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University of Minnesota Receives RITA Grant for Transportation Education and Research

Contact RITA 04-05 Roger Lotz 202-366-2246

Tuesday, July 5, 2005 - The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) announced today that $3.1 million in grant money was awarded to the University of Minnesota’s Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute, a DOT-funded University Transportation Center (UTC), to support the full range of the Institute’s education and research programs.

“UTC programs attract talented researchers and students and engage them in new approaches to the transportation issues of tomorrow,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta.  “This grant demonstrates the Bush Administration’s continued commitment to fostering innovation and leadership, as transportation continues to move the U.S. economy forward in the 21^st century.”

The University of Minnesota’s Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute is focused on enhancing the safety and mobility of road and transit-based transportation through “human-centered technology.”  In addition, the Institute addresses issues related to transportation in a northern climate, investigates technologies for improving the safety of travel in rural environments, and considers social and economic policy issues related to the deployment of the core ITS technologies.  More information about the Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute can be found at http://www.its.umn.edu.

More than 75 colleges and universities throughout the United States participate in the UTC program conducting transportation research, education and technology transfer.  Last year, UTC colleges and universities graduated over 1,100 students with advanced transportation-related degrees, offered almost 2,000 undergraduate and graduate transportation courses, conducted almost 300 research projects, and trained 32,000 practicing transportation professionals.

The UTC program is administered by RITA and grant recipients are required to provide matching funds.  More information on UTC grants can be found at www.rita.dot.gov.