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The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has launched the Ideas Challenge, a national competition offering up to $1 million in prizes for innovative projects that aim to improve safety, cut costs, and transform the future of America’s infrastructure.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), through its Advanced Research Projects Agency–Infrastructure (ARPA-I), has officially launched the Ideas Challenge, a nationwide competition designed to spark bold, transformational solutions for the future of transportation and infrastructure. With up to $1 million in total prizes, the initiative calls on innovators across the public and private sectors to submit groundbreaking concepts that improve safety, reduce costs, and modernize America’s infrastructure.
Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy emphasized that the challenge continues the country’s long tradition of transportation leadership: “From the Wright Brothers to the Apollo missions, America invented transportation innovation. Our new Ideas Challenge will continue that proud tradition and support the development of new 21st century technologies to launch us forward. Start your innovation engines!”
Two-Stage Competition
The Ideas Challenge will unfold in two stages:
- Stage 1: Applicants must identify a critical infrastructure challenge, present a breakthrough solution, and provide a research and development plan that includes a clear path toward deployment, commercialization, and measurable success. Stage 1 Concept Papers are due September 17, 2025, by 5:00 PM ET. Selected winners from this first round will be invited to the Ideas Challenge Workshop this fall to showcase their concepts to USDOT leadership and key stakeholders.
- Stage 2: Winning teams from Stage 1 will advance to develop detailed proposals. Up to 10 finalists will compete in the ARPA-I Ideas Challenge Final in early 2026, where they will present their projects before a distinguished panel of judges and an audience of public- and private-sector leaders.
Across both stages, cash prizes totaling up to $1 million will be awarded. Beyond financial recognition, winners will also gain direct exposure to USDOT leadership, an influential panel of judges, and opportunities to shape ARPA-I’s research and development priorities.
Building the Future of U.S. Infrastructure
Modeled after the success of DARPA in defense and ARPA-E in energy, ARPA-I was created to catalyze transformational infrastructure technologies. The agency’s mission is to tackle systemic challenges such as traffic congestion, infrastructure resilience, cybersecurity risks, and the sustainability of highways, bridges, ports, and urban mobility systems.
The Ideas Challenge is intentionally inclusive: the call for proposals is open to universities, research institutions, startups, state and local governments, and independent innovators. The USDOT aims to ensure that the brightest ideas—regardless of origin—receive the visibility and support needed to advance toward implementation.
Key Dates and Resources
As part of the rollout, USDOT will host a virtual Proposer’s Day webinar on August 20, 2025, at 1:00 PM ET, where interested participants can learn more about the competition and submission requirements. Registration is available online.
More information is available at the official competition site: transportation.gov/arpa-i/ideas-challenge. Questions can also be directed to ideas.arpa-i@dot.gov.
Driving Innovation Forward
The Ideas Challenge underscores the federal government’s commitment to driving innovation in infrastructure at a moment when the U.S. faces mounting pressures: aging roads and bridges, rising transportation costs, and the urgent need for climate resilience. By mobilizing inventors, entrepreneurs, academics, and engineers nationwide, USDOT and ARPA-I seek to identify solutions that could fundamentally reshape how Americans move people and goods.
As Secretary Duffy noted, the competition is about more than prizes—it is about laying the foundation for the next generation of transportation technologies: “We are planting the seeds today for the infrastructure that will carry America into the future.”
With the Ideas Challenge, USDOT is not just investing in innovation—it is betting on the ingenuity and determination of the American people to chart the course toward safer, smarter, and more resilient transportation systems.
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