Delivering Transportation Solutions for a Changing World: 2015 Impacts Report

Performance Measures: Strengthen Research Expertise and Knowledge Development

CTS annually gathers performance measures data to quantify our impacts in effecting changes that improve transportation. Below, key measures from FY25 showcase our work related to one of CTS's three Areas of Excellence: Strengthen Research Expertise and Knowledge Development.

Research Funding

The University received $11.99 million in transportation research funding in FY25. While this is a 6 percent decrease from FY24, it demonstrates an overall stable funding stream for the transportation enterprise at the University of Minnesota. Funding levels naturally fluctuate over time as major projects are secured or completed and with variations in funding awarded from MnDOT and the Minnesota Local Road Research Board. This year's number reflects stable funding from last year across multiple larger programs and continued success in securing projects from local, state, and national funders.

FY25 Analysis

The University of Minnesota's transportation research enterprise remains extremely strong. We surpassed our FY26 target in FY24 and have only marginally declined this year. The consistently high amount of funding reflects the ongoing work being done in the Mobility, Access, and Transportation Insecurity (MATI) program, the Empowering Small Minnesota Communities program, and the partnership with University of Michigan's Center for Connected and Automated Transportation (CCAT).

FY26 Outlook

Funding for research in FY26 continues to look positive. MnDOT and the Metropolitan Council will fund their first contributions to the Applied Research in Transportation (ART) program, which aims to get research off the ground quickly. In addition, CTS will continue to build on current programming from state and federal partners. The Accessibility Observatory research team is pursuing a third round of pooled-fund resources from the Federal Highway Administration and partner states. That group continues to also secure projects outside of the pooled-fund structure.

CTS will work with internal partners, such as the Research and Innovation Office and other U of M colleges, to identify and pursue larger, cross-system efforts in areas of University research strength. Center leadership will also continue to explore collaborations with peer institutions to build national relationships with a goal of securing additional funding. Lastly, we expect that researchers will continue to respond to other funding opportunities from federal sources, and CTS will continue to assist them in pursuing new funds at the local, state, and national level.

Featured Measures

After a slight dip in FY24, CTS saw a strong return and slight increase to the overall number of active research projects. The three core departments making up the project portfolio—civil, environmental, and geo-engineering; mechanical engineering; and St. Anthony Falls Laboratory—all saw a notable increase in the number of projects in FY25.

Coinciding with the increased number of active projects, FY25 also saw growth in the number of faculty and staff with research projects. The number of faculty from University of Minnesota Duluth’s Civil Engineering Department with projects doubled this fiscal year. Researcher numbers in other departments remained stable.