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Common Grant and Contract Acronyms
Throughout the lifecycle of a sponsored project, from proposal submission through award closeout, the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP) uses a variety of acronyms related to sponsors, funding opportunities, agreements, personnel, financial management, and compliance requirements.
This glossary serves as a quick reference guide to commonly used acronyms in research administration and sponsored programs. Acronyms are organized by category to assist faculty, staff, and project personnel in navigating proposal development, award management, and compliance processes. This resource is intended as a general reference and is not an all-inclusive list of grant and contract terminology.
Agreements and contracting
| ACRONYM | DEFINITION |
|---|---|
| CTA | Clinical Trial Agreement |
| DUA | Data Use Agreement |
| IC | Independent Contractor |
| ICQ | Independent Contractor Questionnaire |
| MOA | Memorandum of Agreement |
| MOU | Memorandum of Understanding |
| MTA | Material Transfer Agreement |
| NDA | Non-Disclosure Agreement |
Proposal and award management
| ACRONYM | DEFINITION |
|---|---|
| ALN | Assistance Listing Number (formerly CFDA Number) |
| CFDA | Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (replaced by ALN) |
| GAN | Grant Award Number |
| JIT | Just-in-Time |
| LOI | Letter of Intent |
| NCE | No Cost Extension |
| NOA | Notice of Award |
| NOFO | Notice of Funding Opportunity |
| RFA | Request for Applications |
| RFP | Request for Proposals |
| RPPR | Research Performance Progress Report |
| SOW | Statement of Work |
| UG | Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200) |
Personnel roles
| ACRONYM | DEFINITION |
|---|---|
| AOR | Authorized Organizational Representative |
| Co-PD | Co-Project Director |
| Co-PI | Co-Principal Investigator |
| GAO | Grant Accounting Office |
| KSP | Key Senior Personnel |
| OLFS | Office of Laboratory and Field Safety |
| ORC | Office of Research Compliance |
| ORSP | Office of Research and Sponsored Programs |
| OSP | Office of Sponsored Programs |
| PD | Project Director |
| PI | Principal Investigator |
Financial management
| ACRONYM | DEFINITION |
|---|---|
| CTJ | Cost Transfer Justification |
| F&A | Facilities and Administrative Costs (also referred to as Indirect Costs) |
| FFR | Federal Financial Report |
| GL | General Ledger |
| GM | Grants Management (SAP) |
| IDC | Indirect Costs (also referred to as Facilities and Administrative Costs) |
| JE | Journal Entry |
| MTDC | Modified Total Direct Costs |
| PMS | Payment Management System |
| SAP | Systems Applications and Products |
| SEFA | Schedule of Expenditures for Federal Awards |
| T&E | Time and Effort Reporting |
| TDC | Total Direct Costs |
| WBS | Work Breakdown Structure |
Regulatory compliance
| ACRONYM | DEFINITION |
|---|---|
| CITI | Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative |
| COI | Conflict of Interest |
| FCOI | Financial Conflict of Interest |
| GCP | Good Clinical Practice |
| HIPAA | Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act |
| IACUC | Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee |
| IBC | Institutional Biosafety Committee |
| IRB | Institutional Review Board |
| PHS | U.S. Public Health Service |
| RCR | Responsible Conduct of Research |
| RECR | Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research (previously RCR) |
| RST | Research Security Training |
| sIRB | Single Institutional Review Board |
Sponsors
| ACRONYM | DEFINITION |
|---|---|
| BJA | Bureau of Justice Assistance |
| CDC | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |
| CNCS | Corporation for National and Community Service (Operates as AmeriCorps) |
| COGRF | Children's Oncology Group Research Foundation |
| DHS | Department of Homeland Security |
| DOC | U.S. Department of Commerce |
| DOD | Department of Defense (secondary title is Department of War (DOW)) |
| DOE | Department of Energy |
| DOI | Department of Interior |
| DOJ | Department of Justice |
| DOL | U.S. Department of Labor |
| DOT | Department of Transportation |
| ED | Department of Education (sometimes referred to as DoED) |
| EGLE | Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy |
| EPA | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency |
| HHS | U.S. Department of Health and Human Services |
| HRSA | Health Resources and Services Administration |
| LEO | Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity |
| MDARD | Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development |
| MDE | Michigan Department of Education |
| MDHHS | Michigan Department of Health and Human Services |
| MEDC | Michigan Economic Development Corporation |
| MILEAP | Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential |
| NASA | National Aeronautics and Space Administration |
| NCI | National Cancer Institute (NIH) |
| NEA | National Endowment for the Arts |
| NEH | National Endowment for the Humanities |
| NHLBI | National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NIH) |
| NIA | National Institute on Aging (NIH) |
| NIAID | National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIH) |
| NICHD | Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NIH) |
| NIDDK | National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIH) |
| NIH | National Institutes of Health |
| NIMH | National Institute of Mental Health (NIH) |
| NINDS | National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NIH) |
| NIST | National Institute of Standards & Technology |
| NOAA | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |
| NPS | National Park Service |
| NSF | National Science Foundation |
| SAMHSA | Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration |
| USAID | U.S. Agency for International Development |
| USDA | U.S. Department of Agriculture |