Risk Assessment and Risk Management for Transportation Research

This paper sets forth a preliminary methodology to assess and manage risk for transportation research. The California Dept. of Transportation (Caltrans) funds numerous transportation research projects that range from studies that aim to improve the understanding of travel behavior to field operations tests and deployment studies for new technologies. The risk assessment methodology is designed to help 1) identify needs for transportation research, 2) identify likely audiences for the anticipated research products, as well as potential applications; 3) identify potential barriers that could impede research or prevent its implementation; and based on the findings of the first three steps, 4) assess whether Caltrans is best suited to fund and oversee the research, should co-‐sponsor it with other agencies, should support it in less direct ways, or should refrain from engaging in research efforts on the topic and simply monitor developments in the field. The methodology is intended to allow Caltrans to develop a more effective and targeted research program.