Sec. 4. Annual research plans and research abstract database
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Not later than May 1 of each year, the head of each modal administration and joint program office of the Department of Transportation shall submit a comprehensive annual research plan for the fiscal year following the upcoming fiscal year to the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology of the Department of Transportation (referred to in this section as the Assistant Secretary ). Each plan submitted under this subsection, after 2016, shall be consistent with the strategic plan developed under section 3.
Not later than September 1 of each year, the Assistant Secretary, for each plan submitted pursuant to subsection (a), shall— review the scope of the research; and approve the plan; or request that the plan be revised and resubmitted for approval. Not later than January 30 of each year, the Assistant Secretary shall publish on a public website each plan that has been approved under paragraph (1)(B)(i). The Assistant Secretary may not approve any plan submitted by the head of a modal administration or joint program office pursuant to subsection
(a)if such plan duplicates significant aspects of research projects of any other modal administration. No funds may be expended by the Department of Transportation on research that has not previously been approved as part of a research plan approved by the Assistant Secretary unless— such research is required by an Act of Congress; such research was part of a contract that was funded before the date of enactment of this Act; or the Secretary of Transportation certifies to Congress that such research is necessary and provides justification for the certification. Except as provided in paragraph (2), no funds may be expended by the Department of Transportation on more than one research project that the Assistant Secretary identifies as duplicative under subsection (b)(3). Paragraph
(1)shall not apply to— research commissioned before the date of enactment of this Act; updates to previously commissioned research, including replication studies; or research specifically required by law. The Assistant Secretary shall annually publish on a public website a comprehensive database of all research projects conducted by the Department of Transportation, including, to the extent practicable, research funded through University Transportation Centers. The database published under paragraph
(1)shall— include the research plans approved under subsection (b)(1)(B)(i); describe the research objectives, progress, findings, and allocated funds for each research project; identify research projects with multimodal applications; specify how relevant modal administrations have assisted, will contribute to, or plan to use the findings from the research projects identified under paragraph (1); identify areas in which more than 1 modal administration is conducting research on a similar subject or a subject which has a bearing on more than 1 mode; describe the interagency and cross-modal communication and coordination that has occurred to develop the research plans approved under subsection (b)(1)(B)(i), and to prevent duplication of research projects within the Department of Transportation; indicate how the findings of research are being disseminated to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and safety of transportation systems; and describe the specific content and sources of public and stakeholder input to the research plans approved under subsection (b)(1)(B)(i). In conjunction with each of the President’s annual budget requests under section 1105 of title 31, United States Code, the Secretary of Transportation shall submit to Congress and annually publish on a public website a report that describes— the amount spent in the last completed fiscal year on each transportation research and development project; and the amount that the Secretary plans or estimates the Department will spend during the current fiscal year on each transportation research and development project.