Innovation at the U.S. DOT Volpe Center
Making our transportation system safer, stronger, more resilient and sustainable, and more equitable requires innovation.
The U.S. DOT Volpe Center aims to align with the U.S. DOT’s strategic goals and innovation principles as we deliver on our mission to transform transportation for all. Our team members continually anticipate and respond to global transportation challenges and emerging issues. We embrace a systems perspective and understand the larger context in which our work fits.
We bring a cross-organizational, interdisciplinary perspective to all our projects. By promoting forward thinking, we encourage calculated risk-taking and devising new methods to approach issues. And, we continuously engage in initiatives to grow our knowledge and pursue new opportunities. Some of the ways we're able to do this is through our innovation programs.
Discover more about the programs that enhance innovation at the U.S. DOT Volpe Center.
- Research Laboratories at the U.S. DOT Volpe Center
- Communities of Practice
- Volpe Innovation Accelerator (VIA)
- Technology Transfer Outreach Program
- Innovation Office Hours
- Innovation Roundtable
Research Laboratories at the U.S. DOT Volpe Center
Our new U.S. DOT Volpe Center facility features approximately 26,000 usable square feet of state-of-the-art, accessible lab space that allows our researchers to collaborate and innovate to test theoretical concepts in real-world simulations and put research to work to advance transportation innovation for the public good.
Through its vibrant Communities of Practice, the U.S. DOT Volpe Center regularly brings together staff from across disciplines and teams to share knowledge, exchange experiences, and discuss best practices on a variety of skills and topics.
Key Features
- Led by staff who are passionate about bringing together people from across the U.S. DOT Volpe Center
- Serve as forums for collaboration, learning, and innovation
- Hold meetings, presentations, and technical tours
- Develop resources and organize trainings
Communities
- Climate Change and Resilience
- Electrification
- Emergency Management
- Facilitation
- Freight
- Geospatial and Data Visualization
- Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence
- NextGen Aviation
- Public Lands
- Safe and Complete Streets
- Surveys and Evaluations
- Transportation Equity
- Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS)
- Video Development and Visual Design
As part of our rich history of fostering staff curiosity and innovation in line with the U.S. DOT strategic priorities, the U.S. DOT Volpe Center launched a series of internal team transportation innovation challenges, known as the Innovation Challenge, in 2013—refining as VIA in 2020.
VIA encourages staff to take smart risks by giving them the availability to explore ideas beyond sponsor work and collaborate with cross-organizational peers to refine, test, and try out their ideas. The ideation that results often leads to work that our sponsors incorporate into their own research and development efforts, giving U.S. DOT Volpe Center staff the opportunity to explore further.
Innovation Stories
- Interactive GIS Tool Available for Free Community Use to Visualize Residential Demographics and Transportation Data
- SafetyHAT: A Transportation System Safety Hazard Analysis Tool
- Truck Lateral Protective Device (LPD) Resources
Technology Transfer Outreach Program
The Technology Transfer Outreach Program is required per the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980. This Act was the first major U.S. technology transfer law that requires federal labs to actively participate in, and provide a budget for, technology transfer activities. The purpose is to help facilitate federal technology transfer by providing a means for nonfederal organizations to access federal lab technologies.
The Act requires any federal laboratory with two hundred or more scientific, engineering, or related technical positions, to have one team member dedicated to coordinating and promoting technology transfer. At the U.S. DOT Volpe Center, this position is called the Technology Transfer Outreach Coordinator (T2 Outreach Coordinator), operating as competitive, rotational assignment.
Federal Labs Consortium
The Technology Transfer Outreach Coordinator is responsible for facilitating awareness of the innovative technologies being developed at the U.S. DOT Volpe Center.
One of the primary vehicles for accomplishing this is through the Federal Labs Consortium (FLC), an independent organization whose focus is on supporting technology transfer functions across federal agencies. Our Technology Transfer Outreach Coordinator is tasked with growing and maintaining relationships with FLC, as well as with peers in other federal agencies to learn from their experiences in the technology transfer arena.
Innovation Office Hours offer a rhythm for U.S. DOT Volpe Center staff to regularly get together and advance ideas and solve problems. Team members come with an innovation concept, idea, or topic that they want to discuss, or they can come to hear and comment on others’ ideas.
Opportunities for Staff
- Get input on an idea you want to advance
- Get diverse insight on a thorny problem
- Share professional expertise
- Have fun while learning about others’ work
The Innovation Roundtable seeks to provide a vibrant community that builds our innovation culture and informs strategic decision-making. At an Innovation Roundtable event, you can expect to read/reflect on current topics in innovation, share perspectives via interactive discussion, and learn from guest speakers.
Opportunities for Staff
- Explore current thinking around innovation and how to implement these ideas at the U.S. DOT Volpe Center
- Continue to build an internal network of innovation enthusiasts and champions
- Creating opportunities to practice innovative thinking