The State Transportation Innovation Council (STIC) is a federally required oversight committee that serves to identify and recommend innovation project ideas and manage the approved projects to completion. In Iowa, the Iowa Highway Research Board has taken on this role. If you have an idea that may merit evaluation for any of the STIC programs listed below, please visit our Submit Ideas page.
STIC Programs
State Transportation Innovation Councils (STIC) Incentive Program
The State Transportation Innovation Councils (STIC) Incentive Program awards each state up to $125,000 in federal funds per year to support or offset the costs of putting research into practice. To qualify for funding, projects must have a statewide impact, align with federal Technology and Innovation Deployment Program goals and other federal requirements, and be ready to begin within one year of receiving funds.
Accelerated Market Readiness
The Accelerating Market Readiness (AMR) program provides funding to spur the advancement of emerging transformative innovations that have potential to enhance roadway safety, shorten the project delivery process, and improve the performance of the transportation infrastructure. Funding is available for testing and field evaluations, pilot demonstration projects, and documentation and dissemination of performance results to widen the knowledge base on the innovations.
Accelerated Innovation Deployment
The Accelerated Innovation Deployment (AID) Demonstration program provides funding as an incentive for eligible entities to accelerate the implementation and adoption of innovation in highway transportation. The AID Demonstration program is one initiative under the multi-faceted Technology and Innovation Deployment Program (TIDP) approach providing funding and other resources to offset the risk of trying an innovation.
Innovations Deserving Exploratory Analysis
Innovations Deserving Exploratory Analysis (IDEA) focuses on early-stage, high-risk, high pay-off, investigator led research in highways, transit, and railroad safety and performance.
Project Examples
Iowa has implemented a variety of research initiatives with the use of STIC funds. Projects funded as part of STIC Initiatives include:
| Fiscal Year | Innovations | Project |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Crowdsourcing for Advancing Operations | Pilot Hyperflow in the City of Dubuque for Signal Performance Assessment. ($64,000) |
| 2022 | Digital As-Builts | Hold a Peer Exchange with AGC and ACEC for Bridge Digital Delivery. ($36,000) |
| 2021 | e-Ticketing | Implement e-ticketing in rural areas. ($8,000) |
| 2021 | Targeted Overlay Pavement Solutions (TOPS) | Develop a guidebook for the application of Polymer-modified Asphalt Overlays. ($32,000) |
| 2021 | Digital As-Builts | Develop Digital As-Builts into BIM pilot project. ($40,000) |
| 2021 | Ultra-High Performance Concrete | Hold a Peer Exchange on UHPC with a focus on link-slab and beam end repair techniques ($20,000) |
| 2020 | STEP | Update the Iowa Design manual to reflect the Complete Streets policy ($22,002.80) |
| 2020 | A-GaME | Advance the use Electrical Resistivity technology as part of an effort to promote FHWA's EDC-5 Advanced Geotechnical Exploration Methods. ($77,997.20) |
| 2019 | STEP | Advance complete streets concepts into design process. ($64,000) |
| 2018 | NEPA | Host a workshop to improve NEPA synchronization utilizing the newly supdated Red Book. ($4,800) |
| 2018 | VR Outreach | Advance virtual reality for transportation projects for improved public outreach and technology transfer purposes ($95,200) |
| 2017 | Pavement | In situ modulus measurement using automated plate load testing (APLT) to support the implementation of pavement mechanistic-empirical (ME) design ($80,000) |
| 2016 | e-Construction | Expand the use of mobile devices for e-Construction in field inspection applications ($36,000) |
| 2016 | Innovation Exchange | Support for the "Innovations in Transportation Conference" ($8,000) |
| 2016 | Smarter Work Zones | Deployment of Iowa DOT Traffic Operations Open Data Service ($56,000) |
| 2015 | e-Construction | Expand the use of mobile devices for e-Construction in field inspection applications ($36,000) |
| 2015 | Self-Cleaning Culvert | Development and delivery of technical guidance and training on the implementation of a self-cleaning culvert technology ($64,000) |
| 2014 | 3D Engineered Models | Develop an implementation plan for using 3D tools for structural detailing ($43,997) |
| 2014 | Accelerated Bridge Construction | Design and performance verification of a bridge column/footing/pile system for accelerated bridge construction ($56,003) |