**FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS**

**University Transportation Center Provisions in SAFETEA-LU**

1.  **How much is authorized for University Transportation Centers
    (UTCs) under FTA provisions for Fiscal Years 2005 to 2009?**

> Table I lists the UTC recipients of FTA's Public Transportation
> funding and the amount authorized from FY 2005 to 2009. FY 2005
> funding is authorized in 49 U.S.C. § 5338(a)(6)(C); and FY 2006 to
> 2009 funding is authorized in 49 U.S.C. § 5338(d)(2).

**Table I: SAFETEA-LU UTC ALLOCATIONS**

(amount in millions)

  ----------------------- ---------- ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------
                          **Year**                                          

  **University**          **FY05**   **FY06**     **FY07**     **FY08**     **FY09**

                                                                            

  University of Minnesota \$1.984                                           

  Northwestern University \$1.984                                           

  Univ. of Tenn.,                    \$2.00       \$2.00       \$2.00       \$2.00
  Knoxville                                                                 

  Tex A&M                            \$1.50       \$1.50       \$1.50       \$1.50

  Morgan State                       \$1.00       \$1.00       \$1.00       \$1.00

  North Dakota State                 \$0.40       \$0.40                    

  Univ. of Alabama -UTC              \$0.55       \$0.55       \$0.65       \$0.65

  Univ. of Ala.                      \$0.45       \$0.45       \$0.55       \$0.55
  Birmingham                                                                

  Jackson State                      \$0.55       \$0.55       \$0.65       \$0.65

  U. of Denver/ Miss. St.            \$0.55       \$0.55       \$0.65       \$0.65

                                                                            

                                                                            

  **Total**                          **\$7.00**   **\$7.00**   **\$7.00**   **\$7.00**
  ----------------------- ---------- ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------

2.  **Will UTCs funded under FTA's portions of SAFETEA-LU be
    competitively selected and, if so, how?**

> The UTCs designated to receive FTA funds are specified in SAFETEA-LU
> and are not subject to competition during the reauthorization period.

3.  **Section 3036 of SAFETEA-LU amends 49 U.S.C. § 5338 adding a
    requirement to "carry out the university centers program under
    section 5506" and states that the designated universities "shall be
    considered university transportation centers under section 5506 and
    shall be subject to the requirements of subsections (b), (h), (i),
    (k), (l) and (m) of such section." What does this language mean?**

> SAFETEA-LU amends 49 U.S.C. § 5506 and imposes further requirements on
> DOT's UTC program. For the Public Transportation authorizations at 49
> U.S.C. § 5338(d)(2), SAFETEA-LU imposes only the requirements of 49
> U.S.C. §§ 5506(b), (h), (i), (k), (l), and (m) as follows:

-   UTCs will further transportation research and professional capacity
    development through education (49 U.S.C. 5506(b)).

-   To attain these objectives, UTCs engage in programs of research,
    education and technology transfer (49 U.S.C. § 5506(b)).

-   The UTC programs must support the National Strategy for Surface
    Transportation Research as defined in:

    -   The report, "The National Highway Research and Technology
        Partnership: The Need for Greater Investments" (April 2002) --
        49 U.S.C. § 5506(h), and

    -   FTA's National Research and Technology programs -- 49 U.S.C. §
        5506(h).

-   University recipients must maintain the levels of effort to support
    their transportation research and education programs that they
    maintained in the two years prior to FY 2006 (49 U.S.C. § 5506(i)).

-   Program coordination is required to include:

    -   Dissemination of research results (49 U.S.C. § 5506(k)(1)),

    -   Annual review and evaluation (49 U.S.C. § 5506(k)(2)),

    -   DOT management oversight (49 U.S.C. § 5506(k)(3)).

-   UTCs will be administered by the Research and Innovative Technology
    Administration (RITA) (49 U.S.C. § 5506(l)), and

-   Funds are available for two years after the last day of the fiscal
    year (49 U.S.C. § 5506(m)).

4.  **When will funds be made available to universities and under what
    conditions?**

> Each fiscal year, funds will become available after Congress passes a
> bill to appropriate them and the President signs that bill into law.
> RITA will administer the program and make awards to UTCs.

5.  **When can universities begin to incur costs with the expectation of
    reimbursement?**

> RITA will establish pre-award reimbursement eligibility conditions.