SHRP2 Education Connection | 693JJ317NF0003

Opportunity Information: Apply for 693JJ317NF0003

The SHRP2 Education Connection is a Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) discretionary grant opportunity designed to push proven transportation research into the classroom. Its core goal is to increase awareness and practical understanding of Strategic Highway Research Program 2 (SHRP2) products by embedding them directly into college and university lesson plans, course modules, and broader curricula. SHRP2 products were created to address real-world transportation problems, so the program emphasizes teaching students how to use tools, methods, and innovations that can be applied immediately to current and emerging challenges in the transportation field. By integrating these resources into higher education, FHWA aims to extend the value of the national SHRP2 investment by shaping the skills and decision-making of the next generation of transportation professionals.

While the natural home for many SHRP2 products is in transportation-related disciplines such as civil engineering, environmental engineering, and transportation planning, the opportunity is intentionally broader than traditional engineering coursework. The materials can also fit well in programs like urban planning, economics, public policy and government, and even organizational or human resources contexts where transportation agencies manage change, workforce practices, and implementation processes. The underlying idea is that transportation outcomes depend not only on technical design and construction, but also on policy, planning, operations, management, and institutional readiness, so SHRP2 educational content can be useful across multiple departments.

For these planned awards, FHWA indicates a focus on three SHRP2 emphasis areas: Reliability, Renewal, and Capacity. In practical terms, applicants should be prepared to show how their proposed lesson plans or curriculum elements will help students understand and apply SHRP2 products connected to system reliability (for example, improving travel time dependability and operations), infrastructure renewal (more effective ways to maintain, rehabilitate, and preserve assets), and capacity (better approaches to managing demand, expanding effective throughput, or improving network performance). The program sits within a larger national partnership behind SHRP2 that includes FHWA, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), and the Transportation Research Board (TRB), highlighting that the content is meant to be both research-grounded and implementation-ready for agencies and practitioners.

The awards are issued as cooperative agreements, which generally means FHWA expects an active role in the project beyond simply providing funds, such as collaboration, feedback, or coordination during development and dissemination of materials. The opportunity lists an award ceiling of $12,500, with an expectation of around 15 awards. A key financial condition is a 20 percent cost-share requirement, meaning recipients must provide a portion of the total project cost from non-federal sources (details and acceptable forms of match are typically spelled out in the full application package).

Eligibility is described as unrestricted under the statutory authority cited (23 U.S.C. 502(b)(3)), meaning a very wide range of entities may apply. This includes organizations such as the National Academy of Sciences, AASHTO, federal laboratories and agencies, state agencies and authorities, associations, institutions, for-profit and non-profit organizations, foreign countries, and essentially other persons or entities permitted under the statute. Even with this broad eligibility, applicants must clearly demonstrate a credible plan to deliver SHRP2-based lesson plans and curriculum to students at eligible institutions of higher education as defined under the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). In other words, being eligible to apply is not enough by itself; the proposal must show a realistic pathway for adoption and use in college-level instruction.

Administrative details from the listing include the opportunity number 693JJ317NF0003, CFDA 20.200, and a closing date of May 9, 2017 (based on the source data provided). Applicants are directed to consult the application package materials for the detailed scope, required deliverables, evaluation criteria, and submission instructions, since those documents typically specify exactly what FHWA wants in the lesson plans (format, learning objectives, assessment components, dissemination approach, and how SHRP2 products must be referenced and taught).

• The DOT Federal Highway Administration in the transportation sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "SHRP2 Education Connection" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 20.200.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-03-03.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-05-09. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $12,500.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 15 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted.

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