A special project of the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP), the NCHRP Highway IDEA Program seeks proposals on innovative concepts, which if proven feasible, have the potential to significantly advance the state of the art and practice of the nation’s highway systems. The program is sponsored by the state departments of transportation (DOTs) through the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and guided by an oversight panel of experts from state DOTs, academia, and the private sector who volunteer their time and effort. The panel reviews proposals twice a year (in June and December) and selects the most promising ones of those that meet the program’s proposal selection criteria.

NCHRP IDEA by the numbers

Established

1992

Proposals received

2637

Projects funded

252

Funds awarded in $ millions

36.4

Applying to the Program

1 Read the IDEA Program Announcement, and pay close attention to the following:

Topics of interest to the NCHRP Highway IDEA Program
Detailed proposal package instructions
FAQs (many of your questions have been answered!)
NCHRP IDEA proposal evaluation form

2 Be mindful of the criteria on which proposals are evaluated:

Innovation: Is the concept new?
Research Approach: Is the approach reasonable and sound?
Potential Benefits: Does the concept solve an important problem for state DOTs?
Implementation/ commercialization: Does the implementation plan appear practical and effective?

3 Consider/include the following to strengthen the proposal (strongly advised):

Participation of highway agencies (e.g., involvement in testing or evaluating the proposed innovative method or prototype).
Letters from highway agencies confirming their commitment and clearly describing what that commitment would entail.
A well thought-out plan for implementation/technology transfer of the proposed product.

4 Submit your proposal, along with all attachments, enclosures, and support letters, as a single PDF file to NCHRP IDEA Proposal Portal.

Important dates

January	NCHRP Highway IDEA Annual Progress Report released
January	IDEA Program Announcement for the new year released
March 1	Deadline for submitting proposals for the spring review cycle
June	Oversight panel meeting for proposal selection and notification of results
September 2	Deadline for submitting proposals for the fall review cycle
December	Oversight panel meeting for proposal selection and notification of results

Please Note:

The NCHRP Highway IDEA Program is open to all, including foreign nationals living and working outside the United States. Since funds for the program, although directed via state DOTs, originate from the federal government, federal policies may not allow funding IDEA research at a federal agency. Researchers from federal agencies or national laboratories that are managed by non-federal organizations should check with their contracting and legal authorities as to whether they can seek funding from the NCHRP Highway IDEA Program.
A complete proposal for the NCHRP Highway IDEA Program will comprise a pitch deck (a set of 11slides), a sheet with answers to three specific questions, and the main proposal. The main proposal is limited to 10 pages (typed single-spaced). This page limit includes the liability statement, budget, and cover sheets. However, letters of support or endorsement, regardless of how many, and the sheet with answers to three specific questions are not counted in the 10-page limit (letters worth attaching are those that make some meaningful commitment rather than a mere expression of interest). A proposal that is being resubmitted should also include response to review comments (4-5 pages) on the previous proposal. These response pages (to be added at the beginning of the main proposal) are also not counted in the 10-page limit for the main proposal. For most updated information on the program and instructions for preparing proposals, please refer to the latest IDEA Program Announcement.
No budget explanation is required in the proposal, as it will be counted in the 10-page limit. At this time, only the budget sheet is to be filled.
Proposals should be typed single-spaced (font Times Roman; minimum font size 12 points; margins 1 inch on each side). Exhibits and photographs can be in color or black and white.
In case of a joint proposal by two or more institutions, only one budget sheet and one signed liability statement sheet need to be provided, prepared by the institution acting as the prime contractor.