Research

The Mineta Transportation Institute research program involves a diverse and growing number of certified Research Associates (RA), Consulting Associates (CA), and student research assistants in a wide spectrum of research projects. 

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:

• Bicycle and pedestrian issues
• Financing public and private sector transportation improvements
• Intermodal connectivity and integration
• Safety and security of transportation systems
• Sustainability of transportation systems
• Transportation / land use / environment
• Transportation planning and policy development

Research that is underway can be viewed at our Research in Progress page. All completed research reports can be accessed at our Publications page. Also available are a list of Research and Consulting Associates; the forms to apply for RA and CA certification; and information about ongoing and upcoming requests for proposals. 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.