FY2023 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)

Agency: 69A355 Research and Technology

20.947 -- Advanced Bridge Technology Clearinghouse (ABTC) Development

Closed opportunityLast Updated: May 13, 2026

Description

Through this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), the USDOT seeks a competitively-selected cooperative agreement with an existing University Transportation Center (UTC) to develop an Advanced Bridge Technology Clearinghouse (ABTC), as set forth in House Appropriations Committee Report #117-99 accompanying the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 ((P. L. 117-103; March 15, 2022). This report, in part, stipulates:

“Bridge clearinghouse.--The Committee directs DOT to work with relevant UTCs to implement an Accelerated Bridge Technologies Clearinghouse to advance new and advanced transportation infrastructure techniques and materials for new innovations in bridge technology. The clearinghouse shall provide a platform for bridge and structure stakeholders to find technically robust and unbiased information and reports that evaluate innovations while facilitating the acceptance and implementation of new bridge and structure materials and technologies.” [1]

...

Appropriated funds from Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 of up to $5 million are available for the ABTC program under Assistance Listing Number 20.947, for a project spanning a five-year duration. This entire funding amount will be awarded, on a competitive and cost match basis, to a single UTC meeting the requirements set forth in this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO).

The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology (OST-R) of the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT or DOT) will manage the Advanced Bridge Technology Clearinghouse (ABTC) project. To be eligible for award, the applicant must be a qualified University Transportation Center (UTC) selected under the 2022 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) UTC competition. The recipient will provide professional services for this project supported by a team consisting of one or more entities from academic, industrial, commercial, and non-profit or for-profit organizations.

U.S. DOT Safety Strategic Goal: The Department is committed to advancing safe, efficient transportation, including through the Advanced Bridge Technology Clearinghouse.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants

Miscellaneous

Other

Additional information

Eligible applicant must be a current DOT-funded University Transportation Center (UTC) with capabilities in research and technology transfer related to bridge materials, approaches and technologies and associated sciences of a scope that covers the requested services. Additionally, only those UTCs which are currently funded by U.S. DOT under the provisions and budget authorization of the Infrastructure Improvements and Jobs Act (IIJA), also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) are eligible to submit proposals. In addition, the UTC must have demonstrable knowledge and experience performing the following responsibilities: 1) scan for new and advanced bridge approaches and technologies, 2) evaluate these approaches and technologies, 3) make these approaches and technologies along with their evaluations available to the public on the bridge clearinghouse, 4) facilitate the adoption of these approaches and technologies, and 5) evaluate ABTC success and performance in transitioning new and advance materials and other bridge approaches and technologies to practice.The language in the Congressional House Appropriations Committee Report # 117-99 budget authorization limits the award to only “relevant” UTCs. (see the italicized language below) “Bridge clearinghouse.--The Committee directs DOT to work with relevant UTCs to implement an Accelerated Bridge Technologies Clearinghouse….”Therefore, the eligible UTC should demonstrate that it currently has the capability and responsibility (under the BIL UTC program) to perform a substantive role in carrying out the cooperative agreement activities. The recipient Eligible Entity, UTC, will be the direct and primary recipient of the U.S. DOT funds and must perform a substantive role in carrying out the cooperative agreement activities; it may not serve primarily as a conduit for awards to another party.

Grantor contact information

Description

Charlotte Y Boyd Grantor Phone 202-366-7685

Email

charlotte.boyd@dot.gov

Documents

File name	Description	Last updated
2023-08-17_Advanced_Bridge_Clearinghouse_NOFO_FINAL.docx	FY2023 Advanced Bridge Clearinghouse NOFO Package	Aug 18, 2023 12:55 PM UTC
Bridge_NOFO_FY2023_FAQ.docx	Bridge NOFO FY2023 FAQ	Oct 4, 2023 01:34 PM UTC

Link to additional information

Closed: October 13, 2023

Application process

This site is a work in progress. Go to www.grants.gov to apply, track application status, and subscribe to updates.

Award

$10,000,000

Program Funding

Expected awards

$5,000,000

Award Minimum

$5,000,000

Award Maximum

Funding opportunity number:

FY2023ABTCNOFO

Cost sharing or matching requirement:

Yes

Funding instrument type:

Cooperative agreement

Opportunity Category:

Discretionary

Opportunity Category Explanation:

Category of Funding Activity:

Other

Category Explanation:

C.2 Cost Sharing Applicants are required to provide matching funds of at least 50 percent of the total eligible project costs of the cooperative agreement. In other words, under an agreement for which DOT will provide the recipient $5 million, the recipient must provide a local non-federal matching share of, at least, $5 million with a total project cost of $10 million. Funds with a federal source including from non-U.S. DOT Departments and Agencies, are not eligible to be counted toward the cost match requirement. The non-Federal matching funds may be cash or in-kind and must be used to accomplish (i) the program objectives, and (ii) the purpose of the cooperative agreement. The non-Federal matching funds must be fully documented in the Eligible Entity’s records. The recipient Eligible Entity will have the duration of the cooperative agreement period to obtain and to spend the full amount of the required matching funds. Any restrictions under the agreement or in Federal grant regulations 2 CFR Part 200 on allowability of costs apply to matching funds as well as the Federal funds. Applicants should identify matching fund commitments in the text of the application. Letters of commitment(s) need to be preserved for audit purposes but are not required to be presented in the application. Any attached letters will count toward the application’s page limit.

History

Version:

Posted date:

August 18, 2023

Archive date: