FY 26 Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) - Federal Railroad Administration
FRA seeks concept papers and later proposals for applied rail research projects in track, rolling stock and equipment, and train control and communications for contract award.
⚑ Federal contract BAA, not a grant; concept paper required before invitation to full proposal. · Open to full and open competition; no set-aside. · Amendments may remove topics during the 15-month response window; no concept papers reviewed after 2027-09-30.
This is primarily rail engineering, track mechanics, rolling stock, and train-control/communications applied research, which is outside IPPRA’s social-behavioral policy and risk-perception lines. The team might only have tangential interest in transportation policy or public acceptance, but none of the listed researchers have a core program in railroad infrastructure or systems engineering.
JUDGED AGAINST THE ROSTER'S PUBLICATION DOSSIER · GPT-5.4-MINI · 2026-08-22
Unit fits — one characterization, each unit's own rules
| Physical Sciences & Engineering (demo) | 90 strong | technical depth: central; funds applied research |
| Tom Love Innovation Hub | 45 partial | funds applied research; prototyping/demonstration stage; deep-tech content |
| IPPRA | 40 partial | outside portfolio topics; social/behavioral work is none; funds applied research |
Description
693JJ626R000001_00001: Amendment Description ___________________________________________________ The Federal Railroad Administration, Office of Research, Development, and Technology amends the FY26-27 Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) Appendix C — Research Topics document to remove the following four research topics that are “no longer available:” FRA-TR-005 – Innovative Methods for Measuring or Monitoring Longitudinal Rail Stress FRA-TR-006 – Research and Development on Track Lateral Strength FRA-TR-007 – Determining Pre Break Rail Neutral Temperature, Longitudinal Rail Restraint, and Best Rail Adjustment Practices FRA-TR-009 – Wheel/Rail Contact Evaluation 693JJ626R000001: Original Description________________________________________________________________________ The Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) FY 2026 Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) solicits a variety of applied research projects that will support Department of Transportation and FRA strategic objectives. The research needs are in the three FRA research areas: Track, Rolling Stock and Equipment, and Train Control and Communications. The BAA consists of several research topics for potential contractors to submit concept papers for FRA’s review. We recommend full and open competition for the FY 2026 BAA. Concept papers are approved if they meet the objectives of FRA research topics in the BAA. Contractors with approved concept papers will have the opportunity to submit a proposal for possible contract award. This effort extends for a period of 15 months, therefore the response date is anytime within the 15 month period. No concept papers will be reviewed after the ultimate deadline of 9/30/2027. However, this announcement is subject to periodic Amendments updating the status of available research topics. Once a research topic becomes unavailable, the research topic will be removed from the announcement allowing the available research topics to gain more visibility. The FRA is committed to excellence and welcomes top innovators, creators, professors, rail enthusiasts, and rail subject matter experts to take on this BAA opportunity.
Eligibility
Applicant restrictions (federal contract). Set-aside: No Set aside used. Notice type: Special Notice. Organization: TRANSPORTATION, DEPARTMENT OF / FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION / FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION.
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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.