The Department for Transport (DfT) is responsible for the delivery of transport that works for everyone - is reliable, safe and secure transport system that responds to the needs of individuals and businesses while safeguarding the environment. The DfT is led by the Secretary of State for Transport, a Minister of State and two Parliamentary Under Secretary's of State. The Minister of State is supported by a Chief Scientific Adviser.

A new Transport Research Centre (TRC) to provide a focus for transport research in the UK with a strong, but not exclusive, socio-economic dimension is currently under development with the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

The main role of the TRC will be to strengthen the provision and utilisation of independent, high quality, relevant and robust research and analysis aimed at developing the necessary evidence base with which to address the significant transport policy questions facing the UK. The Centre will:

• Transport and Economic Competitiveness
• Transport and the Environment
• Transport, Social Inclusion and Accessibility
• Transport & Mobility
• Transport & Technology
• Transport and Policy

The TRC is to be run by a consortium of the leading academic research organisations in the UK.