METRANS conducts research on sustainable freight transportation as part of NCST.  Regular tenure track full-time faculty members and research faculty at the University of Southern California and California State University, Long Beach, are eligible to serve as Principal Investigators. Proposals may also include as Co-Principal Investigators research or non-tenure track USC and CSULB faculty.

METRANS issues requests-for-proposals (RFPs) to support its NCST research program. We follow a peer-reviewed proposal selection process in which each proposal is submitted to reviewers from universities, public agencies, and private firms. USC and CSULB faculty do not participate in the proposal review process. Selection for funding depends on a number of criteria, including relevance to the NCST mission, intellectual merit, and student support. All research is expected to result in publications in refereed journals.

The first METRANS NCST RFP was issued (in conjunction with the third METRANS Tier 1 UTC RFP) on March 24, 2015.  Proposals were due on April 27, 2015.  Projects were awarded.  

The second METRANS NCST RFP was issued (in conjunction with the fourth METRANS Tier 1 UTC RFP) on March 11, 2016. Proposals were due on April 15, 2016. Projects were awarded.

The third METRANS NCST RFP was issued (in conjunction with the second Pacific Southwest Region UTC RFP) on March 12, 2018. Proposals were due on April 13, 2018.

The fourth METRANS NCST RFP was issued on October 15, 2018. Proposals were due on January 7, 2019.

The fifth METRANS NCST RFP was issued on February 15, 2019. Proposals were due on March 15, 2019.

The 2020-2021 METRANS NCST RFP 4 was issued on January 31, 2020. Proposals are due on February 28, 2020. 

View the NCST Proposal Template here

For information on the RFP process, please contact:

Cort Brinkerhoff
Associate Director of Administration
METRANS Transportation Center
University of Southern California
Von KleinSmid Center, VKC 367
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0626
(213) 740-4297

For information on the full NCST research program, see UC Davis National Center for Sustainable Transportation website

Search METRANS - NCST research here