The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology (OST-R) is a part of the Office of the Secretary of Transportation (OST). We are home to all of the program offices and statistics and research activities previously administered by the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) which was moved to OST by Congress in 2014.
Our office is charged with providing and expanding opportunities for research collaboration and coordination, while upholding the integrity and impartiality of transportation statistical data.
We work to ensure that research activities and budgetary resources across the Department are fully aligned with the Department’s strategic goals and key areas of interest.
Our overall mission is to transform transportation and make our transportation system safer, more efficient, competitive and sustainable. To do this, we:
- Advance innovation, technology development, and breakthrough knowledge
- Conduct research and facilitate multimodal research collaboration
- Foster technology transfer through partnerships within the Department and with other partners, such as academia and private entities
- Provide useful statistics and information to decision-makers Develop a highly skilled interdisciplinary transportation workforce for the nation
Collaboration is our touchstone. Both internally and externally, we recognize and promote the collective talents of the Department, our university partners, and external stakeholders – and we work to encourage private-public partnerships based on mutual support, cooperation and transparency.