Research, development, demonstration, and training projects

§ 5312. Research, development, demonstration, and training projects (a) Research, Development, and Demonstration Projects.—The Secretary of Transportation (or the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development when required by section 5334(i) of this title) may undertake, or make grants or contracts (including agreements with departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the United States Government) for, research, development, and demonstration projects related to urban mass transportation that the Secretary decides will help reduce urban transportation needs, improve mass transportation service, or help mass transportation service meet the total urban transportation needs at a minimum cost. The Secretary may request and receive appropriate information from any source. This subsection does not limit the authority of the Secretary under another law. (b) Research, Investigations, and Training.—(1) The Secretary of Transportation (or the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development when required by section 5334(i) of this title) may make grants to nonprofit institutions of higher learning— (A) to conduct competent research and investigations into the theoretical or practical problems of urban transportation; and (B) to train individuals to conduct further research or obtain employment in an organization that plans, builds, operates, or manages an urban transportation system. (2) Research and investigations under this subsection include— (A) the design and use of urban mass transportation systems and urban roads and highways; (B) the interrelationship between various modes of urban and interurban transportation; (C) the role of transportation planning in overall urban planning; (D) public preferences in transportation; (E) the economic allocation of transportation resources; and (F) the legal, financial, engineering, and esthetic aspects of urban transportation. (3) When making a grant under this subsection, the appropriate Secretary shall give preference to an institution that brings together knowledge and expertise in the various social science and technical disciplines related to urban transportation problems. (c) Training Fellowships and Innovative Techniques and Methods.—(1) The Secretary of Transportation may make grants to States, local governmental authorities, and operators of mass transportation systems to provide fellowships to train personnel employed in managerial, technical, and professional positions in the mass transportation field. (2) The Secretary of Transportation may make grants to State and local governmental authorities for projects that will use innovative techniques and methods in managing and providing mass transportation. 108 STAT. 812 (3) A fellowship under this subsection may be for not more than one year of training in an institution that offers a program applicable to the mass transportation industry. The recipient of the grant shall select an individual on the basis of demonstrated ability and for the contribution the individual reasonably can be expected to make to an efficient mass transportation operation. A grant for a fellowship may not be more than the lesser of $24,000 or 75 percent of— (A) tuition and other charges to the fellowship recipient; (B) additional costs incurred by the training institution and billed to the grant recipient; and (C) the regular salary of the fellowship recipient for the period of the fellowship to the extent the salary is actually paid or reimbursed by the grant recipient.