Collaboration is key: how a cross-country seed grant program is driving advancement in transportation research

Scientific collaboration doesn’t have to follow national borders. The University of Illinois System and the University of Toronto recently awarded funding to four interdisciplinary research teams to focus on partnership development in research and to accelerate economic development through innovative technologies.

One of the research projects, “Cracking the Big Data Challenge in Transportation”, is led by three University of Illinois Chicago faculty members and two faculty members from the University of Toronto. Their goal is to combine large-scale data models with travelers’ decision-making science to shape transportation policies in cities.

“The goal is not to do the types of models that we did before and add data, but to completely rethink the way that we do modeling in transportation,” said Sybil Derrible, co-PI on the project and a professor in the College of Engineering. “This seed grant gives us the ability to talk with another big group in Toronto, who has tremendous experience in transportation. The overarching goal is to completely transform the way that we model transportation in cities.”

Team members from UIC and Toronto will come together during two workshops to brainstorm ideas, new methods and funding sources. Previously, transportation data was collected from surveys. Now, the team plans to utilize datasets derived from new sources, such as cellphones, GPS systems, social media, smart meters and satellites. They will then work to analyze that data to draw conclusions about people’s transportation habits and motivations.

“There is this opportunity to understand what the data gaps and challenges are in different environments and to propose new techniques and methodologies to ensure that we have a standard and more optimal way to make transportation data available,” said Fabio Miranda, co-PI and assistant professor in the College of Engineering.

This funding gives researchers the opportunity to connect with team members from similar cities in different countries that face parallel issues, which provides a broader landscape for data collection and model-building. Both universities are uniquely positioned to address current challenges and have the potential to advance research in the transportation industry.

“I’m hoping that this collaboration is a light at the end of the tunnel, showing that we need to collaborate more, rather than stepping on each other’s toes,” said Kouros Mohammadian, co-PI and a distinguished professor and department head in the College of Engineering. “We need to talk. We need to work together. This project is just one step toward showing the possibilities between the two countries.”

In order to receive funding, research teams must learn about grant opportunities and draft their proposals. At UIC, they can find support for this process in the Office of Research Development, part of the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research.

“We help advance the research enterprise by connecting faculty and teams of faculty with funding opportunities for their research,” said Rebecca Milczarek, assistant director of the Office of Research Development.

The Research Development team is responsible for advertising funding opportunities in their weekly newsletter, ensuring UIC funding eligibility, coaching PIs on grant writing and establishing internal review committees. The seed grant program was one of many highlighted by Research Development.

“We were involved in the advertising of the opportunity when it was first announced and were able to support the review process in the midst of it,” said Milczarek. “To see a team from UIC advance to receive the award is really what we are here for, and we hope that that itself serves as a catalyst. Maybe that collaboration will lead to a broader impact of the project.”

Researchers can subscribe to the Research Development newsletter and gain access to hundreds of funding opportunities from local, national and international sources, including seed grant programs like the University of Illinois System and Toronto partnership. Each funding opportunity is vetted by the Research Development team in advance.

“We try to get the word out about these seed and pilot grant opportunities as much as we can,” said Milczarek. “They are a great accomplishment in and of themselves, and also an excellent steppingstone to even bigger impacts and bigger projects.”

Learn more about Research Development resources on their website.