RESEARCH INITIATIVE ON THE USE OF STEEL SLAG IN CONCRETE AND CEMENT

CFDA 20.949 Active Cooperative Agreement
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Program Funding

Annual program obligations reported to SAM.gov.

Latest annual funding
$5M FY2025
$5M
FY25

Funded Projects

Examples of what this program has supported.

FY2025 awarded $5000000 to Rutgers University Consortium to perform research as described in the NOFO
- preliminary market research underway to develop research agenda

Program Objective

The research study will advance the Decarbonization Research Priority and Embodied Carbon Research Priority as listed in the RD&T Strategic Plan:

• Reduce carbon emissions associated with the extraction and manufacture of construction materials and the construction and maintenance of infrastructure.
• Develop tools, technologies, and guidance to improve infrastructure durability, longevity, and sustainability through innovative materials and structures
• Ensure research investments are fully leveraged through the demonstration and deployment of the resulting products and innovations

Eligibility

Eligible Applicants

  • Other

Eligible applicant must be an accredited university with capabilities in conducting advanced research, data analysis and mining, laboratory and field testing related to pavement and asphalt materials and have a good understanding of approaches and technologies and associated sciences of a scope that covers the requested services. Additionally, the incumbent must partner with a US steel manufacturer that produces steel slag materials.

The recipient Eligible Entity (accredited university) will be the direct and primary recipient of the U.S. DOT funds and must perform a substantive role in carrying out the cooperative agreement activities; it may not serve primarily as a conduit for awards to another party.

How to Apply

Award Procedure

If an applicant is selected for award, they will be notified and sent an award document for signature. Applicants not selected for award will be notified in writing by
U.S. DOT.

Only the Authorizing Official (AO) can commit the U.S. DOT. The award document, signed by the AO, is the authorizing document. Only the AO can bind the Federal Government to the expenditure of funds. Notice that an Applicant has been selected as a Recipient does not constitute approval of the application as submitted. Before the actual award, U.S. DOT will enter into negotiations concerning such items as program components, staffing and funding levels, and administrative systems, if necessary. If the negotiations do not result in an acceptable submittal, the U.S. DOT reserves the right to terminate the negotiation and decline to fund the Applicant.

Decision Timeline

  • Approval: > 180 Days
Program details & compliance

Description

U.S. DOT hereby requests applications to result in the award of a new Cooperative Agreement, that will establish research on the properties and effectiveness of steel slag for use in concrete and cement and as construction material for transportation infrastructure. This funding opportunity requires an accredited research university of higher education to partner with a producer of steel in the United States to conduct this research.

Mission Categories

Primary: Research and Development

Other categories:
Highways, Public Roads, and Bridges

Use of Funds

Allowed Uses

U.S. DOT hereby requests applications to result in the award of a new Cooperative Agreement, that will establish research on the properties and effectiveness of steel slag for use in concrete and cement and as construction material for transportation infrastructure.

Restrictions

no construction allowed

Matching Requirements

Applicants are required to provide matching funds of at least 50% of the total eligible contract costs of the cooperative agreement. In other words, under this agreement for which DOT will provide the recipient $5 million, the recipient must provide a local non-federal matching share of, at least, $2.5 million.

Cost sharing or matching means the portion of project costs not paid by Federal funds (unless otherwise authorized by Federal statute). For a more complete definition, please see the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards at 2 CFR Part 200, including section 200.306 on Cost Sharing or matching. Other Federal funds using their appropriate matching share may be leveraged for the deployment but cannot be considered as part of the recipient’s matching funds, unless otherwise supported by statute. Applicants should refer to section D.2 of this opportunity for more information about submission requirements concerning cost sharing under this program.

Reporting & Compliance

Records Retention
3 years

Applicable 2 CFR 200 Subparts

  • Subpart B — General Provisions
  • Subpart C — Pre-Federal Award Requirements
  • Subpart D — Post-Federal Award Requirements
  • Subpart E — Cost Principles
  • Subpart F — Audit Requirements

Contacts

Hamid Ghasemi, Ph.D
202-366-3994
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology (OST-R) U.S. DOT 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE., Washington, DC 20590
Pankaj Arora
202-308-3477
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology (OST-R) U.S. DOT 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE., Washington, DC 20590
Data from SAM.gov Federal Assistance Listings. Source published: 2026-01-30. Spec v2.0. Last synced: 2026-05-29 05:38:50.