Centers of Innovation Define Sharpened Volpe Center Focus

Volpe National Transportation Systems Center headquarters, Cambridge, MA

The Volpe National Transportation Systems Center plays a unique role in looking across the transportation enterprise and anticipating future transportation issues and challenges to better prepare and inform transportation decision makers. To better focus its vast technological and process innovation competencies on the achievement of U.S. transportation goals and national priorities, the Volpe Center has been restructured into eight Centers of Innovation (COIs).

• Multimodal Systems Research and Analysis
• Safety Management Systems
• Environmental and Energy Systems
• Freight Logistics and Transportation Systems
• Physical Infrastructure Systems
• Communication, Navigation, Surveillance (CNS) and Traffic Management Systems
• Human Factors Research and System Applications
• Advanced Vehicle and Information Network Systems

The Centers of Innovation complement the intent and spirit of the Norman Y. Mineta Research and Special Programs Improvement Act with their focus on cross cutting transportation, research, education, innovation, and other multimodal issues. The COI structure increases the opportunity for research and technology synergy both within and outside the USDOT and enhances the effectiveness of the Volpe Center's crossmodal and multimodal capabilities. The COIs clarify, reinforce, and strengthen the Center's role in applying its technical capabilities to USDOT strategic goals and national transportation priorities.

The new structure institutionalizes and strengthens the Center's ability to anticipate future transportation challenges, expand USDOT's horizon, and show how innovation can arise from creative and collaborative use of internal and external assets.

Funded through work agreements with multiple USDOT and non- DOT agencies, the Volpe Center supports all of USDOT's modal administrations and offices, other federal agencies, state and local governments and organizations, foreign governments and entities, and the private sector. An innovative, fee-for-service organization, the Volpe Center is internationally recognized as a center of transportation and logistics expertise.