LRRB welcomes research ideas from Minnesota transportation practitioners. After submittal, your idea will be evaluated to determine whether current solutions to the need or problem exist. We will follow up to let you know our findings. If your idea requires new research, it will be brought before the LRRB to determine if proposals for research should be sought.
You can submit your idea on the LRRB MnDOT IdeaScale website, at a fall District State Aid pre-screening meeting or by contacting an LRRB board member.
There are two deadlines for your idea to be considered for the annual July research RFP:
- LRRB-only research and research implementation ideas must be submitted by November 1
- If the project involves co-sponsorship by MnDOT, it can be submitted until March
Each fall, Minnesota’s city and county engineers submit research ideas at District State Aid prescreening meetings and then rank the ideas that are received.
In the spring, the LRRB board selects ideas for the annual RFP to pre-qualified universities. After developing these ideas further, the LRRB (in a joint solicitation with MnDOT) invites research institutions to submit proposals for potential LRRB research projects (ideas that are geared toward education or implementation of existing research are assigned to consultants selected by LRRB subcommittees). In December, the LRRB awards funding. If your idea for research is selected, you may be asked to serve on the project Technical Advisory Panel (TAP).
For more information, please contact the LRRB at the MnDOT Office of Research & Innovation, 651-366-3780.
Technical Advisory Panel
When you submit an idea, you are not volunteering to lead the project, but please consider becoming a member of the TAP that guides the researchers who conduct the project. As a TAP member, you will attend a limited number of meetings and review the research results. You will also help researchers and the LRRB find the most productive ways to apply research results in the field.
The LRRB encourages city and county engineers to serve on the TAP since they sometimes benefit directly from assisting with implementation. To participate, contact an LRRB board member.