Research done at NTRCI emphasizes cooperation, information-sharing, and development of formal research agendas among the agencies within DOT, industry and university partners. NTRCI promotes partnerships with state and local governments, academia, and the private sector to accelerate the transformation of new technology, concepts, and ideas into better transportation systems, processes, and services quicker and more cost-effectively.

The goal of NTRCI is to push the transportation technology envelope to higher heights than we presently dream or imagine and to identify possible technological innovations -- innovations that offer genuine promise for meeting the transportation challenges of the next century.