Strategies to Improve Application of Research Results in the Research Life Cycle

State departments of transportation (DOTs) have invested a significant amount of effort to support the implementation of applied transportation research results. However, research results often go unused, or the adoption of the results is incomplete. There is also some concern among state DOTs that the value of research is not commensurate with the investment, which could hinder future investment and ultimately innovation within the transportation community. The incomplete adoption of applied research results in the implementation phase is not unique to transportation. To address this problem, the health and education sectors have used “knowledge translation” (KT), a knowledge management practice that maps the research life cycle from ideation to implementation, evaluates research products, and incorporates the adoption of research results in real-world settings. The transportation sector has explored elements of KT as part of an overall effort to increase the speed of research implementation but has focused only on segments of the research life cycle. Application of KT to the entire research life cycle can provide the means to consider and address the human and organizational aspects of implementation in each life cycle segment, examining each segment to identify weaknesses and opportunities for intervention to improve adoption. This broader application of KT, however, as a knowledge management strategy has yet to be explored. Research is needed to examine the application of KT to the entire transportation research life cycle and help state DOTs develop resources for this application to improve the value of research and the adoption of research results. The objective of this research is to develop resources that support state DOTs in the application of KT to the research lifecycle.

• Record URL:
  http://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=5359

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $400000
• Contract Numbers:

  Project 23-30

• Sponsor Organizations:

  National Cooperative Highway Research Program

  Transportation Research Board
  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001

  American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)

  444 North Capitol Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Project Managers:

  Jared, David

• Performing Organizations:

  CALSTART Incorporated

  3601 Empire Avenue
  Burbank, CA  United States  91505-
• Principal Investigators:

  Sheth, Manali

• Start Date: 20231214
• Expected Completion Date: 20251213
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Implementation; Knowledge management; Research management; State departments of transportation; Technology transfer
• Subject Areas: Highways; Research;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01847464
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Research Board
• Contract Numbers: Project 23-30
• Files: TRB, RIP
• Created Date: May 27 2022 12:53PM