# DOT Uses AI to Screen Grant Applicants

The U.S. Department of Transportation is using AI-assisted due diligence to examine research-grant applicants’ financial, funding, and organizational ties to potential foreign adversaries, including during grant down-selection, to assess risks to federally funded research and intellectual property. The reports identify no solicitation, award, budget, or procurement contact, so this is not a current bid opportunity; DOT’s use of the capability is also absent from its published AI use-case inventory.

- Companies with secure data-linkage, risk-screening, data-analysis, and explainable AI capabilities may find a potential future market need if DOT pursues these capabilities through procurement.
- Any proposed tools should support evidence-based review and explainable findings, while avoiding profiling based on nationality or ethnicity.
- Procurement teams and contractors should distinguish this reported operational use from an announced acquisition: no contract vehicle, funding, or solicitation is identified.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Transportation, Information Technology
**Topics:** Artificial Intelligence
**Published:** October 15, 2026

### Government Entities
- U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)

### Sources
- [Transportation turns to AI to trace research grant recipients’ links to foreign adversaries - Nextgov/FCW](https://www.nextgov.com/artificial-intelligence/2026/10/transportation-turns-ai-trace-research-grant-recipients-links-foreign-adversaries/416621) - Nextgov/FCW
- [Meet the agency using AI to screen grant applicants for links to potential adversaries - Defense One](https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2026/10/ai-grant-recipients-adversaries/416622) - Defense One