FTA Broad Agency Announcement (FY26) -- “Research Initiatives in Support of Safety, Accessibility, and Mobility in Public Transportation
This BAA funds applied research projects that improve safety, reliability, efficiency, and accessibility in public transportation, for any responsible source except federal government-owned businesses.
⚑ Federal contract BAA; proposals are submitted as concept papers. · Unrestricted competition, but excludes Federal Government-owned businesses. · Cost sharing is not always mandatory, but transit operator partnerships and cost sharing are preferred. · Projects should target TRL 3-6, with preference for proof-of-concept testing (TRL 3).
This is applied transit R&D focused on safety, accessibility, mobility, and technology deployment, which is outside IPPRA’s core public-opinion/risk-perception/education-policy lanes. The team could contribute only in an adjacent way on passenger behavior, risk communication, or accessibility survey/evaluation components, but no roster member has a clear transit research program.
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 proposal 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.