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MTI Research

The Mineta Transportation Institute research program involves a diverse and growing number of certified research associates (RA) and student research assistants in a wide spectrum of research projects. These are judged by peers and other experts to advance the body of knowledge in transportation policy and management from an intermodal perspective.

All completed research reports and the proceedings or reports of MTI events can be accessed using the publications link on this page. Also available are project descriptions of research in progress; a list of research associates; the forms to apply for RA certification, manage research projects, and respond to the annual request for proposals; and a database of referred journals that publish in the areas of MTI interest.

Research Teams

MTI actively recruits academic involvement by San José State University (SJSU) faculty. However, the program is different from most other transportation centers because research teams may also include faculty from other colleges and universities, along with private sector consultants. Each team includes at least one SJSU academic member and one SJSU student.

MTI certifies all research associates prior to their involvement in any project. Certification requires a completed application with references, a résumé, and a sample of published research. The Research Associates Policy Oversight Committee (RAPOC), composed of the department heads or representatives of the SJSU academic departments with which MTI works, reviews the applications and recommends certification where appropriate. Certification is approved by the executive director and must be renewed every five years.

Research Projects

Project selection begins with an extensive needs assessment by staff, including input from Caltrans and MTI´s Board of Trustees. The staff researches those needs identified by federal agencies and seeks input from the US DOT Western Resource Center. Following the needs assessment, the institute issues a formal Request for Proposals (RFP). RAPOC, Caltrans, and representatives from the US DOT subject all proposals to peer review and rigorous discussion before selection.

MTI emphasizes policy and management research, rather than technical research, and selects only those projects with immediate and practical value for transportation officials and practitioners. To that end, MTI has adopted the following areas of emphasis:

• Safety and security of transportation systems
• Financing public and private sector transportation improvements
• Transportation, land use, the environment, and the economy interrelationships
• Transportation planning and policy development
• Intermodal connectivity and integration
• Sustainability of transportation systems
• Labor and workforce issues
• Transportation decision-making and consensus building

Transfer of Research Information

All research is posted in the publications section of this web site, and each report is professionally printed following successful peer review, author revisions, and editing. MTI has developed a number of other approaches to information transfer, including sponsoring symposia, funding post-research travel for researchers to address professional conferences such as TRB, providing financial incentives for publishing in peer-reviewed journals, and developing cost-effective formats to present research summaries for distribution to practitioners.