Glossary
| Acronym | Full Name/Title | Prime Agency* |
|---|---|---|
| AFOSR | Air Force Office of Scientific Research | DOD |
| APHIS | Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service | USDA |
| Army | Department of the Army | DOD |
| ARF | Animal Research Facility | |
| ARO | Army Research Office | DOD |
| ARS | Agricultural Research Service | DOD |
| AYT | Academic Year Time | |
| CDC | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention | DHHS |
| CFR | Code of Federal Regulations | |
| CREES | Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service | USDA |
| DA | Department Administrator | |
| DARPA | Defense Advanced Research Project Agency | DOD |
| DCA | Division of Cost Allocation | DHHS |
| DE DoED | U.S. Department of Education (also DoED) | |
| DHHS | U.S. Department of Health and Human Services | |
| DHS | U.S. Department of Homeland Security | |
| DoD | U.S. Department of Defense | |
| DoD CDMRP | Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs | |
| DOE | U.S. Department of Energy | |
| DoEd | U.S. Department of Education (also see DE) | |
| DOI | U.S. Department of the Interior | |
| DOJ | U.S. Department of Justice | |
| EPA | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency | |
| FAR | Federal Acquisition Regulations | |
| FDA | Food & Drug Administration | |
| FSR | Federal Status Report | |
| FTE | Full-Time Equivalent | |
| IRIS | Illinois Researcher Information Service | |
| ITD | Inception to Date | |
| JPL | Jet Propulsion Laboratory | |
| LANL | Los Alamos National Laboratory | DOE |
| LLNL | Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (at Berkeley) | DOE |
| MTDC | Modified Total Direct Cost | |
| NAEA | National Atomic Energy Agency | |
| NASA | National Aeronautics and Space Administration | |
| Navy | Department of the Navy | DOD |
| NCE | No-Cost Extension | |
| 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 |
| NICHD | National Institute of Child Health and Human Development | NIH |
| NIDDK | National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases | NIH |
| NIGMS | National Institute of General Medical Sciences | NIH |
| NIH | National Institutes of Health | PHS |
| NIMH | National Institute of Mental Health | PHS |
| NOA | Notice of Award (OSR) or Notice of Action (Research Accounting) | |
| NSF | National Science Foundation | |
| OMB | Office of Management & Budget, The Executive Office of the President | |
| ONR | Office of Naval Research | DOD |
| ORI | Office of Research Integrity | DHHS |
| OSR | Office of Sponsored Research, Rice University | |
| PA | Property Accounting Office, Rice University | |
| OTT | Office of Technology Transfer | |
| PA Form | Graduate Student Payroll Authorization (Rice's Office of Research & Graduate Studies Form) | |
| PAF | Personnel Action Form (Rice Human Resources Form) | |
| PI | Principal Investigator | |
| PHS | Public Health Service | DHHS |
| R&A Form | Review & Approval Form (Rice's Office of Sponsored Research Form) | |
| RA | Rice's Research Accounting Office | |
| REU | Research Experiences for Undergraduates | |
| RFA | Request for Application | |
| RFP | Request for Proposals | |
| RFQ | Request for Quotation | |
| SAMHSA | Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration | |
| SBIR | Small Business Innovation Research | |
| SOW | Statement of Work | |
| SRA |
Salary Reimbursement Agreement |
|
| STTR | Small Business Technology Transfer | |
| THECB | Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board | |
| TDC | Total Direct Costs | |
| USDA | U.S. Department of Agriculture | |
| USFS | U.S. Forest Service |
*Prime Agency for those sponsors that are part of a larger federal agency
A |
|
|---|---|
| A-21 | The OMB Circular establishing the principles for determining costs applicable to grants, contracts, and other agreements with educational institutions. Although a cost may be deemed "allowable" under this circular, it may not be appropriate as direct charge to a contract and grant. Very important document to Cost Accounting and for the F&A rate proposal. |
| A-110 | The OMB Circular establishing uniform administrative requirements for grants and other agreements with institutions of higher education, hospitals, and other nonprofit organizations. |
| A-133 | The OMB Circular establishing audit requirements for institutions of higher education and other nonprofit organizations. |
| Academic Year Time (AYT) | For faculty salaries during the academic year, generally paid from A1 unrestricted funds. |
| Account Code | The third part of Rice's six-part account number. This five digit code identifies the transaction as asset, liability, revenue, expenditure, or transfer. |
| Account Number | A six part number used in Rice's accounting system for tracking and reporting transactions. The six parts are referred to as FOAPAL for Fund-Organization-Account-Program-Activity-Location. Generally, for most transactions only the fund-organization-account codes are required to be provided. |
| Activity Code | The fourth part of Rice's six-part account number. This optional code is available to the departments to help them track groups of transactions. |
| Allocable Cost | A cost is allocable to a particular cost objective (i.e., a specific function, grant project, service, department, or other activity) in accordance with the relative benefits received. A cost is allocable to a project where it is treated consistently with other costs incurred for the same purpose in like circumstances and (1) is incurred specifically for the award; or (2) benefits both the award and other work and can be distributed in reasonable proportion to the benefits received; or (3) is necessary to the overall operation of the organization. |
| Allowable Cost | A cost incurred by a recipient that is: (1) reasonable for the performance of the award; (2) allocable; (3) in conformance with any limitations or exclusions set forth in the federal cost principles applicable to the organization or in the Notice of Grant Award as to types or amount of cost items; (4) consistent with internal regulations, policies, and procedures that apply uniformly to both federally-funded and other activities of the organization; (5) accorded consistent treatment; (6) determined in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles; and (7) not included as a cost in any other federally-funded grant (unless specifically authorized). |
| Audit | An examination of an agency's accounting or other documents by an outside expert. Upon review, the expert prepares an opinion or report of his/her findings. |
| Award | Document received from a sponsor transmitting the terms and conditions associated with a project or activity and authorizing the transfer of funds. |
Back to top of common terms |
|
B |
|
| Banner | The software system used by Rice for its accounting system. Much of the information in Banner is available to the departments via Web Apps access. |
| Budget Period | The intervals of time into which a multiyear period of assistance (project period) is divided for budgetary and funding purposes. Budget periods are usually 12 months long but may be shorter or longer, if appropriate. |
Back to top of common terms |
|
C |
|
| Cage Code | The Commercial and Government Entity code is a five-digit code that identifies companies and other entities doing, or wishing to do, business with the Federal Government. Rice's Cage Code is OK379. |
| Carry-Forward | Unexpended award funds on grants and contracts which are moved to the next funding period (usually a year), providing this is allowed by the sponsor or agency. |
| CFDA | Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance. The CFDA provides a short summary of each grant program, as well as contact information for Federal agencies that award grants. www.cfda.gov/. |
| CFR | The Code of Federal Regulations is the codification of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by the executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government. It is divided into 50 titles that represent broad areas subject to Federal regulation. |
| Clearing Fund | A Clearing Fund is a fund established in order to expedite payment of specific non-salary charges (e.g., PCard charges), which are later moved or reallocated to the benefiting fund/organization. Occasionally, a single account code within a fund may be used as a Clearing Account (e.g., FedEx charges on a department's A1 fund). |
| Closeout | Procedures to officially conclude a grant, usually within 90 days after the end of an award. Normal closeout activities include a final financial report, final progress report, final invention statement, and equipment report. |
| Cognizant Agency | The Federal agency which, on behalf of all Federal agencies, is responsible for implementing the requirements of the Single Audit Act. Rice's cognizant agency is the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). |
| Compliance Activities | Activities related to the following matters: use of human subjects in research, the care and use of laboratory animals, conflicts of interest, and use of biohazard materials. The review of these activities is conducted by the Office of Research Affairs. |
| Conflict of Interest | Situations in which the integrity of research may be compromised by researchers for personal gain for either themselves and/or their immediate family members. Conflicts of interest include situations which cause actual conflicts, present the potential for conflicts, or which cause the appearance of conflicts. |
| Consortium Agreement | Collaborative arrangement in support of a research project in which part of an activity is carried out through a formal agreement between a grantee and one or more other organizations. |
| Continuation | Noncompetitive renewal of a grant for an additional budget period within a project period with additional funding. Normally, the same fund number is retained. |
| Competing Continuation | Award for continued/follow-up support to a project done through a competitive process, usually retaining the same award number. See also Renewal Award. |
| Contract | An award instrument normally signed by both parties to the agreement which contains definitive terms and conditions to be met in the conduct of a project. |
| Cooperative Agreement | An agreement in which all parties to the agreement have substantial programmatic involvement. |
| Cost Principles | The principles as set out in applicable statutes, regulations, grantor instructions, Office of Management and Budget Circulars, and generally accepted accounting principles used for determining allowability, reasonableness, allocability, and consistency of costs applicable to grants, contracts, and other agreements. |
| Cost Share | The portion of costs of a project not paid for by the sponsor and usually paid by the University. All cost share identified in a proposal is considered "required" cost sharing and must be tracked and documented by Rice. |
Back to top of common terms |
|
D |
|
| Direct Cost | Those costs that can be specifically identified with and directly benefiting a particular project, program, or activity. |
| Disallowance | Expenditures incurred on a sponsored project for which the sponsor will not pay. This occurs when expenditures are not in compliance with the award terms (i.e., not allowable or allocable). The department is responsible for covering any disallowed expenditures using an unrestricted fund source. |
| Division of Cost Allocation (DCA) | DHHS has been designated by OMB as the cognizant agency responsible for negotiating F&A, fringe benefit, and other specialty rates and issuing related Rate Agreements for a significant number of organizations receiving Federal awards. Within this department, the DCA is responsible for negotiating and approving rates that should be used to determines amounts of F&A, fringe benefit, and other types of costs to be included on a Federal award. The approval is formalized by issuance of a Rate Agreement signed by the DCA and an authorized representative of the organization (Rice). |
| Drawdown | A method by which a grantee requests payment (usually via electronic means) from the funding agency under a letter of credit agreement. The Research Accounting Office is responsible for performing this function. |
| DUNS Number | The numerical code assigned by Duns & Bradstreet identifying a specific business or entity. Rice University's DUNS number is 05-029-9031. |
Back to top of common terms |
|
E |
|
| Effort | In terms of contracts and grants, percentage of time to be devoted to the sponsored project activity. |
| Encumbrance | Unpaid obligations in the form of purchase orders or other commitments which are chargeable to an award and for which a part of the awarded amount is reserved. |
| Equipment | Tangible assets having a purchase price of at least $5,000 and a life expectancy of more than one year |
| Expanded Authorities | Legislation providing greater autonomy to grantees based on regulation 45 CFR Part 74. |
| Extramural Funding | Funding source is outside of Rice. Includes external agency contracts and grants, gifts, and endowments. |
Back to top of common terms |
|
F |
|
| F&A Costs | Facilities and Administrative Costs associated with the general operation of an institution in the conduct of its research activities. These costs cannot be readily and specifically identified with a particular sponsored project, program, or activity, but are nevertheless necessary to the operations of the organization. Formerly referred to as 'indirect costs' or 'overhead.' This is the "cost of doing business" of the University and includes the recovery of costs, such as building use, administrative support, libraries, operation and maintenance of central plant, police, and other university-wide expenses. Approved F&A rates are negotiated by Rice's Research & Cost Accounting Office with our cognizant agency, DCA-Dallas. |
| Fabricated Equipment | Nonexpendable, tangible, personal property, physically constructed by a University activity, which has a total acquisition cost of $5,000 or more, is free standing, is complete in itself, does not lose its identity when affixed to or installed in other property, and is expected to be used by the University for one year or more. |
| FAR | Federal Acquisition Regulations. Federal regulations for uniform policies for the acquisition of supplies and services. |
| Federal Demonstration Partnership (formerly Federal Demonstration Project) | Cooperative initiative among some federal agencies and universities and other organizations that receive federal research funding for the purpose of developing more simplified and standardized requirements for the receipt of extramural funding. The expressed goal is for increasing research productivity and reducing administrative costs. |
| Fellowships | Awards that provide individual grants to students and scientists at predoctoral, postdoctoral, or senior levels. Support is often provided to the fellow through a stipend rather than a salary. |
| Financial Status Report (FSR) | Report showing the financial status of funds for a grant or cooperative agreement. The Research Accounting Office is responsible for the preparation and submission of this report. The report is based on actual expenditures posted to the ledgers for the period covered by the report. |
| Fiscal Year | A 12-month accounting period at the end of which the books are closed for an agency or governmental unit. Rice University's fiscal year begins July 1 and ends June 30. The fiscal year ended June 30, 2004, is referred to as FY 2004. |
| Fixed-Price Contract | Type of contract that provides for a firm or, in some cases, an adjustable price. Unexpended funds at the end of a project are not required to be returned to the sponsor; similarly, overexpenditures are not funded by the sponsor. |
| FTE | Full-time equivalent. Equal to one person working full time for the applicable period of time, typically a month or one year. |
| Fund Code | The first part of Rice's six-part account number is used to identify type and source of funding as well as identify individual purposes within the fund group. Examples: A PI start-up fund, an NSF award, a specific gift to a department. |
| Funding Cycle | The schedule of events starting with the announcement of the availability of funds followed by the deadline for submission of applications, review of applications, award of grants, issuance of contract documents, and release of funds. |
Back to top of common terms |
|
G |
|
| Grant | Financial assistance (including cooperative agreements) in the form of money, or property in lieu of money, by a sponsor to an eligible recipient. |
| Grants Management Officer (GMO) | A Grants Management Officer is a sponsoring agency official responsible for the business management aspects of grants and cooperative agreements, including review, negotiation, award, and administration, and for the interpretation of grants administration policies and provisions. |
| Grants Management Specialist | A Grant Management Specialist is an agent of the Grant Management Officer that is assigned responsibility for the day-to-day management of a portfolio of grants. |
Back to top of common terms |
|
I |
|
| In-Kind Contribution | Noncash contributions provided by the University or nonfederal third parties. Typical examples of in-kind contributions are services provided by volunteers and donated property. (Reference C&G Manual 5-420) |
| Incremental Award | Additional award support for an existing project. The grant/contract award number remains the same, and separate cash accountability is not required. |
| Indemnification | The agreement of one party to assume financial responsibility for the liability of another party. |
| Indirect Costs | Former term for F&A Costs. Also, formerly known as overhead. |
| Informed Consent | The process by which potential participants in research are fully informed of all aspects of a research project, including all risks and potential benefits, for the purpose of allowing the them to make a decision of whether or not they choose to participate in the research. In some instances, it is also the document signed by the participant agreeing to participate in a research project. |
| Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) | The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee reviews protocols involving the use of animals in research and provides the approval to conduct the research. This committee verifies the humane care and use of laboratory animals in research. |
| Institutional Review Board (IRB) | Committee set up by a research institution to ensure the protection of rights and welfare of human subjects participating in research projects. IRBs make an independent determination to approve, modify, or disapprove protocols based on the adequate protection of human subjects, as required by federal regulations and local institutional policy. IRBs must register with the Office of Human Research Protections (OHRP). |
| IRIS | Illinois Researcher Information Service. A search engine for locating funding opportunities developed and provided by the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. |
Back to top of common terms |
|
J |
|
| Just in Time | Application timeframe that requires applicants to send some information (other support, certification of IRB approval, etc.) to NIH only if an award is likely. |
Back to top of common terms |
|
L |
|
| Letter of Credit (LOC) | Mechanism to request cash from various federal agencies based upon disbursements. The Research Accounting Office is responsible for this function. These funds are reimbursement for expenses incurred by a project. At the time of request the amount by project is not required. There is a quarterly report submitted that provides the expenditures by project during the reporting period. |
| Letter of Intent | A letter of intent expresses a grantor's willingness to commit funds to a project if other conditions are met. |
| Location Code | The sixth part of Rice's six part account number. When used in conjunction with program code IDR2, it identifies cost sharing on a particular project. |
Back to top of common terms |
|
M |
|
| Matching Funds | Matching funds has the same meaning as cost sharing. See Cost Share. |
| Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) | Legal document defining the conditions under which materials can be transferred and used among research laboratories, usually for unpatented biological materials. MTAs are processed at Rice by the Office of Technology Transfer (OTT). |
| Misconduct in Science | Fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, or other practices that seriously deviate from those commonly accepted in the scientific community for conducting or reporting research. |
| Modified Total Direct Cost (MTDC) | The basis upon which F&A rates are calculated as prescribed by OMB Circular A-21, G.2. This base normally consists of direct costs (e.g., salaries and wages, fringe benefits, tuition remission, materials and supplies, services, travel, subcontracts, and equipment) modified by excluding tuition remission, equipment, and the first $25,000 of each subcontract. |
| Modular Grant | Used at NIH for applications requesting less than $250,000 of direct costs per year, eliminating the need for a detailed budget. Requests are made in modules of $25,000. F&A is added to the award. |
Back to top of common terms |
|
N |
|
| NIH Salary Cap | The salary rate limitation affecting awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Salaries in excess of a statutorily-defined rate of pay (commonly referred to as the "cap") may not be paid from NIH or SAMHSA grants and contracts or other federal awards. This limitation is based on a DHHS Appropriations Act passed by Congress annually. |
| No-Cost Extension (NCE) | Extension of a project period without additional funds. Requests for an NCE is processed thought Rice's Office of Sponsored Research. |
| Non-Cash Contributions | Contributions made to sponsored projects which are not cash. Contributions can be a piece of equipment, materials and supplies, etc. |
| Notice of Award | Transmittal of award from sponsor to Rice. Also, transmittal of award from OSR to Research Accounting, PI, and Department. |
Back to top of common terms |
|
O |
|
| Obligated Funds | Funds that are encumbered (and unexpended) at the end of the funding period to cover known obligations. |
| Office of Management & Budget (OMB) | Executive Branch office that assists the President of the United States in preparing the federal budget, evaluating agency programs and policies, and setting funding priorities. In setting policy, OMB issues government-wide policy directives, called circulars, that apply to grants. |
| Office of Management & Budget (OMB) Circulars | All OMB Circulars can be found at: www.whitehouse.gov/omb/circulars . The primary ones that affect Rice are OMB A-21 (Cost Principles for Educational Institutions), OMB A-110 (Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Other Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals and Other Nonprofit Organizations), and OMB A-133 (Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Other Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals and Other Nonprofit Organizations). |
| Office of Research Integrity (ORI) | Department of Health and Human Services office that promotes integrity in biomedical and behavioral research supported by the Public Health Service by monitoring institutional investigations of scientific misconduct and facilitating the responsible conduct of research. |
| Office of Technology Transfer (OTT) | Rice's office that manages invention disclosures, patent applications and oversees technology transfer and licensing. |
| Office of Human Research Protections (OHRP) | Office within the Department of Health and Human Services that oversees the protection of human subjects in research. |
| Organizational Code | The second part of Rice's six part account number. It is used to identify the division and department associated with the fund or transaction. |
| Overhead | Former term for F&A costs. Also, formerly known as indirect costs. See F&A. |
Back to top of common terms |
|
P |
|
| Peer Review | System for evaluating research grant applications and contract proposals using reviewers who are professional peers of an applicant. |
| Period of Performance | Time interval required to complete work defined in a statement of work. A period of performance can be revised only through an agreement between a contractor and a contracting officer, who must issue a formal modification to a contract. |
| PA Form | Graduate Student Payroll Authorization form. Rice's Office of Research & Graduate Studies' form, which can be found at http://graduate.rice.edu/financial_support/ in addition to submission instructions. |
| PAF | Personnel Action Form. Rice's Human Resources form, which can be found at http://people.rice.edu/done.cfm?doc_id=7509 |
| Pre-Award Costs | The costs incurred prior to the effective date of the award, directly pursuant to the negotiation and in anticipation of the award, where incurrence is necessary to comply with the proposed delivery schedule or period of performance. To request pre-award approval for an award, use the Institutional Approval Form located on the OSR Web site. |
| Principal Investigator | Qualified person designated by an applicant institution to direct a research project or program and who usually writes the grant application. PIs oversee scientific and technical aspects of a project and the day-to-day management of the research. |
| Prior Approval | The written permission provided by the authorized granting official from the awarding office before the recipient may undertake certain activities, such as performance or modification of an activity, expending funds, or exceeding a certain dollar level. |
| Program Code | The fourth part of Rice's six part account number. Used to identify the type of activity, including instruction and departmental research, sponsored research, and cost sharing. A full listing of codes is available on Web Apps. |
| Program Income | The gross income received by the recipient directly generated by the supported activity, or earned as a result of the award. Program income includes such items as income from fees for services performed, the sale of commodities or items fabricated under an award, etc. |
| Program Officer or Official | Funding agency staff member who oversees the scientific program and progress of projects. |
| Project Period | The total time period stated in a Notice of Award for which support is recommended. The project period may consist of one or more budget periods. It does not constitute a commitment to fund the entire project period. |
| Proposal | Written application for grant funds presenting a specific project and associated budget. Also a written offer to enter into a contract, usually in response to a request for proposals (RFP). |
| Protocol | The formal design or plan of an experiment or research activity. Specifically, it is the research plan submitted to an IRB or IACUC for review and approval for the participation of humans or the use of animals in a research project. |
Back to top of common terms |
|
R |
|
| R Fund | A type of fund group administered by Research Accounting and used to identify sponsored research, training, and outreach activities. |
| R&A Form | OSR's Proposal Review & Approval form. Can be found at R and A Form. |
| rDNA (Recombinant DNA) | Molecules which are constructed outside living cells by joining natural or synthetic DNA segments to DNA molecules that can replicate in a living cell or the resulting DNA molecules that result from the replication of those described. The use of rDNA in research requires approval by the biosafety committee. |
| REU | Research Experiences for Undergraduates. An NSF program restricted for undergraduate research support, but affiliated with a main research award. Normally, subject to a reduced F&A rate, this requires that a separate fund be established. |
| Reasonable Cost | A cost may be considered reasonable if the nature of the goods or services acquired or applied, and the amount involved therefore, reflect the action that a prudent person would have taken under the circumstances prevailing at the time the decision to incur the cost was made. Major considerations involved in the determination of the reasonableness of a cost are: (a) whether or not the cost is of a type generally recognized as necessary for the operation of the institution or the performance of the sponsored agreement; (b) the restraints or requirements imposed by such factors as arm's length bargaining, Federal and State laws and regulations, and sponsored agreement terms and conditions; (c) whether or not the individuals concerned acted with due prudence in the circumstances, considering their responsibilities to the institution, its employees, its students, the Federal Government, and the public at large; and (d) the extent to which the actions taken with respect to the incurrence of the cost are consistent with established institutional policies and practices applicable to the work of the institution generally, including sponsored agreements. |
| Renewal Award | Award for continued/follow-up support to a project done through a competitive process, usually retaining the same award number. |
| Restricted Funds | Funding from a prior year which is carried forward (unexpended and unobligated) to the current year and requires agency approval to expend. Or funds restricted for a specific purpose, such as REUs, Minority Supplements, or Training Grants. |
| Revision/Resubmission | A proposal which is re-sent to a funding agency and has been modified in response to reviewer comments from a previous submission. |
| RFA | Request for Application. A solicitation or request for proposals or applications to an advertised research project. |
| RFP | Request for Proposal. A solicitation or request for proposals or applications to an advertised research project. |
| RFQ | Request for Quotation. A solicitation or request for proposals or bid to an advertised project. |
Back to top of common terms |
|
S |
|
| Salary Reimbursement Agreement |
An arrangement established between Rice and another institution which allows one institution to recover the costs associated with a student registered at the other institution wherein the student is participating in collaborative research activities with principal investigators at both institutions. |
| Scope of Work/ Statement of Work | Statement of work to be performed as obligated under an agreement. |
| SF-269 or SF-269A | Standard Form-269 is the Financial Status Report (Long Form), and SF-269A is the Financial Status Report (Short Form). This report for Federal awards can be required quarterly or annually, but mostly this report is due at the end of the project period. |
| SF-272 and SF-272A | Standard Form -272 is the Federal Cash Transactions Report, and SF-272A is a continuation of the SF-272. SF-272A is required when reporting on more than one grant or other agreement. An SF-272 is required quarterly for Federal awards. These may be submitted electronically via the agency's Web site. NASA and USDA awards also require this report within 90 days of the project period end date. |
| Single Audit | Enacted by Congress in 1984 to establish uniform audit requirements for state and local governments receiving federal financial assistance. See OMB A-133. |
| Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) | Government-wide program that promotes technology transfer by helping investigators form partnerships between the private and public sectors. It differs from Small Business Innovation Research in being less restrictive in the level of activity permitted for academic institutions. |
| Solicitation | Document that elicits proposals. |
| Stipend | Student financial support provided on training grants and fellowships for living expenses. Stipends are not considered payment (salary) for work done or completed, although they may be subject to IRS reporting. |
| Subcontract | A formal cooperative research relationship with another organization (non-UC), often another university, identifying a specific scope of work, budget, and other contractual terms. Subcontracts to other UC campuses are processed through the Multiple Campus Award (MCA) process. |
| Supplement/ Supplemental Award | Additional funds added to an existing award for a variety of purposes such as: (1) to support new or additional activities; (2) support an expansion of the grant approved activities; or (3) to provide for an increase in costs due to unforeseen circumstances. |
Back to top of common terms |
|
T |
|
| Technology Transfer | Sharing knowledge and facilities to make scientific and technological advances accessible to private industry for the ultimate benefit of society. |
| Terms and Conditions | Legal requirements imposed on a grant or contract by the sponsor which are specified in a notice of grant award or contract. |
| Total Direct Cost (TDC) | All costs included as direct costs in support of a funded project. Some agencies allow F&A rates to be applied to all direct costs, but typically at a rate less than the negotiated F&A rate. |
Back to top of common terms |
|
U |
|
| Unallowable Cost | A cost determined to be unallowable in accordance with the applicable cost principles or other terms and conditions contained in an award. |
| Unexpended Funds | The funding (money) not spent during the budget or project period. Also referred to as unobligated balances. |
| Unliquidated Obligation | A firm lien or encumbrance that has not been satisfied or paid. All unliquidated obligations must be liquidated or paid within 90 of the end of the award. |
| Unobligated Balance | Funds not spent or committed by the completion of a grant's project period. |
| Unsolicited Proposal | Written proposal submitted to an agency that is not in response to a formal or informal request for proposals. |
Back to top of common terms |
|
V |
|
| Vivarium (pl. vivaria) | Animal care facility. |
Back to top of common terms |
|
W |
|
| Web Apps | Web Applications is the method by which departments can access transactions, reports, and other information in the Banner accounting system at Rice. |
Back to top of common terms |
|