OTREC announces the opportunity to apply for awards to support small faculty development research endeavors with priority given to untenured, tenure-track faculty and faculty who have not received an OTREC grant in the past. The purpose of these awards is to assist researchers interested in transportation but have not had an opportunity to undertake a small project that supports innovations in sustainable transportation through advanced technology, integration of land use and transportation, and healthy communities. A total of $60,000 is available to be awarded; with no individual award larger than $10,000. All grants require 1:1 match. Proposals are due January 31, 2013. Complete details for the Small Starts grants can be found in RFP and Budget Form. Contact Hau Hagedorn (hagedorn@otrec.us) with questions.

Eligibility: Faculty members and research faculty eligible to serve as Principal Investigators (PIs) at Portland State University, Oregon State University, the University of Oregon, or the Oregon Institute of Technology may submit proposals and serve as PIs with OTREC.

Priority will be given to: 

• Applications from untenured, tenure-track faculty.
• Applications from faculty who have not previously received an OTREC grant.
• Applications from research projects that are interdisciplinary.

Electric Vehicles Research Matching Funds: There is a great opportunity for faculty interested in electric vehicles to receive matching funds for OTREC Small Starts grants through Drive Oregon. Drive Oregon is a nonprofit organization with diverse membership from across the range of Oregon companies and organizations involved in electrifying the transportation system (www.driveoregon.org). Research opportunities range from product development, vehicle adoption, economic analysis and business development. Please contact John MacArthur (macarthur@pdx.edu) and he help you coordinate with Drive Oregon and potential industry partners.