Commonly Used Acronyms
Extramural funding comes from many sources. Many of these sources are federally funded. To speed identification and allow for ease of reference, acronyms are commonly used in the solicitation, offers, and request for proposals. The Office of Sponsored Programs has compiled a list of these acronyms to assist with common federal acronyms.
For federal awards/subawards issued to Virginia Tech with a start date prior to December 26, 2014, 2 CFR Part 215 (OMB Circular A-110) and 2 CFR, Part 220 (OMB Circular A-21) apply. For all new funds (new awards and new monies, such as continuation awards, supplements, etc. received for existing awards) with a start date on or after December 26, 2014, these new funds are subject to 2 CFR Part 200 commonly referred to as Uniform Guidance—Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal
Awards.
| Acronym | Definition |
|---|---|
| 2 CFR Part 200 | Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards or Uniform Guidance |
| A-110 | OMB Circular A-110 - Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals or Other Nonprofit Organizations |
| A-133 | OMB Circular A-133 - Audits of States, Local Governments and Non-Profit Organizations |
| A-21 | OMB Circular A-21 - Cost Principles for Educational Institutions |
| AAALAC | American Association of Animal Laboratory Accreditation Council |
| AAAS | American Association for the Advancement of Science |
| AAMC | Association of American Medical Colleges |
| AAU | Association of American Universities |
| ABRF | Association of Bimolecular Resource Facilities |
| ACM | Association of American Medical Colleges |
| ACO | Administrative Contracting Officer |
| ADA | Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 |
| AFAA | Air Force Audit Agency |
| AFARS | Army Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement |
| AFOSR | Air Force Office of Scientific Researchf |
| AFRL | Air Force Research Laboratory |
| ANPRM | Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking |
| ARDA | Advanced Research & Development Activity |
| ARL | Army Research Lab |
| ARO | Army Research Office |
| ARPA | Advanced Research Projects Agency |
| ASAP | Automated Standard Application for Payments |
| ATP | Advance Technology Program |
| B2B | Business to Business |
| BAA | Broad Agency Announcement |
| BANNER | Virginia Tech’s business enterprise management software suite |
| BBB | Better Business Bureaus |
| BPA | Blanket Purchase Agreement |
| BPN | Business Partner Network |
| BSC | Business Service Center |
| C | Classified Paragraph (in government classified documents) |
| CAS | Cost Accounting Standards |
| CASB | Cost Accounting Standards Board |
| CBD | Commerce Business Daily |
| CBO | Congressional Budget Office |
| CCH | Commerce Clearing House |
| CCI | Controlled Cryptographic Item (CCI) |
| CCR | Central Contractor Registration |
| CDC | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |
| CFDA | Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance |
| CFO | Chief Financial Officer |
| CFR | Code of Federal Regulations |
| CFS | Committee on Fundamental Science |
| CICA | Competition in Contracting Act |
| C-IED | Counter Improvised Explosive Device |
| CLIN | Contract Line Item Number |
| CMIA | Cash Management Improvement Act |
| CNO | Chief of Naval Operations |
| CO | Contracting Officer |
| COG | Councils of Governments |
| COGR | Council on Governmental Relations |
| COI | Conflict of Interest |
| COR | Contracting Officer's Representative |
| COS | Committee on Science of the National Science and Technology Council |
| COSEPUP | Committee on Science, Engineering and Public Policy |
| COSO | Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission |
| COTR | Contract Officer Technical Representative |
| CPI | Critical Program Information |
| CPSR | Contractor Procurement/Property System Review |
| CRADA | Cooperative Research and Development Agreement |
| CRS | Congressional Research Service |
| CSR | Center for Scientific Review |
| CTSA | Clinical and Translational Science Award |
| CUI | Controlled Unclassified Information |
| DA | Department of the Army |
| DARPA | Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency |
| DAU | Defense Acquisition University |
| DAWIA | Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act |
| DC | Direct Costs |
| DCAA | Defense Contract Audit Agency |
| DCASR's | Defense Contract Administration Services Regions |
| DCE | Direct Cost Equivalent |
| DEAR | Department of Energy Acquisition Regulations |
| DEC | Determination of Exceptional Circumstances |
| DED | Department of Education |
| DFARS | Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation |
| DFARS | Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement` |
| DHEW | Department of Health, Education, and Welfare |
| DHHS | Department of Health and Human Services |
| DHS | Department of Homeland Security |
| DIA | Defense Intelligence Agency |
| DIALOG | A computer based search system using key words |
| DIPEC | Defense Industrial Plant Equipment Council |
| DIS | Defense Investigative Service |
| DNA | Defense Nuclear Agency |
| DOC | Department of Commerce |
| DOD | Department of Defense |
| DODGARS | Department of Defense Grant and Agreement Regulations |
| DOE | Department of Energy |
| DOL | Department of Labor |
| DOT | Department of Transportation |
| DSMB | Data Safety Monitoring Board |
| EAR | Export Administration Regulations |
| EARS | Electronic Approval and Routing Systems |
| ebXML | Electronic Business Extensible Markup Language |
| EC | Electronic Commerce |
| eCFR | Electronic Code of Federal Regulations |
| EDA | Economic Development Administration |
| EDGAR | Education Department General Administration Regulations |
| EDI | Electronic Data Interchange |
| EEO | Equal Employment Opportunity |
| EEOC | Equal Employment Opportunity Commission |
| EFT | Electronic Funds Transfer |
| EO | Presidential Executive Order |
| EPA | Environmental Protection Agency |
| ERA | Economic Regulatory Administration |
| ERA | Electronic Research Administration |
| ERISA | Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (29 U.S.C. 1301-1461) |
| ETA | Employment and Training Administration |
| EUI | Energy Usage Index |
| EVS | Equipment Visibility System |
| F&A | Facilities and Administrative (Rate or Cost) |
| FAA | Federal Aviation Administration |
| FAC | Federal Audit Clearinghouse |
| FAI | Federal Acquisition Institute |
| FAIN | Federal Award Identification Number |
| FAN | Federal Acquisition Regulation Alert Notice |
| FAPIIS | Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System |
| FAR | Federal Acquisition Regulation |
| FARS | Financial Accounting and Reporting System |
| FAS | Federal Acquisition Service |
| FASA | Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act |
| FASAB | Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board |
| FASB | Financial Accounting Standards Board |
| FASEB | Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology |
| FBO | Federal Business Opportunities |
| FCC | Federal Communications Commission |
| FCST | Federal Council for Science and Technology |
| FDA | Food and Drug Administration |
| FDP I | Federal Demonstration Project |
| FDP II | Federal Demonstration Project |
| FDP III and IV | Federal Demonstration Partnership |
| FEA | Federal Enterprise Architectures |
| FECAI | Federal Electronic Commerce Acquisition Instructions |
| FEDIX | An on-line federal data base serving most federal agencies for on-line searches |
| FedRAMP | Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program |
| FEMA | Federal Emergency Management Agency |
| FFATA | Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 or Transparency Act |
| FFMIA | Federal Financial Management Improvement Act |
| FHWA | Federal Highway Administration |
| FICA | Federal Insurance Contributions Act |
| FICC | Federal Interagency Coordinating Council |
| FIMA | Financial Management System |
| FIPSE | Fund for Improvement of Postsecondary Education |
| FISAP | Fiscal Operations Report & Application to Participate |
| FMC | Federal Management Circular |
| FN | Foreign National |
| FOB | Free-on-board |
| FOIA | Freedom of Information Act |
| FOUO | For Official Use Only |
| FR | Federal Register |
| FS&T | Federal Science and Technology Budget |
| FTC | Federal Trade Commission |
| FTE | Full-time equivalent |
| FTS | Federal Telecommunications System |
| FWA | Federal Wide Assurance |
| FY | Fiscal Year |
| GA | General Administration (Costs) |
| GAAP | Generally Accepted Accounting Principles |
| GAGAS | Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards |
| GAO | Government Accountability Office |
| GASB | Governmental Accounting Standards Board |
| GATT | General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade |
| GMO | Grants Management Office |
| GMRA | Government Management Reform Act |
| GOCO | Government owned, contractor operated |
| GPG | Grant Proposal Guide (NSF) |
| GPO | Government Printing Office |
| GPRA | Government Performance and Results Act |
| GSA | General Services Administration |
| GUIRR | Government-University-Industry Research Roundtable |
| HBCU | Historically Black College and University |
| HCFA | Health Care Financing Administration |
| HDIAC | Homeland Defense and Security Information Analysis Center |
| HEGIS | Higher Education General Information Survey |
| HHS | Department of Health and Human Services |
| HIPAA | Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act |
| HRSA | Health Resources and Services Administration |
| HSARPA | Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency |
| HUD | Department of Housing and Urban Development |
| IACUC | Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee |
| IAEGC | Inter-Agency Electronic Grants Committee |
| IASB | International Accounting Standards Board |
| IBC | Institutional Bio-safety Committee |
| IBS | Institutional Base Salary |
| ICC | Interstate Commerce Commission |
| IDC | Indirect Costs |
| IDIQ | Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity |
| IED | Improvised Explosive Device |
| IG | Inspector General |
| IHE | Institutions of Higher Education |
| IPA | Intergovernmental Personnel Act |
| IPASS | Interagency Panel on Advanced Science and Security |
| IPR | Intellectual Property Rights |
| IR&D | Independent Research and Development |
| IRAB FDP | Initiative to Reduce Administrative Burden |
| IRB | Institutional Review Board |
| IRC | Internal Revenue Code |
| IRIS | An on-line search system for research opportunities developed by the University of Illinois |
| IRS | Internal Revenue Service |
| ISDEAA | Indian Self-Determination and Education and Assistance Act |
| ITAR | International Traffic in Arms Regulations |
| ITMRA | Information Technology Management Reform Act |
| ITQ | Invitation to Qualify |
| JAG | Judge Advocate General |
| JCS | Joint Chiefs of Staff |
| LEED | Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design |
| LES | Law Enforcement Sensitive |
| LOB | Line of Business |
| LSA | Labor Surplus Area |
| M&O | Maintenance and Operations or Management and Operations Contractors |
| MAS | Multiple Award Schedules |
| MBDA | Minority Business Development Agency |
| MBE | Minority Business Enterprise |
| MECA | Midwest Conference on College Cost Accounting |
| MOBIS | Mission Oriented Business Integrated Services |
| MOU | Memorandum of Understanding |
| MTA | Material Transfer Agreement |
| MTC | Modified Total Cost |
| MTDC | Modified Total Direct Costs |
| NACCA | National Conference on College Cost Accounting |
| NACUBO | National Association of College and University Business Officers |
| NAS | National Academy of Sciences |
| NASA | National Aeronautics and Space Administration |
| NASULGC | National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges |
| NCC | National Coordinating Committee |
| NCI | National Cancer Institute |
| NCRR | National Center for Research Resources |
| NCST | National Council of Science and Technology |
| NCURA | National Council of University Research Administrators |
| NECA | Northeast Conference on College Cost Accounting |
| NEH | National Endowment for the Humanities |
| NGA | Notice of Grant Award |
| NIAID | National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases |
| NIE | National Institute of Education |
| NIEHS | National Institute of Environmental Health Services |
| NIH | National Institutes of Health |
| NIJ | National Institute of Justice |
| NIOSH | Centers for Disease Control National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health |
| NIST | National Institute of Standards and Technology |
| NLRB | National Labor Relations Board |
| NNSA | National Nuclear Security Administration |
| NOAA | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |
| NOFORN | No Foreign Nationals |
| NPR | National Performance Review |
| NPRM | Notice of Proposed Rulemaking |
| NPS | National Park Service |
| NRC | National Research Council |
| NRC | Nuclear Regulatory Commission |
| NRL | Naval Research Laboratory |
| NSA | National Security Agency |
| NSB | National Science Board |
| NSC | National Security Council |
| NSDD | National Security Decision Directive 189 (issued 1985) |
| NSF | National Science Foundation |
| NSF/STIS | An on-line search system of the National Science Foundation |
| NSP | Not Separately Priced |
| NSTC | National Science Technology Council |
| NTIS | National Technical Information Service |
| NTSB | National Transportation Safety Board |
| O&M | Operations and Maintenance Costs |
| OASIS | Multiple award, Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts that provide flexible and innovative solutions for complex professional services |
| OCR | Office of Civil Rights |
| ODNI | Office of the Director of National Intelligence |
| OES | Office of Employment Security |
| OET | Office of Employment Training |
| OFAC | Office of Foreign Assets Control |
| OFCC | Office of Federal Contract Compliance |
| OFFM | Office of Federal Financial Management |
| OFM | Office of Financial Management |
| OFR | Office of the Federal Register |
| OHRP | Office of Human Research Protection |
| OIG | Office of Inspector General |
| OIRA | Office of Information & Regulatory Affairs (OMB) |
| OLAW | Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare |
| OMB | Office of Management and Budget |
| ONR | Office of Naval Research |
| OPEB | Other Postemployment Benefits |
| OPERA | Office of Policy for Extramural Research Administration |
| OPM | Office of Personnel Management |
| OPRR | Office for Protection from Research Risks |
| ORA | Office of Research Administration |
| ORAU | Oak Ridge Associated Universities |
| ORI | Office of Research Integrity |
| OSEP | Office of Special Education Programs |
| OSHA | Occupational Safety and Health Administration |
| OSP | Office of Sponsored Programs |
| OSTP | Office of Science and Technology Policy |
| OT | Office of Transportation |
| OTT | Office of Technology Transfer (NIH) |
| PCAOB | Public Company Accounting Oversight Board |
| PCAST | President's Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology |
| PCC | Policy Coordination Council |
| PCO | Procuring Contracting Officer |
| Portable Document Format | |
| PETA | People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals |
| PHI | Protected Health Information |
| PHS | Public Health Service |
| PIGABS | Principal Investigator Grant Administration Burden Survey (done by FDP) |
| PII | Personally Identifiable Information |
| PKI | Public Key Infrastructure |
| PM/CPI | Performance Management/Continuous Process Improvement |
| PMS | Payment Management System |
| PRD | Presidential Review Directive |
| PRHP | Post-retirement Health Plans |
| PROG | Peer Review Oversight Group |
| PSS | Professional Services Schedule |
| PTE | Pass-through Entity |
| PTO | Patent and Trademark Office |
| R&D | Research and Development |
| R&R | Research and Related |
| RAC | Recombinant DNA Committee |
| RBM | Research Business Models |
| RCR | Responsible Conduct in Research |
| RDMS | Relational Database Management System |
| RDNA | Recombinant DNA Research |
| REUI | Relative Energy Usage Index |
| RFA | Request for Applications |
| RFP | Request for Proposal |
| RFQ | Request for Quotation |
| ROI | Return on Investment |
| S | Secret Paragraph (in government classified documents) |
| S&W | Salaries and Wages |
| S&W + B | Salaries and Wages plus Benefits |
| S2S | System to System |
| SAMHSA | Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration |
| SAM | System for Award Management (accessible at https://www.sam.gov) |
| SB | Small Business |
| SBA | Small Business Administration |
| SBIR | Small Business Innovation Research |
| SBU | Sensitive but Unclassified |
| SCI | Sensitive Compartmented Information |
| SEC | Securities and Exchange Commission |
| SECA | Southeast Conference on College Cost Accounting |
| SEOG | Supplemental Education Opportunity Grants |
| SEVIS | Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (INS for tracking foreign students) |
| SF | Standard Form |
| SFA | Student Financial Aid |
| SNAP | Streamline Non-Competing Application Process |
| SNAP | Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program |
| SOW | Statement of Work |
| SOX | Sarbanes-Oxley Act, Public Company Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act, or Corporate and Auditing Accountability and Responsibility Act |
| SPA | Sponsored Programs Associate |
| SPAWAR | U.S. Navy Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command |
| SPIN | An on-line search system for research opportunities developed by the University of New York (SUNY) System |
| SPOC | Single Point of Contact |
| SRA | Society of Research Administrators |
| SRO | Sponsored Research Office |
| STEP | Science, Technology and Economic Policy Board |
| STP | Science and Technology Policy |
| SUMMIT | Virginia Tech’s electronic proposal system |
| T&A | Time and attendance |
| TANF | Temporary Assistance for Needy Families |
| TBSR | Total Business Systems Review |
| TDC | Total Direct Costs |
| TEPS | Enterprise Wide Technical, Engineering, and Programmatic Support Services |
| TFM | Treasury Financial Manual |
| Title IX | Federal law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex in any federally funded education program, award or activity |
| TS | Top Secret Paragraph (in government classified documents) |
| TSA | Transportation Security Administration |
| TTS | Technology Transformation Service |
| U | Unclassified Paragraph (in government classified documents) |
| U.S.C. | United States Code |
| UBIT | Unrelated Business Income Tax |
| UCA | Utility Cost Adjustment |
| UG | Uniform Guidance—Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards) also referred to as 2 CFR Part 200 |
| USA | United States Army` |
| USAF | United States Air Force |
| USAID | United States Agency for International Development |
| USC | United States Code |
| USCG | United States Coast Guard |
| USDA | United States Department of Agriculture |
| USDE | United States Department of Energy |
| USIA | United States Information Agency |
| USMC | Unites States Marine Corps |
| USN | United States Navy |
| VA | Department of Veterans Affairs |
| VAT | Value Added Tax |
| WAWF | Department of Defense Wide Area Workflow |
| WECA | Western Conference on College Cost Accounting |
| WHO | World Health Organization |
| XML | Extensible Markup Language |
| YCC | Youth Conservation Corps |