Common Acronyms

The field of Research Administration is rife with acronyms. Here is a list of some of the most common and their definitions.

Acronym Definition
ALN Assistance Listing Number (formerly CFDA)
CFDA Code of Federal Domestic Assistance; see ALN
COGR Council of Governmental Relations – a professional organization supporting university business officers
COI Conflict of Interest
COLA Cost of Living Adjustment
DC Direct Cost
DOD Department of Defense
DOE Department of Energy
DoEd Department of Education
F&A Facilities and Administrative costs - also referred to as indirect cost and overhead – the cost of doing business
FAR Federal Acquisition Regulations – Contract Terms
FBI Federal Bureau of Investigation
FCOI Financial Conflict of Interest
FEA Fully executed agreement – both signatures are now on the agreement and it is fully approved
First Ex An agreement issued to the University unsigned.  The University must sign first, return to the sponsor, a fully executed agreement will be issued at which time an account can be set up
GAID (Used for a SmartGrant legacy data identifier in Kuali) Gams Award ID – The number in SmartGrant (previously GAMS) for identifying your award - usually ends in 'a#'
GAO Government Accountability Office
GPID (Used for a SmartGrant legacy data identifier in Kuali) GAMS Proposal ID – The number in SmartGrant (previously GAMS) associated with a proposal
IACUC Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee – Committee responsible for oversight of protocols for research that involved animals
IDC Indirect cost – also referred to as F&A
IPA Inter Personnel Assignment – an agreement that is issued when an individual is appointed on an assignment at another agency for a period of time
IRB Institutional Review Board – Committee responsible for oversight of protocols for research that involves human subjects
ISA Interdepartmental Service Agreement – An award from a Commonwealth institution to the University
JIT Just In Time – materials some sponsors request just before making an award rather than requiring at proposal stage
JOL Jordan on line – Research Administration’s data warehouse of sponsored activities
MOU Memorandum of understanding. Normally associated with an award action for projects that have Co-PI’s
MTDC Modified Total Direct Cost - the basis for calculating F&A where some costs are exempted from the base
NASA National Aero and Space Administration
NCURA National Council of University Research Administrators – a professional organization for Research Administrators
NEA National Endowment for the Arts
NEH National Endowment for the Humanities
NIH National Institutes of Health
NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NSF National Science Foundation
OGCA # (Used for a SmartGrant legacy data identifier in Kuali)
OIG Office of Inspector General – Federal government offices who are charged with deterring, detecting waste, fraud and abuse
OPAM Office of Post-Award Management
OPAS Office of Pre-Award Services
OMB Office of Management and Budget – agency that provides directives regarding management of federal funding
PEA Pre-establishment account – an account that may be requested prior to an award arriving to allow projects to start if purchases or appointments need to be made
PI Principal Investigator – the lead person carrying out and overseeing a sponsored project
PIAA Principal Investigator Award Agreement – a form OPAM sends to the faculty with a copy of their award informing them of the terms and making sure that the PI agrees to the terms and the requirements of accepting the award
RFP Request for Proposal
SBA Small Business Administration
SRA Society of Research Administrators – a professional organization for research administrators
SRO Sponsored Research Office – OPAS and OPAM (formerly OGCA)
ST Speed Type – A Controller’s Office Peoplesoft number associated with your award
TCP Technology control plan – related to export controls
TDC Total Direct Cost - used by some sponsors or programs as the basis for calculating F&A where only Tuition Charge is exempt
UG Uniform Guidance – Federal regulations for management of grants and cooperative agreements.  Formerly OMB A-21, A-110 and A-133
UMA University of Massachusetts Amherst
UMAF University of Massachusetts Amherst Foundation
UMFI University of Massachusetts Foundation Inc
UMII University of Massachusetts Innovation Institute
USDA U.S. Department of Agriculture