The transit cooperative research program (TCRP) conducts applied research and produces timely reports and other tools useful to public transportation professionals

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) awarded a $7.03M cooperative agreement to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) on September 18, 2025, under the Public Transportation Innovation program (CFDA 20.530) to support the Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP). The agreement extends through May 31, 2030, and funds NAS's Transportation Research Board to serve as secretariat for TCRP operations in Washington, DC. Under this cooperative agreement, NAS will identify transit research and development priorities, organize and manage annual solicitations for research projects, and facilitate participation from transit operators, local government officials, construction organizations, financiers, real estate developers, and community representatives in problem identification and solution development.

TCRP delivers applied research addressing a comprehensive spectrum of public transportation concerns including facilities, vehicles, equipment, service concepts, operations, maintenance, human resources, administrative practices, funding, finance, planning, and policy. The program produces timely reports and tools designed to solve operational problems and introduce innovations benefiting transit providers, riders, and the public. Core deliverables include research findings dissemination, technical information transfer and exchange, and coordination with federal transit research initiatives. Through its work, TCRP promotes informed decision-making across the transportation industry and advances the FTA's mission to improve public transportation systems that ensure access and mobility for all communities.

Activities

The objectives of the transit cooperative research program are as follows:to identify transit problems in need of research and development (RD) investigation and to establish a priority ranking among them. To provide an opportunity for transit operators local government officials and many other constituencies including construction organizations financiers real estate developers and community representatives to identify problems and participate in developing appropriate solutions.to improve communications technical information transfer and exchange; andto provide a means of addressing a variety of near-term transit problems in cooperation and in coordination with the federal program on transit research.

Expected outcomes

The transit cooperative research programs mission is to promote select and conduct research and disseminate findings of research to improve the practice and performance of public transportation.

Intended beneficiaries

The national academy of sciences engineering and medicines (NASEM) transportation research board acts as secretariat to tcrp as outlined in the application including organizing and managing the annual solicitation of problem statements and their preparation for consideration by the tops commission. TRB will convene project panel meetings appoint expert technical panelists to define the project work statement and guide the research; develop and distribute a request for proposals; and then process and evaluate proposals to select the best qualified research organization to perform the work. Additionally TRB will conduct and follow-up on decisions resulting from meetings of the tops commission; administer the cooperative agreement and third-party contracts; provide quarterly progress reports financial reports and final close-out reporting to FTA; and disseminate the results of tcrp projects widely through on-line reports the tcrp website webinars social media and other dissemination mechanisms.

Subrecipient activities

Tcrp apta FTA and other organizations and stakeholders will plan a mini summit to discuss what is possible and how to meaningfully address turning research into practice.