Evaluating Impacts of the U.S. Domestic Scan Program's Technology Transfer Model

Abstract

The U.S. Domestic Scan program creates opportunities for face-to-face information sharing and knowledge building between transportation agency professionals on selected timely topics. Its goals are broad information dissemination and accelerated implementation of new transportation technologies and best practices. A companion to this program was a study to assess formally how well the program was meeting these goals. The study employed different collection instruments, including online surveys, telephone interviews, and webinars, to learn the extent of follow-up activities for six early scans conducted through the U.S. Domestic Scan program. Investigators communicated with a range of stakeholders: scan participants, the project oversight panel, and, notably, nonparticipants, those individuals who learned about the scan secondhand through formal or informal channels. Results confirmed that the scans were achieving their core missions: participants were making critical professional connections, sharing scan findings across a wide network of audiences, and making use of the findings at their home agencies. Nonparticipants were also found to use findings to support their own implementation efforts and to share the information with others and thus further propagate the ripple effect of information dissemination. Additional insights from the scan participants and oversight panel inform recommendations and best practices for technology transfer and accelerated implementation for any research program.