AASHTO Journal - Kansas DOT Offering Innovative Technology Grants

The Kansas Department of Transportation is now accepting applications for the fall 2025 round of its Innovative Technology Program, which provides financial assistance to governmental and non-governmental organizations for projects that promote safety, improve access or mobility, and implement new transportation technology.

[Above image by Kansas DOT]

This round of grant funding has an overall budget of $2 million, with a maximum awarded amount of $1 million per project. Kansas DOT added that project concepts are due by November 17, with November 19 set as the grant program’s formal application deadline.

The agency explained in a statement that “innovative technology” is broadly defined as any technology that does not currently exist in local communities affected by the projects seeking grant support. This allows local communities to determine what projects to submit based on their specific needs, Kansas DOT said.

All transportation system projects are eligible, including roadways (both on and off the state system), rail, aviation, unmanned aerial systems or drones, bicycle/pedestrian, public transit, software, and technology infrastructure. Candidate projects should include investments that provide transportation benefits and are not eligible for other Kansas DOT programs.

Across the country, state departments of transportation lend their support in a variety of ways to boost a broad plethora of innovative technology development efforts.

For example, in June, the North Carolina Department of Transportation named the first recipients of a total of $1 million in funding via its Division of Aviation’s new Advanced Air Mobility or AAM planning grant program.

NCDOT said that funding will support a wide range of planning activities, including transportation needs assessments, land-use and infrastructure planning, multimodal integration strategies, feasibility studies, and policy and regulatory alignment.

In May, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation released the latest version of its Focus on Innovations or FOI report that highlights its efforts to identify and boost innovative projects that improve safety, promote efficiency, and save money.

Now in its fourth year, the agency’s FOI publication – which includes an interactive innovation timeline – emphasizes that innovation at PennDOT is a “holistic process,” pulling unique ideas and best practices from both inside and outside the department.

And in April, a pair of tractor-trailers with automated truck platooning technology traveled I-70 between Indianapolis and Columbus, OH, to deliver freight for EASE Logistics; part of a pilot test collaboration between the Ohio Department of Transportation’s DriveOhio initiative and the Indiana Department of Transportation to advance the adoption of truck automation technologies in the logistics industry across the Midwest.