SOI - Rural Transportation Match and Gap Funding Assistance Program

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announces the opportunity to apply for competitive awards totaling up to $10 million in Public Transportation Innovation Program (49 U.S.C. 5312) funds for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Bus Safety, Accessibility, and Innovation Research Program under Assistance Listing Number 20.530. As required by Federal public transportation law, funds will be awarded competitively to up to two projects to develop and prototype innovative and widely deployable concepts that are intended to make existing and new buses safer for their operators and vulnerable road users, and safer and more accessible for their passengers. 

The Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP) is a Federal formula grant program that provides financial assistance to States, and U.S. Territories to reduce the number and severity of crashes, injuries, and fatalities and hazardous material incidents involving commercial motor vehicles.

The United States Marine Highway Program (USMHP), codified at 46 U.S.C. 55601, was originally established by Section 1121 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to reduce landside congestion through the designation of Marine Highway Routes. The USMHP statute authorizes the U.S. Department of Transportation (“Department” or “DOT”) to make grants to implement Projects or components of Projects that 1) provide a coordinated and capable alternative to landside transportation; mitigate or relieve landside congestion; promote Marine Highway Transportation; or use vessels documented under 46 U.S.C. chapter 121; and 2) develop, expand, or promote Marine Highway Transportation or shipper use of Marine Highway Transportation

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), Office of the Secretary (OST), Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU), announces the availability of funding under Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Number OST/OSDBU-2026-SBTTAC-Region 6-FY2026-1 to establish and operate the Region 6 Small Business Transportation Technical Assistance Center (SBTTAC) formerly known as the Small Business Transportation Resource Centers (SBTRC). The cooperative agreement is for one award for a 12 months base year with two option years, based on performance. Link to Recorded NOFO Information Session (Webinar) - Aug 3, 2026, 1PM ET https://usdot.zoomgov.com/rec/share/84PjqpAOpvEeyc1B7HP-fmGEdi2tR7Le7sjEnHbep3ssbGuAideifzgmo282RsBh.lucHhIC2nlBYIlks?startTime=1785776732000  Passcode : Nzy1RYQ=

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), Office of the Secretary (OST), Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU), announces the availability of funding under Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Number OST/OSDBU-2026-SBTTAC-Region 1-FY2026-1 to establish and operate the Region 1 Small Business Transportation Technical Assistance Center (SBTTAC) formerly known as the Small Business Transportation Resource Centers (SBTRC). The cooperative agreement is for one award for a 12 months base year with two option years, based on performance. Link to Recorded NOFO Information Session (Webinar) - Aug 3, 2026, 1PM ET https://usdot.zoomgov.com/rec/share/84PjqpAOpvEeyc1B7HP-fmGEdi2tR7Le7sjEnHbep3ssbGuAideifzgmo282RsBh.lucHhIC2nlBYIlks?startTime=1785776732000  Passcode : Nzy1RYQ=

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), Office of the Secretary (OST), Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU), announces the availability of funding under Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Number OST/OSDBU-2026-SBTTAC-Region 3-FY2026-1 to establish and operate the Region 3 Small Business Transportation Technical Assistance Center (SBTTAC) formerly known as the Small Business Transportation Resource Centers (SBTRC). The cooperative agreement is for one award for a 12 months base year with two option years, based on performance. Link to Recorded NOFO Information Session (Webinar) - Aug 3, 2026, 1PM ET https://usdot.zoomgov.com/rec/share/84PjqpAOpvEeyc1B7HP-fmGEdi2tR7Le7sjEnHbep3ssbGuAideifzgmo282RsBh.lucHhIC2nlBYIlks?startTime=1785776732000  Passcode : Nzy1RYQ=

Expected Outcome: Expected outcomes: A sustained pipeline of highly qualified semiconductor graduates, with shorter time-to-readiness for industry roles; greater inflow of diverse talent including women and underrepresented groups; improved intra- and extra-EU student mobility; and strong complementarity with existing Chips Act infrastructure such as pilot lines, design platforms, and Competence Centres. Scope: This call funds the creation of specialised academic "Hubs of Excellence" in critical semiconductor technology areas (e.g. chip design, manufacturing, photonics, power electronics). Projects should build industry-aligned Bachelor, Master, and PhD programmes.

Expected Outcome: The expected outcomes of this topic are : A common EU evaluation platform for AI chips and racks, with transparent KPIs, workloads and benchmark reports used for Chips JU selection and procurement decisions. First pilot deployments of European AI compute systems validated for EU sovereign partitions of AI infrastructure. Structured collaboration between buyers and suppliers, supporting deployment, integration and optimisation of European AI compute solutions. Stronger EU demand for European AI chips and racks, helping to create a market for deployment-ready solutions. Increased EU technological sovereignty across the AI compute stack for European datacentres.

Advancing Oil and Natural Gas Production and Delivery This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is seeking proposals to advance cost-effective technologies for improving the efficiency, reliability, and resilience of the Unites States oil and natural gas supply chain. This funding opportunity spans research and development efforts focused on enhancing resource utilization, modernizing infrastructure, and accelerating digital transformation within the sector.

Expected Outcome: Europe's first long-term VET provider network for semiconductors; a larger and more diverse pool of qualified technicians; and increased intra- and extra-EU mobility of students and workers to fill skills gaps in semiconductor facilities. Scope: This call supports the establishment of a European-level federation of Vocational Education and Training (VET) providers focused on semiconductor industry roles. Projects should develop industry-aligned micro-credentials and reskilling programmes, with a strong emphasis on workers transitioning from other industrial sectors and on cross-border recognition of qualifications.