FTA Broad Agency Announcement (FY26) -- “Research Initiatives in Support of Safety, Accessibility, and Mobility in Public Transportation
FTA will fund applied research projects that improve the safety, reliability, efficiency, and accessibility of public transportation in the United States.
⚑ Broad Agency Announcement; any responsible source may submit a concept paper. · Excludes Federal Government-owned businesses. · Concept paper stage with revised submissions allowed after amendment. · Projects should target TRL 3-6, with preference for TRL 3 proof-of-concept testing.
This is mainly an applied transportation engineering/systems solicitation about transit safety, reliability, accessibility, and manufacturing/deployment risk. IPPRA’s core strengths are public risk perception, warning communication, energy/nuclear attitudes, and education policy—not transit technology or operations—so this is not a plausible PI-level fit.
JUDGED AGAINST THE ROSTER'S PUBLICATION DOSSIER · GPT-5.4-MINI · 2026-10-30
Unit fits — one characterization, each unit's own rules
| Physical Sciences & Engineering (demo) | 90 strong | technical depth: central; funds applied research |
| IPPRA | 58 good | peripheral portfolio topic: emergency_disaster_resilience; social/behavioral work is minor; funds applied research |
| Tom Love Innovation Hub | 45 partial | funds applied research; prototyping/demonstration stage; deep-tech content |
Description
AMENDMENT No. 0002 - The purpose of this amendment is to extend the due date to November 6, 2026, and to provide the following revised documents: - BAA-FTA_FY26_Solicitation_Amendment No. 0002 - BAA-FTA_FY26_Appendix-C_Amendment No. 0002 - BAA-FTA_FY26_Appendix-E_Amendment No. 0002 If you have already submitted Concept Papers, you are welcome to submit revised documents as necessary based on these updated solicitation files. AMENDMENT No. 0001 - The purpose of this amendment is to extend the due date to October 30, 2026. This Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) solicits applied research projects to improve the safety, reliability, efficiency, and accessibility of public transportation in the United States. Purpose: To solicit innovative applied research that reduces deployment risks, improves safety, lowers costs, and facilitates domestic transit manufacturing. Eligibility: This is an unrestricted solicitation; any responsible source (excluding Federal Government-owned businesses) may submit a concept paper. Teaming and collaboration are encouraged. Funding: Individual awards typically range between $150,000 and $500,000, subject to fund availability. While cost sharing is not always mandatory, projects including transit operator partnerships and cost sharing are preferred. Technology Readiness: Projects should focus on technology readiness levels (TRL) 3 through 6, with a preference for proof-of-concept testing (TRL 3).
Eligibility
Applicant restrictions (federal contract). Set-aside: No Set aside used. Notice type: Combined Synopsis/Solicitation. Organization: TRANSPORTATION, DEPARTMENT OF / FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION / 693195 OFFICE OF ACQUISITION MGT.
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Proposal brief SEE AN EXAMPLE →
A one-page internal memo: fit assessment, submission requirements, document scaffold, and next steps dated back from the deadline — tailored to your project idea if you add one.
Proposal shell · Federal (generic) conventions SEE A FEDERAL EXAMPLE →
Funder-faithful document skeletons — Federal (generic)'s document set with section headings, page limits, reviewer guidance, and writing prompts; add a project idea to get [DRAFT] starter bullets. Download as .md for Word or Overleaf.