Opportunity Information: Apply for FR RRD 15 008
Apply for FR RRD 15 008
- The DOT/Federal Railroad Administration in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY15 Supplemental for Short Line Railroad Safety Institute Assessment Tools and Program Development" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 20.313 Railroad Research and Development.
- This funding opportunity was created on May 28, 2015 and posted on May 28, 2015.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 22, 2015 No Explanation. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $100,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
- Only the University of Connecticut is eligible to apply for this grant.
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Opportunity Summary:
The FY15 Supplemental for Short Line Railroad Safety Institute Assessment Tools and Program Development (Funding Opportunity Number FR RRD 15 008) is a Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) discretionary grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation focused on strengthening safety practices in the short line and regional railroad sector. The core purpose is to support continued development, pilot testing, and refinement of safety culture assessment tools that will be used by the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) Safety Institute. The work is framed as part of a broader effort to improve rail safety, including concerns tied to the transportation of crude oil by rail, and it specifically responds to a January 2014 letter from then-U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx to ASLRRA emphasizing safety improvements.
This funding is a directed supplement to earlier FRA-supported work led by the University of Connecticut (UCONN), which is the only eligible applicant. In prior grants, UCONN played a central role in building the foundation for the ASLRRA Safety Institute by designing a suite of research-based safety culture assessment tools and beginning real-world pilot testing with short line railroads. Under grant FR RRD 0061, UCONN created multiple complementary tools intended to measure and evaluate safety culture, including a web-based survey, structured interview protocols, and onsite review protocols. These tools were grounded in current safety culture research and were already in the early stages of being tested in operating railroad environments. In a related effort under grant FR RRD 0031, UCONN conducted a job analysis of the Safety Institute assessor role, which was documented in the FRA report titled Development of a Short Line Railroad Safety Institute Phase I - Job Analysis (RR 14 10). That earlier job analysis helped define what assessors need to do, what competencies they require, and how assessments should be carried out consistently.
The FY15 supplemental award is intended to amend UCONN’s existing work so the university can continue and deepen the pilot phase: collecting additional data, refining the instruments based on field feedback, and validating the assessment suite developed previously. In practical terms, the grant supports moving from initial tool creation to stronger evidence that the tools are reliable, consistent, and meaningful across different short line railroad settings. The emphasis on validation and expanded data collection signals that the FRA and ASLRRA want these tools to be credible enough to serve as a formal backbone for the Safety Institute’s assessment and improvement activities, rather than remaining purely experimental or one-off instruments.
Administratively, the opportunity was posted May 28, 2015, with an application deadline of June 22, 2015, and an archive date of July 22, 2015. The award ceiling was $100,000, with no minimum award floor specified, and there was no cost-sharing or matching requirement. The activity falls under Science and Technology and other Research and Development, and it is associated with CFDA 20.313 (Railroad Research and Development). Because eligibility was restricted solely to UCONN, this announcement functioned less like an open competition and more like a targeted continuation of a previously established research-and-implementation partnership between FRA, ASLRRA, and UCONN to operationalize a Safety Institute model for short line railroads.
FAQs: FY15 Supplemental for Short Line Railroad Safety Institute Assessment Tools and Program Development (FR RRD 15 008)
What is this funding opportunity?
This is a Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) discretionary grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Transportation titled FY15 Supplemental for Short Line Railroad Safety Institute Assessment Tools and Program Development, Funding Opportunity Number FR RRD 15 008.
What is the main purpose of the grant?
The purpose is to support continued development, pilot testing, refinement, and validation of safety culture assessment tools that will be used by the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) Safety Institute.
Who is the grant intended to benefit?
The work is focused on strengthening safety practices in the short line and regional railroad sector, by improving the assessment tools that underpin the ASLRRA Safety Institute's safety assessment and improvement activities.
What prompted or justified this supplemental funding?
The opportunity is framed within broader rail safety improvement efforts, including safety concerns tied to the transportation of crude oil by rail. It also specifically responds to a January 2014 letter from then-U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx to ASLRRA emphasizing safety improvements.
Is this an open competitive grant opportunity?
No. Eligibility was restricted to a single applicant, so it functioned as a directed supplement rather than an open competition.
Who is eligible to apply?
The University of Connecticut (UCONN) is the only eligible applicant for this opportunity.
Why is only UCONN eligible?
This award is described as a directed supplement to earlier FRA-supported work led by UCONN. UCONN previously designed and began pilot testing the safety culture assessment tools intended for the ASLRRA Safety Institute, and this funding continues that established work.
What earlier work does this supplement build on?
The supplement amends and extends prior FRA-supported efforts where UCONN helped build the foundation for the ASLRRA Safety Institute by designing research-based safety culture assessment tools and initiating real-world pilot testing with short line railroads.
What tools were developed under earlier UCONN work (FR RRD 0061)?
Under grant FR RRD 0061, UCONN created a set of complementary tools to measure and evaluate safety culture, including:
- A web-based survey
- Structured interview protocols
- Onsite review protocols
These tools were grounded in current safety culture research and were already in early stages of testing in operating railroad environments.
What was accomplished under the related grant FR RRD 0031?
Under grant FR RRD 0031, UCONN conducted a job analysis of the ASLRRA Safety Institute assessor role. This work was documented in the FRA report titled Development of a Short Line Railroad Safety Institute Phase I - Job Analysis (RR 14 10).
What is the focus of the FY15 supplemental award?
The FY15 supplemental award is intended to deepen the pilot phase by enabling UCONN to:
- Collect additional field data
- Refine the assessment instruments based on field feedback
- Validate the previously developed assessment suite
What does "validation" mean in the context of this opportunity?
Based on the description, validation refers to strengthening evidence that the tools are reliable, consistent, and meaningful across different short line railroad settings, so they can serve as a credible backbone for Safety Institute assessment and improvement activities.
How does this work relate to the ASLRRA Safety Institute?
The grant supports development and refinement of safety culture assessment tools that will be used by the ASLRRA Safety Institute. The intent is for these tools to be credible enough to support formal, repeatable assessments rather than remaining experimental or one-off instruments.
What is the award ceiling?
The maximum (ceiling) amount for the award is $100,000.
Is there a minimum award amount?
No minimum award floor is specified in the provided information.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The opportunity indicates there was no cost-sharing or matching requirement.
Which federal agency and department sponsor this grant?
The grant is a discretionary opportunity from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) within the U.S. Department of Transportation.
What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity is associated with CFDA 20.313, Railroad Research and Development.
What type of activity or category does this funding fall under?
The activity falls under Science and Technology and other Research and Development.
What are the key dates for the opportunity?
- Posted: May 28, 2015
- Application deadline: June 22, 2015
- Archive date: July 22, 2015
What does the archive date indicate here?
Based on the listing details provided, the archive date (July 22, 2015) reflects when the opportunity was archived after the application period.
What is the broader safety context mentioned for this work?
The description places the work within broader rail safety efforts and specifically mentions concerns tied to the transportation of crude oil by rail, alongside an emphasis from federal leadership on safety improvements in the short line and regional railroad sector.
Why is this described as a "supplemental" award?
It is supplemental because it is meant to amend and extend UCONN's existing FRA-supported work, moving from initial tool development and early pilot testing toward expanded data collection, refinement, and validation.
What is the intended end result of the funded work?
The intended end result is a set of safety culture assessment tools that are sufficiently tested, refined, and validated to be used as a formal foundation for the ASLRRA Safety Institute's ongoing assessment and improvement activities across different short line railroad environments.
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