The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s (PHMSA) announced that it is providing a total of $3,855,575 to 11 universities as part of its Competitive Academic Agreement Program (CAAP) for pipeline safety research and innovation. The awards will go to: Arizona State University, The Ohio State University, The University of Akron, University of Alaska-Anchorage, University of Texas at Austin, Montana State University, and the University of Oklahoma to spur the development of research projects that could prevent or mitigate pipeline corrosion.

“This funding supports engineering and science students at universities across our country engaging in innovative solutions to some of our greatest challenges in pipeline safety,” said PHMSA Administrator Skip Elliott. “Students participating in CAAP research projects will evaluate new approaches to reducing corrosion across our nation’s 2.7 million mile pipeline network.”

Established in 2013, the CAAP, through cooperative agreement awards, has invested more than $5.9 million in research, and is responsible for introducing science and engineering students to pipeline design, mitigation, and corrosion issues as part of 33 sponsored projects. Previous CAAP projects to advance pipeline safety include measuring pipe strength, corrosion prevention, and detecting methane emissions.