operating through a series of supranational institutions. The European Commission, the executive body of the EU, sets objectives and priorities for action, proposes legislation to the European Parliament, and manages and implements the EU's policies and budget.
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From page 73... ...
is a national transportation research institute funded by the French government.5 It was established on January 1, 2011, through a merger of the French Central Laboratory of Roads and Bridges and the French National Institute for Transport Safety and Research. Overseen by two government departments (the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development, Transport, and Housing and the Ministry of Higher Education and Research)
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From page 74... ...
on December 1, 2011; from discussions with Joris Al, Max Klok, and Jan van der Waard in 2011 at the 90th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) ; and from the RWS 2010 annual report (RWS 2010)
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From page 75... ...
The focus is on improving the day-to-day operations of the country's transportation systems, including their asset management and life-cycle analyses. SWOV Institute for Road Safety Research, the Netherlands SWOV, founded in 1962, is the major Dutch road-safety organization devoted to scientific research.9 The institute's average annual turnover is €5 to €6 million ($7 to $8 million)
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From page 76... ...
funds from a variety of other sources, including local governments, the Korea Railroad Construction Corporation, the Korea Aviation Corporation, the Korea Highway Corporation, and, most importantly, the Korea Institute of Construction and Transportation Technology Evaluation 11 Information about MLIT was obtained from Morichi (2011) , from discussions with Morichi at the committee's October 2011 workshop, and from the ministry's website (http://www.mlit.go.jp/ en/index.html)
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From page 77... ...
APPROACHES TO RESEARCH FUNCTIONS This section highlights successful foreign research practices that could potentially benefit surface transportation research in the United States. The discussion is organized according to the research functions identified in Chapter 2, with one additional function added at the section's end.
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From page 78... ...
KOTI's annual research action planning, for example, is primarily a top-down activity, as it is closely tied to the South Korean government's five-year midterm research planning. In contrast, preparation of the EU's initial FP proposal has an important bottom-up component.
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From page 79... ...
. Agenda Balance and Scope The EU emphasizes the need for an agenda that balances the many demands on transportation research, such as modal versus system issues, or technical versus policy issues.
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From page 80... ...
This strategy plan is used to guide the research tasks that RWS supports at universities and other research organizations. Distribution of Funding for Specific Research Activities Different countries take different approaches to funding the various categories of research, such as basic, advanced, and applied.
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From page 81... ...
For example, research at universities contributes advanced knowledge and relatively unrestrained thinking, and academia also helps develop human capital for future research. The central government is best positioned to communicate the goals of cooperative research efforts, develop technology roadmaps, and support research on technologies destined primarily for public-sector applications.
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From page 82... ...
For example, France's IFSTTAR is involved in several Research and Academic Clusters (PRES) , which are regional public bodies that allow universities, specialized schools, and other research organizations to participate in international scientific projects.16 Greater Coordination Research partnerships also facilitate coordination among research activities supported by different funding organizations.
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From page 83... ...
Similarly, SWOV cooperates with other Dutch and foreign research and educational organizations to support its ongoing quest for higher research quality. Research Evaluation All the transportation research organizations considered by the committee view research evaluation as an essential tool for determining which programs work better than others and for what reasons.
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From page 84... ...
These invitations, which come both from the scientific community and organizations interested in the practical implementation of research results,19 provide opportunities for the increased exposure of SWOV's staff and the dissemination of their knowledge. Dissemination of Results Several organizations highlighted the importance of disseminating the results of their research.
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From page 85... ...
Technology road-mapping and the promotion of joint academia–government–industry research partnerships help establish implementation plans; funding incentives encourage private-sector research; and the use and dissemination of new technologies are encouraged through the promotion of international standardization and the provision of subsidies for the technologies' introduction. Research and Human Capital During the committee's discussions, representatives from several organizations noted the important role of research in attracting and training future transportation professionals.
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From page 86... ...
LESSONS LEARNED This section analyzes information that the committee gathered on the transportation research frameworks of the EU, France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Japan, and South Korea. These analyses are presented within six categories: • Governance structure, • Cohesive research frameworks, • Links to societal goals, • Importance of basic and advanced research, • Value of research partnerships, and • Research evaluation.
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From page 87... ...
. As in the United States, the research frameworks of the European and Asian nations engage academia, government, and industry in the national transportation research endeavor.
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From page 88... ...
. Cohesive Research Frameworks Because the surface transportation networks and systems in many European and Asian countries are centralized, their transportation research frameworks are correspondingly cohesive.
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From page 89... ...
. These Europe-wide community-building efforts have established linkages between national surface transportation research activities and broader pan-European programs; representatives of several European transportation research organizations commented to the committee on their involvement in such efforts.
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From page 90... ...
surface transportation research often, though not always, lacks the clear linkages to national goals that characterize research frameworks in other nations. American exceptions include research partnerships between the federal government and industry that target technologies for more fuel-efficient vehicles; for example, the 21st Century Truck Partnership addresses national goals for reducing the nation's dependence on imported oil and cutting greenhouse gas emissions (see Chapter 3)
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From page 91... ...
Research evaluation also uses lessons learned from past experience to inform future research planning. HIGHLIGHTS Highlights of the committee's analysis of information on transportation research frameworks in other countries are listed in Box 4-1.
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From page 92... ...
• Research partnerships, both formal and informal, can be established through a variety of mechanisms, including research institutes, transnational cooperative initiatives, research public–private partnerships, research networks, and technology platforms. • Balancing top-down and bottom-up approaches to setting a country's research agenda makes it more likely to be techni cally robust and reflective of national and societal goals.
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From page 93... ...
Presented to Committee on National Research Frameworks: Application to Transportation, Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, Wash ington, D.C., July 19. Jacob, B
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From page 94... ...
Presented to Committee on National Research Frameworks: Application to Transportation, Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, Washington, D.C., July 19. Ruegg, R., and G
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