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Trump’s Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy Announces $33M in University Grants to Unleash American Innovation

Friday, December 19, 2025

Instead of funding DEI and Green New Scam contingencies, grants will focus on innovation, safety and economic opportunity

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy today announced $33 million in funding for the Department’s University Transportation Centers (UTC) Program. This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) will advance transportation science and innovation to solve for tomorrow’s problems today. In May, Secretary Duffy terminated seven woke university grants totaling $54M for funding woke initiatives instead of American interests.

The grant program has been refocused to prioritize innovative ways to increase safety on American transportation, including through automated vehicles and driving systems, artificial intelligence and machine learning, digital infrastructure, and human-machine interface technologies.

“Under President Trump, we are focused on enhancing safety and unleashing American innovation. Gone are the days of funding Green New Scam and woke DEI initiatives that waste taxpayer dollars. Instead, we are investing in automated vehicles, artificial intelligence and new ways for people to work safely with machines—technology that will define the future of transportation,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy.

Additional Information about the UTC Program:

UTCs are competitively selected based on the quality of proposed research projects, planned education and workforce-development activities, and potential for moving technologies into practice. The first cohort of grants awarded to 10 universities in 1988. Each UTC is a group of two- and four-year colleges and universities that come together to form a unique center of transportation excellence on a specific research topic. To date, 100 different universities have received UTC Program grants. 

The UTC Program funds three types of centers: National UTCs have a national scope, Regional UTCs address regional needs as well as national priorities, and Tier 1 UTCs focus on unique and specific areas of interest. USDOT will award $33M in grants: up to $9M over three years to one (1) Regional UTC, and up to $6M over three years for each of four (4) Tier 1 UTCs.

UTC Program grant recipients lead, innovate, and educate, enhancing and transforming America’s transportation system to prioritize safety and infrastructure durability and align with our nation’s economic and societal goals. Grants can be used for transportation-related curriculum development, student support, and continuing education programs.

Learn more about UTCs here.