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Innovations Deserving Exploratory Analysis (IDEA) programs explore promising but unproven concepts with the potential to advance specific surface transportation systems. The Rail Safety IDEA program investigates innovative concepts and methods to improve safety and performance of railroads. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) endeavors to provide funding for the Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to continue to carry out the Rail Safety IDEA program. FRA funding for the Safety IDEA program has been provided since October 2002. FRA joined the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), as a joint sponsor of the Safety IDEA program. FMCSA has been funding the Safety IDEA program since the program started in October 2001. In 2013, the Rail Safety IDEA program has become completely independent and separate from the FMCSA; therefore, all projects funded by this Grant must be railroad related projects. The Rail Safety IDEA programs explore innovative concepts that are initiated and proposed by researchers, inventors, universities, or companies, both within and outside the usual transportation research community.
Funding Opportunity Number: FR-RRD-26-001. Assistance Listing: 20.332. Funding Instrument: G. Category: T. Award Amount: Up to $500K per award.
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Or search similar grants →According to the current listing, eligibility includes: Eligible applicants: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification). The National Academy of Sciences is the only entity eligible to apply. Confirm the full requirements in the official notice before applying.
The current listing shows up to $500K per award. Verify award ceilings, matching requirements, and allowable costs in the official notice.
Applications for FY26 Rail Safety Innovations Deserving Exploratory Analysis (Rail Safety IDEA) are due July 20, 2026. Build your timeline backwards from this date to cover registrations, approvals, and final submission checks.
Yes — FY26 Rail Safety Innovations Deserving Exploratory Analysis (Rail Safety IDEA) is offered by DOT - Federal Railroad Administration and this listing comes from Grants.gov, an official U.S. federal source. Federal applications generally require registrations (for example SAM.gov or an agency submission portal), so allow extra lead time.
Start from the official opportunity page linked in this listing — it carries the sponsor's submission instructions.
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