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The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology (OST-R), works at the dynamic intersection of new and emerging technologies, transportation data, and research across all modes of transportation across the Department. The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology
is responsible for facilitating and reviewing the Department's
research, development, and technolog

y portfolio as well as enhancing
the data collection and statistical analysis programs to
support data-driven decision-making.

08/13/2026

Manchester’s traffic safety is getting a major upgrade!🚦💪

NHTSA Deputy Administrator Lee White and SMART Grants Program Director Stan Caldwell joined Mayor Jay Ruais in New Hampshire to kick off a $2 million U.S. Department of Transportation SMART Grant that will modernize 22 busy intersections across Manchester.

The new advanced traffic signal systems will deliver:
🤖 Smarter, AI-optimized intersections
🛑 Enhanced safety for road users
🚗 Reduced traffic delays
🌐 Connected vehicle tech

Programs like SMART are part of USDOT's commitment to leveraging technology that creates safer, smarter, and more connected transportation networks for American communities of every size.

08/06/2026

🤖 Calling all innovators, engineers, and tech problem-solvers! Don't miss your chance to apply for up to $1.5 million in prize funding through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s DOT Bots Challenge!

We are looking for cutting-edge ideas on how advanced robotics technologies can transform transportation.

Key focus areas include:
🔹 Solving public sector transportation challenges
🔹 Modernizing and improving infrastructure
🔹 Enhancing safety for travelers and transportation workers

🗓️ Stage I submissions close on 𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝟭𝟬, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲.

Whether you're exploring autonomous maintenance, robotic inspection, or novel safety tech, we want to hear from you.

🔗 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲, 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: www.transportation.gov/policy-initiatives/nett/robotics

📩 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀? Contact the team directly at [email protected].

08/04/2026

The U.S. Department of Transportation ITS Joint Program Office thanks everyone who joined us at and engaged with experts on connected vehicle infrastructure nationwide.

Explore the V2X Deployment Map: https://maps.dot.gov/portal/apps/experiencebuilder/experience/?id=38c9701360df435c9e8db53511fa8b5f&page=V2X-Deployments

07/31/2026

The future of transportation is in great hands 🇺🇸

Happy National Intern Day to our incredible DOT interns! Thank you for spending your summer learning, growing, and making an impact across the Department.

07/30/2026

📢 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱: The U.S. Department of Transportation released a Broad Agency Announcement to support industry-led Cooperative Driving Automation prototype development, integration, testing, and public-road demonstrations.

📌 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲: https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/fa7c3868d1de4478942fab3856ce243e/view

The opportunity will focus on four priority use cases:
🚧 Work Zone Management
🚨 Traffic Incident Management
📡 Cooperative Perception
🚑 Emergency and Transit Vehicle Awareness

Proposals are due September 13, 2026, at 3pm ET.

07/29/2026

𝘼𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣! 🚀

This week, Assistant Secretary Seval Oz visited the NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, CA, for a joint strategic research session.

Joined by Highly Automated Systems Safety Center of Excellence Senior Scientist Dr. Huafeng Yu, Assistant Secretary Oz met with NASA Ames leadership to align on shared priorities across technology, safety, and innovation.

The visit featured comprehensive overviews across several key technical disciplines. Thank you to the team at NASA Ames for hosting a productive and collaborative visit, including Center Director Dr. Eugene Tu, Exploration Technology Director Dr. Rupak Biswas, Acting Division Chief for the Intelligent Systems Division Richard Papasin, Aeronautics Director Huy T., and Airspace Operations and Safety Program Director Dr. Parimal Kopardekar ("PK").

Strengthening partnerships between USDOT and NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration ensures our nation remains at the leading edge of safe, intelligent, and efficient transportation systems—on the ground and in the skies.

07/28/2026

At the National Transportation Emergency Response Summit (NTERS) in Las Vegas, Assistant Secretary Seval Oz highlighted how technology, data, and collaboration are redefining emergency response under the motto: 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁, 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀.

Through U.S. Department of Transportation SMART grants, state and local agencies are already turning innovation into real-world impact: deploying drones for post-storm assessments, sensors for flooded roadways, and emergency vehicle signal pre-emption. Beyond infrastructure, USDOT is closing critical safety gaps by advancing pre-hospital care innovations like early blood transfusions, which reduce severe bleeding trauma fatalities by 37%.

To scale these breakthroughs nationwide, USDOT is launching the 𝘋𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘐𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 alongside 11 state DOT anchor leaders. This initiative creates a federated, interoperable data-sharing network across our interstates, starting with real-time work zone closures and accelerating V2X communications to protect travelers and first responders alike.

While we may not see AI agents hiring humans anytime soon, we are entering an era where human responders seamlessly integrate AI and real-time data into emergency operations to save lives faster.

Special thanks to American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Executive Director Jim Tymon and Nevada Department of Transportation Director Larkin-Thomason Tracy for driving this work forward, and immense gratitude to the courageous first responders and law enforcement officers whose mission it is to keep our communities safe every single day.

07/22/2026

Proud to represent the U.S. Department of Transportation at what truly feels like the opportunity of a lifetime!

Today marks a monumental shift for American innovation. U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Chris Wright and White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios announced the 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺, embedding research and technological advancement directly into our National Strategy.

Under the leadership of Assistant Secretary Seval Oz, USDOT will use AI to fundamentally transform how the nation builds, operates, and maintains its physical transportation infrastructure. This effort is one of the new Genesis Mission National Science and Technology Challenges announced by the White House earlier today.

👉 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲: https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/trumps-transportation-department-launches-new-initiative-using-ai-modernize

This is only the start of harnessing the compute power of measuring the invisible, pairing AI with deterministic verification, controlling and powering the electric grid…just a few of the 278 selected challenges.

What a HUGE DAY! Thank you President Trump and Secretary Duffy for bringing back American scientific leadership. We are on it!

07/17/2026

Are you helping students or early career professionals learn about ITS? The U.S. Department of Transportation ITS Joint Program Office has released a free Instructor Kit for “Introduction to Intelligent Transportation Systems.”

This free kit includes a slide deck, participant workbook, activities, and instructor notes.

Search for Course #137000 to get the materials: https://fhwanhi.geniussis.com/RegistrationByCourse.aspx

07/15/2026

When American ingenuity takes on transportation, it’s about redefining how we connect communities, power our economy, and push the boundaries of what is possible.

Today, U.S. Department of Transportation headquarters was packed with action as we hosted the Fourth Annual Stage One SMART Grantee Summit. Close to 200 innovators gathered with a clear, unified mission: leveraging advanced technology to build a safer, highly efficient transportation system that puts American families and businesses FIRST.

This year, over 100 representatives from 55 ambitious SMART grants across 33 states showcased the bedrock of innovative technology-driven solutions. Through 26 interactive project posters, attendees participated in a rapid peer exchange with industry stakeholders and USDOT modal staff to accelerate technology transfer and scale proven solutions.

The highlight of the day was a powerhouse, cross-modal leadership panel moderated by Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology Seval Oz. Senior leaders—including Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Administrator Chief Derek Barrs, Federal Railroad Administration Administrator David Fink, NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison, Federal Aviation Administration Assistant Administrator Paul Fontaine, Federal Highway Administration Deputy Administrator Jay Payne, and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Associate Administrator Connor Torossian—mapped out how the Department is delivering on President Trump’s and Secretary Duffy's strategic priorities. By cutting red tape, promoting regulatory reform, and deploying innovative technologies, we are driving hard to enhance systemic safety, boost economic efficiency, and support American workers.

The incredible momentum from this summit proves that the technological transformation of American transportation is moving at full speed. Thank you to all of our dedicated grantees, partners, and USDOT leadership and staff who are working hard to deliver these critical, real-world results!

Address

1200 New Jersey Avenue SE
Washington D.C., DC
20003

Website

https://www.transportation.gov/policy/OST-R, http://www.bts.gov/, http://www.its.dot.gov/index.htm, https://www.transpor

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