About Mineta Transportation Institute

The Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) was established by Congress in 1991 as part of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) and was reauthorized in 1998. MTI conducts research, education, and information and technology transfer, specializing in transportation policy and management. Funding comes from Congress through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), from the California Legislature through the Department of Transportation (Caltrans), and from private grants and donations.

MTI was selected as a national Center of Excellence by the U.S. Department of Transportation through a competitive process in 2002. The Institute is also a Tier-1 University Transportation Center.

The Institute is unique in that it receives oversight from a Board of Trustees whose internationally-respected members represent all major surface transportation modes. MTI’s focus on policy and management came from a board assessment of the industry’s unmet needs. This led directly to selecting the San José State University College of Business as the Institute’s home. The board provides policy direction, assists with needs assessment and connects the institute and its programs with the international transportation community.