FAS Launches the 2026 INRIX x MetroLab Challenge to Foster Data-Driven Mobility Solutions
Washington, D.C. – January 13, 2026 — INRIX, a leader in transportation analytics and the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), one of the oldest science think tanks in the U.S., today announced the launch of the 2026 INRIX x MetroLab Challenge to enable data-driven transportation innovation.Announced at the National Academies’ annual Transportation Research Board meeting, the partnership supports cutting-edge research that advances positive, human-centered outcomes in cities. This will be the third iteration of the challenge.
The 2026 Challenge officially opens today, Tuesday, January 13, and will accept applications from universities across the country through March 3, 2026. The program invites teams of researchers and local government collaborators to propose innovative projects addressing real-world transportation, safety, equity, and resilience challenges using mobility data.
At least five selected teams will participate in the public-private partnership and receive free access to a suite of INRIX APIs for up to one year, enabling applied research with direct relevance to communities and policymakers.
“Over the past two years, our partnership with MetroLab has demonstrated the value of working directly with universities and local governments to address complex transportation challenges,” said Ahmed Darrat, Chief Product Officer at INRIX. “By providing researchers with access to real-world mobility data, we have seen how academic insight can be translated into practical solutions that help cities improve safety, resilience, and quality of life.”
Last year’s selected projects investigated improvements to AI-driven traffic models, road safety, and access to healthcare, among other benefits.
“Collaboration is essential to translating research into meaningful impact for cities,” said Kate Garman Burns, FAS Director for State and Local Innovation. “We are excited to once again partner with INRIX to give researchers and local governments access to powerful mobility data and to support projects that put people, safety, and equity at the center of community innovation.”
Highlights from the 2025 INRIX x MetroLab Challenge
During the 2025 Challenge, finalist teams used INRIX data to explore a wide range of pressing urban issues, including:
- Validating and enhancing AI-driven traffic models for New York City through the fusion of INRIX data and more than 500 traffic cameras
- Evaluating the impact of automated speed cameras on driver behavior and roadway safety ahead of a statewide pilot program
- Identifying environmental contributors to crash hotspots to better protect cyclists, pedestrians, and other vulnerable road users
- Examining vehicle abandonment patterns during wildfire evacuations to inform emergency response planning
- Analyzing driver behavior under congestion pricing using origin-destination trip data
- Improving disaster evacuation planning by predicting sudden traffic surges and adjusting transit services in real time
- Assessing how tornado warnings influence driving behavior and traffic flow to support emergency planning
- Designing patient-centered rural transportation services to improve healthcare access
- Identifying the most dangerous roadways by combining traffic volume data with fatal crash records to quantify risk disparities
Complete information on eligibility, the application process, available datasets, and example research questions is available at fas.org/initiative/inrix.
Researchers and local government partners are encouraged to share the Challenge broadly and submit applications over the next seven weeks. For questions, contact metrolab@fas.org.
###
ABOUT INRIX
Founded in 2004, INRIX pioneered the practice of managing traffic by analyzing data not just from road sensors, but also from vehicles. This breakthrough approach enabled INRIX to become one of the leading providers of data and insight into how people move around the world. More information at inrix.com.
ABOUT FAS
The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) works to advance progress on a broad suite of contemporary issues where science, technology, and innovation policy can deliver transformative impact, and seeks to ensure that scientific and technical expertise have a seat at the policymaking table. Established in 1945 by scientists in response to the atomic bomb, FAS continues to bring scientific rigor and analysis to address national challenges. More information about FAS work at fas.org.
Improving and expanding green public and active transportation will be crucial for equitably decarbonizing the transportation sector: here’s how the government can make funding for public transit from the IRA and IIJA go the extra mile.
ARPA-I is the newest addition to a long line of successful ARPAs that continue to deliver breakthrough innovations across the defense, intelligence, energy, and health sectors.
The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) has identified several domains in the transportation and infrastructure space that retain a plethora of unsolved opportunities ripe for breakthrough innovation.
An approach to simplify and expand access to the BUILD program at the Department of Transportation.