Six New England state transportation agencies are cooperating with six New England state land grant universities and FHWA in a program of transportation research. This joint venture is called the New England Transportation Consortium (NETC). NETC was formed as a regional approach to address transportation research needs of mutual concern to the New England states. Its purpose is to pool the region's financial, professional, and academic resources and to use them to research and develop improved methods of dealing with common problems in the planning, construction, maintenance, rehabilitation, reconstruction, and operation of transportation systems in the participating states. This paper discusses the following issues regarding NETC: description, funding, history, establishment and start-up, organization and management, project selection process, award of funding, strengths, and challenges. This paper also provides recommendations and guidelines for the establishment, operation, and sustained growth of an intergovernmental, multistate cooperative research program.