Full Proposal Submission

Submit Proposal: Closed
​(by Invitation Only)

Please note: Proposal submission is currently closed.  TOMNET will open the next round of proposal submissions shortly.  Check back frequently for updates.

Proposals should be submitted using the form below and must adhere to the format specified in the document template.  Proposals must address the mission and theme of the center, which is to advance the explicit measurement and consideration of attitudes, perceptions, values, and preferences in activity-travel behavior analysis.  Through its portfolio of activities, the center hopes to improve the accuracy of activity-travel demand forecasting models by developing methods, formulations, and specifications that incorporate attitudinal variables and latent constructs which capture lifestyle preferences, personality traits, and values.  The center welcomes work along these lines in a number of possible domains; TOMNET is concerned with the role of attitudes and values in shaping mobility choices and behaviors across a wide spectrum of transport phenomena.  Domains of interest include, but are not necessarily limited to activity-travel choices, mode and destination choices, route choice, time use, consumer expenditures, safety and driver behavior, adoption and use of advanced transportation technologies, adoption and use of information and communication technologies (ICT), vehicle type choice, engagement in physical activity and use of active transportation modes, valuation of urban amenities and green spaces, behavioral response to land use and transport policies including pricing policies and incentives, and value of time.  The center is concerned with both quantitative and qualitative approaches to measure, and subsequently model the connections between, attitudes, preferences, and behaviors.  TOMNET is particularly interested in data fusion and integration approaches, including machine learning algorithms, that would facilitate the robust and statistically valid  merger of behavioral and attitudinal data sets – thus enabling the development and specification of models that capture the underlying relationships and inter-dependencies among behavioral and attitudinal variables. The center is interested in novel modeling approaches and machine learning algorithms capable of accurately reflecting the relationships among multiple endogenous (dependent) variables of various types (continuous, discrete-unordered, discrete-ordered, truncated, and count).

Please note the following guidelines and stipulations:

  1. Every proposal must include a budget clearly indicating the amount requested from UTC funds and the amount of cost-share (minimum 50% cost-share is required) provided.  The source of cost-share funds must be clearly identified.  Cost-share may take the form of cash or in-kind support (or combination thereof). 
  2. Projects will be no more than one year in duration.  If an investigator is interested in proposing a multi-year project, then the project will need to be organized into annual phases because project selection and funding decisions are made on an annual basis.  If a proposal constitutes a subsequent phase of a prior (year) project, this should be clearly stated in the proposal with an explanation of how continued funding of subsequent phases of the research will advance the mission of the center. 
  3. Only investigators who are up-to-date with reporting requirements and have no pending prior year deliverables outstanding will be eligible to receive funding in any given year. 
  4. Project budgets will typically fall between $50,000 and $70,000 in TOMNET center funding (plus additional cost share of at least 50% of the federal portion).  Projects with smaller budgets will be considered, consistent with tasks outlined in the scope of work.  
  5. Proposals may come in a variety of flavors, including – but not limited to – research studies, education and workforce development initiatives, outreach and technology transfer activities, and conferences, workshops, and symposia. 
  6. In general, it is expected that a large bulk of the funds requested will be budgeted towards student support with very modest amounts budgeted for faculty salary, equipment, and travel. 
  7. Project selection processes will favor proposals with the following attributes:
    1. Trans-disciplinary in its approach
    2. Collaborative (bringing scholars from different units and schools together)
    3. Partnerships (forging relations between academia, industry, and agencies)
    4. Involve junior faculty members and scholars (especially, women and minority scholars and faculty members)
    5. Involve graduate and undergraduate students (with a focus on enhancing diversity of the future workforce)
    6. Include a K-12 outreach component
    7. Incorporate a strong technology transfer plan characterized by publications, presentations, webinars, and workshops
  8. If investigators from multiple institutions partner in the submission of a proposal, then it is expected that each institution will furnish its portion of the budget and corresponding cost share.
  9. All proposals will be subject to a rigorous peer-review process and only those proposals receiving favorable ratings will be considered for award.  Anonymous peer reviews will be shared with proposers following the completion of the review and project selection process.
  10. The final selection of projects will be made by the TOMNET leadership team in close consultation with the External Advisory Board and the USDOT project management staff.

Proposals should be prepared according to the template:

  • Proposals should be a maximum of 8 pagessingle-spaced, and prepared using Times New Roman 12 pt or Calibri(body) 11 pt font.
  • A minimum of one-inch margins must be maintained for all pages. Font and margin exceptions are allowed for graphics, charts, or tables.
  • All sections shown in the Template must be completed.
  • In addition, a one-page CV must be included (after the budget page) for the Principal Investigator and all co-Principal Investigators.
  • The budget page(s) and the investigator’s CVs do not count against the page limit.
  • There is no specific format for the one-page CV, but an example may be found here.

Proposals must be uploaded in PDF using the template.

 

Proposal Template (DOCX) (PDF)