Acronyms and Terms
Numbers/Symbols
001: An out-of-date term still widely used to refer to the Notice of New Cost Object mailed by CAO to supervisors and addressees of new cost objects when they are established. This form is also used to notify DLCs of changes made in master data and cost object status.
A
A21: A circular from the Executive Office of the U.S. President, Office of Management and Budget. It defines the costs allowable as charges to government contracts and grants.
AAALAC: American Association for the Accreditation of Lab Animal Care.
AACII (sometimes referred to as "AAC-two"): MIT's Administrative Advisory Committee addresses concerns that are common to Administrative Officers. AACII serves as a liaison between MIT's central administration and its departments, providing a resource for individuals and organizations in the development of new initiatives and policies, and facilitating the discussion of many administrative issues.
Accrual accounting: The process of recording an expense when it occurs, rather than when it is paid.
AO: Administrative Officer.
AFOSR: Air Force Office of Scientific Research, part of the Department of Defense.
Allocable Costs: Those allowable costs that actually benefit the grant or contract to which they are being charged. These include salaries and equipment. Certain types of costs, such as the cost of alcoholic beverages, are not allowable.
Allowable Costs: Those categories of costs that can be charged to a grant, such as salaries and equipment. Certain types of costs, such as the cost of alcoholic beverages, are not allowable.
AMA: American Medical Association.
Audit: A formal examination of an organization's or individual's accounts or financial situation. An audit may also include examination of compliance with applicable terms, laws, and regulations.
Authorized Total: The total amount that a sponsored project is authorized to spend in a given period. For example, suppose the budget for a particular proposal is $3,000,000, the period of performance is three years, and the proposal is fully funded. Does this mean that you have $3,000,000 available TO spend? That depends on the Authorized Total that the sponsor has stipulated. If the sponsor has set $1,000,000 for the first year of the award as the authorized total, then you can spend up to $1,000,000 during that first year. The sponsor will also authorize a given amount that you can spend for each subsequent year.
Award: Funds that have been obligated by a funding agency for a particular project.
B
Base General Funds: Also known as recurring funds. These are the funds in a DLC's operating budget that are collected in cost centers and budgeted each year by the DLC in NIMBUS during the budgeting process. Unlike non-base general funds, base general funds recur each year at the beginning of the fiscal year. All known base general funds should be budgeted by the DLC each year. Adjustments may be made - usually by the Dean's Office - to reduce or increase base general funds. See the Annual Budget Cycle (PDF) for more information on budgeting these funds. Base general funds that are not used in one fiscal year are automatically carried forward to the next fiscal year as non-base funds. Expected carry-forwards should not be budgeted during the budgeting cycle.
Note: While an important part of the job of a department administrator, this item is often not part of the responsibilities of a lab or center administrator. In some labs and centers it is necessary for the administrator to be familiar with it, but is required to a lesser degree than in an academic department.
BLT ( Business Liaison Team ): The MIT office that supports users of the Institute's business applications.
Budget: The detailed statement outlining estimated project costs to support work under a grant or contract. (See also Re-budget .)
Budget Adjustment: [Needs Definition] (See also Re-budget .)
Budget Period: The interval of time, usually twelve months, into which the project period is divided for budgetary and funding purposes.
C
CAO: Controller's Accounting Office.
CAS: Cost Accounting Standards. Federally mandated accounting standards intended to ensure uniformity in budgeting and spending funds.
CASB: Cost Accounting Standards Board. The CASB details federal guidelines for allowable costs to federal grants and contracts.
CBD: Commerce Business Daily.
CDC: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
CFDA: Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance.
CFR: Code of Federal Regulations.
Challenge Grant: A grant that provides monies in response to monies from other sources, usually according to a formula. For example, a challenge grant may offer two dollars for every one that is obtained from a fund drive. The grant usually has a fixed upper limit and may have a challenge minimum below which no grant will be made. This form of grant is fairly common in the arts, humanities, and some other fields, but is less common in the sciences. A challenge grant differs from a matching grant. The amount of money that the recipient organization realizes from a challenge grant may vary widely, depending upon how successful that organization is in meeting the challenge. Matching grants usually award a clearly defined amount and require that a specified sum be obtained before any award is made.
Change Order: A written order signed by the contracting officer, directing the contractor to make changes. The changes clause of the contract authorizes the contracting officer to do this without the contractor's consent.
Closeout: The act of completing all internal procedures and sponsor requirements to terminate or complete a research project.
COGR: Council on Governmental Relations.
Competing Proposals: Proposals submitted for the first time or unfunded proposals that are resubmitted. Both types must compete for research funds. Ongoing projects must compete again if the term of the original award has expired.
Consortium Agreement: A group of collaborative investigators or institutions. The arrangement can be formalized with specified terms and conditions.
Continuation Project (Non-Competing): An applicable to grants and cooperative agreements only. A project approved for multiple-year funding, although funds are typically committed only one year at a time. At the end of the initial budget period, progress on the project is assessed. If satisfactory, an award is made for the next budget period, subject to the availability of funds. Continuation projects do not compete with new project proposals and are not subject to peer review beyond the initial project approval.
Contract: A mechanism for the procurement of a product or service with specific obligations for both sponsor and recipient. Typically, a research topic and the methods for conducting the research are specified in detail by the sponsor, although some sponsors award contracts in response to unsolicited proposals.
Contract Administrator: An OSP representative .
Cooperative Agreement: An award similar to a grant, but in which the sponsor's staff may be actively involved in proposal preparation, and anticipates having substantial involvement in research activities once the award has been made.
Co-PI: The co-principal investigator.
COS: Community of Science. A web server containing information about scientific expertise, funded scientific research, and funding opportunities for research.
Cost-reimbursement Type: A contract or grant for which the sponsor pays the full costs incurred in the conduct of the work, up to an agreed-upon amount.
Cost Accounting Standards (CAS): Federally mandated accounting standards intended to ensure uniformity in budgeting and spending funds.
Cost Center: A cost object containing general Institute funds.
Cost Collector: A term used interchangeably with cost object (see Cost Object below). Used most frequently in the Data Warehouse .
Cost Element: A six-digit number identifying a particular classification of expenses or revenue. Cost elements are equivalent to GL accounts. In the Controlling (CO) module, the term cost element is used. In the Finance (FI) module, the term GL account is used. See also GL Account.
Cost Element Group: A predefined grouping of related cost elements created so that SAP reports will display complete information for all cost elements in a standardized order. For example, CEMIT-EX would display only expenses and would exclude all revenue activity.
Cost Object (also called a cost collector): A seven-digit number used to categorize costs and revenues associated with a particular project or activity at MIT. Cost objects have a yearly budget or authorized total of funds to be spent. They can be "budgeted against," and purchases are charged to them.
The three types of cost objects are cost centers, internal orders, and WBS elements.
Cost Sharing: A portion of a project or program cost not reimbursed by the sponsor. Cost sharing represents a commitment by the Institute. It may be required by the sponsor as a condition of the award (mandatory) or it may be offered by the Institute in excess of mandatory cost sharing requirements (voluntary). Whether cost sharing is required by the sponsor or is offered by the Institute or PI voluntarily, the commitments are mandatory once an award is made. In other words, they represent binding obligations of the Institute. The Federal regulations and the MIT policy governing cost sharing are summarized on the OSP website. See Policy for Cost Sharing and Matching Funds on Sponsored Projects .
COUHES: MIT Committee on the Use of Human as Experimental Subjects .
CRADA: Cooperative Research and Development Agreement. A written agreement between a private company and a government agency to work together on a project. By entering into a CRADA, the Federal government and non-Federal partners can perform research by sharing the costs of this research.
CRSP: Committee for Review of Space Planning.
CSR: Center for Scientific Review, part of the National Institutes of Health.
D
DACCA: The Consolidated Salary Expense Analysis is a monthly report that lists all salary charges to a particular cost object, categorized by g/l account. This report is not returned to the Payroll Office but is kept on file in the department, with appropriate approval signatures.
DAR: Defense Acquisition Regulations. DAR is the source regulations for research projects sponsored by the Department of Defense.
Deficit/Overrun: A financial condition in which expenditures exceed the funds available.
DINDI: The Salary Expense Analysis By Individual is a monthly report that shows the current month's distribution for weekly paid employees within a department. This is also used to report current distribution changes to the Payroll Office as is the SANDI.
Direct Costs per OMB A-21: Those costs that can be identified specifically with a particular sponsored project or can be directly assigned with a high degree of accuracy.
Direct Salary Charging Plan (DSCP): A program that allows faculty to charge up to 10% of their academic year salaries - which normally would be charged to Institute general funds - to research. The resulting dollars that are released from Institute general funds or professorship funds are split (5% each) between the faculty member and the department for use as discretionary monies.
DLC: Department, Lab, or Center (also includes divisions and programs).
Dollar Budgeting: See Global Budgeting.
DSCP: See Direct Salary Charging Plan, defined above.
DSO: Disabilities Services Office.
E
EB Employee Benefits/Fringe Benefits: Employee benefits paid by the employer (for example, FICA, Worker's Compensation, Withholding Tax, Insurance, and so forth). For more information, see Employee Benefit Rates.
EEO/AA: Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action.
Effort Reporting: A process mandated by the federal government to verify that direct labor charges to Federally sponsored agreements are reasonable and reflect actual work performed. Effort reporting is also required to ensure that indirect charges to federal awards are reasonable. For more information, see effort reporting .
Engineering Council: The Engineering Council serves as the Dean's cabinet. Department/divison heads concerned with the overall administration of the School and the Dean meet to approve faculty promotion and tenure cases and to confer on matters of School policy. EC normally meets every Monday during the academic year and may have special sessions for promotion and tenure cases.
Extended Engineering Council includes laboratory and center directors. Extended Council meets on occasion during the academic year regarding School matters.
ERA (Electronic Research Administration): ERA broadly encompasses the application of computer systems to serve the needs of all phases of research administration, from identifying funding opportunities to post-award administration. COEUS supports ERA.
ETFC: Non-Academic Employee Transaction Change Form.
F
FAR: Federal Acquisition Regulations.
Fastlane: The NSF Electronic Submission System. For more information, see Fastlane .
F&A (Facilities and Administration): A rate that MIT charges to a sponsored project for the use of Institute facilities and administration (overhead). A percentage of every dollar that a sponsor awards to a project goes to F&A, paying for the use of MIT offices, staff, etc.
F&A is composed of two parts. The Facility portion of F&A covers building depreciation, equipment depreciation, interest expense, plant operation and maintenance, the library, etc. The Administration portion covers General & Administrative, Department Administration, Sponsored Programs Administration, etc. The largest component of the F&A rate goes toward the Facilities portion.
F&A Underrecovery: The difference between the F&A rate that MIT charges to a project, and the rate that the project's sponsor is willing to pay. For example, if MIT's F&A rate is 65%, and a sponsor agrees to pay only 50%, then the project's lab or center must find a way to pay for the 15% underrecovery.
FDA: Food and Drug Administration.
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR): The primary regulation used by all federal executive agencies in their acquisition of supplies and services with appropriated funds. FAR became effective in 1984.
Federal Contract: The appropriate agreement to use in a relationship between the federal government and a recipient. A federal contract applies whenever the principal purpose is for the federal government to acquire property or services for its direct benefit and use.
Federal Grant: The appropriate agreement to use in a relationship between the federal government and a recipient whenever the principal purpose is the transfer of money to accomplish a public purpose. With a federal grant, there is no substantial involvement anticipated between the governmental agency and the recipient during the period of performance.
Fellowship: An award made directly to an individual in support of specific educational pursuits. This individual cannot be an employee. Traineeships differ. Check the award conditions on training grants for service and/or pay-back requirements.
Final Report: The final technical or financial report required by the sponsor to complete a research project.
Financial Review and Control (FRC): A monthly financial review performed by each DLC to ensure that all cost objects are reconciled.
Fiscal Year (FY): Any twelve-month period for which annual accounts are kept. The fiscal year at MIT is July 1 to June 30.
Fixed-price Contract: A contract providing for a set lump sum payment upon satisfactory performance of the terms of the contract.
FO (Financial Officer): The person responsible for overseeing a DLC's financial functions.
FOIA: Freedom of Information Act.
FRC: See Financial Review and Control above.
Fringe Benefits: Employee benefits paid by the employer (for example, FICA, Worker's Compensation, withholding tax, Insurance, and so forth).
FTE: Full-time equivalent (for example, two half-time employees represent one FTE).
FSS: Financial Systems Services. See SAIS
Fund Accounting: The accounting system used by the federal government and some universities to identify revenues and expenses according to the source of funds. Separate records are kept for assets donated to an organization and restricted by donors to certain specific purposes or use.
Funding Cycle: Range of time during which proposals are accepted, reviewed, and funds are awarded. If a sponsor has standing proposal review committees (or boards) that meet at specified times during the year, application deadlines are set to correspond with those meetings. For some sponsors, if proposals are received too late to be considered in the current funding cycle, they may be held over for the next review meeting (that is, National Science Foundation's target dates).
FY: Fiscal Year. Any twelve-month period for which annual accounts are kept. The fiscal year at MIT is July 1 to June 30.
G
General Dollars: Unrestricted funds supplied by the Institute. These are used to support general academic operations and the administrative activities that support them.
General Ledger (GL) Account (also called cost element): An account that categorizes a cost object into budget line items.
In SAP, a GL account is a six-digit code that categorizes expenses and revenue for a given cost object. MIT uses hundreds of different GL accounts, each of which tracks a specific revenue/expense for various cost objects. Common examples include faculty salaries, travel expenses, conference expenses, office supplies, and so forth. For more information, see GL Accounts .
Gift: An award that does not involve deliverables or elaborate reporting requirements (although informal reports or verbal communication do further good donor relations). A gift does not require separate accounting, nor does the donor receive detailed financial accounting. A gift may be provided for the stated area of research or activity. No intellectual property rights are provided. A gift does not require the return of unexpended funds, and it has no period of performance.
GL Account (also called cost element): See General Ledger Account above.
Global Budgeting: (also referred to as dollar budgeting) The process by which the Office of Budget and Financial Planning (OBFP) automatically updates the rates for salary increases and employee benefits (EB). Budgeted amounts in specific budget categories are automatically increased due to changes in salaries or in the employee benefits (EB) rate.
Note that Global Budgeting is more important to academic departments and divisions than it is to labs or centers.
GPG: Grant Proposal Guide, the proposal guidelines for the National Science Foundation.
Grant: A type of award under which the agency agrees to provide a specific level of support for an initial specified period of time. A grant contains a statement of intent to provide support of the project for additional periods, if the funds are available and the results warrant further support.
Grant/Contract Officer: [Needs Definition]
H
HR: Human Resources.
HRO: Human Resources Officer.
I
IACUC: Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.
IDL: [Needs Definition]
In-kind Contribution: A service or item donated in lieu of dollars.
Indirect Costs: Those costs that are incurred for common or joint objective. Indirect costs cannot be identified with a particular sponsored project, instructional activity, or other institutional activity.They come under Facilities and Administration (F&A) per OMB A-21. For more information, see indirect costs .
Industrial Agreement: An award that funds basic research related to industrial research and development (R&D). An industrial agreement may involve interaction and collaboration with the sponsor, and it often requires extensive negotiations. MIT has a standard research agreement for industry, including provisions for dissemination of information and rights to intellectual property.
Internal Order: A type of cost object containing monies for discretionary activities, scholarly allowances, and special instructional projects. Common sources of funding in this type of cost object include endowments and gifts. For more information, see Cost Object.
Investigator-initiated Proposal: A proposal submitted to a sponsor that is not in response to an RFP, RFA, or a specific program announcement.
IR: Office of Institutional Research in the Provost's Office.
IRB: Institutional Review Board.
IS: Information Systems.
ISO: International Scholars Office or International Students Office.
J
K
Key Personnel: The personnel considered to be of primary importance to the successful conduct of a research project. The term usually applies to the senior members of the project staff.
L
M
Matching Funds: Financial contribution by the university required by a granting agency as a condition for receiving a contract, grant, or award.
MITSIS: The MIT Student Information System is an administrative system that serves all of the student services at MIT, including registration and academic records, student financial services, academic departments, housing and medical.
MTDC: Modified Total Direct Costs.
N
NAE: National Academy of Engineering.
NACUBO: The National Association of College and University Business Officers. Here is the contact information:
One Dupont Circle, NW, Suite 500
Washington DC 20036
(202) 861-2500
http://www.nacubo.org
NASA: National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
NCI: National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
NCRR: National Center for Research Resources, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
NAS: National Academy of Sciences.
NCURA: The National Council of University Research Administrators. Here is the contact information:
One Dupont Circle, NW, Suite 220
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 466-3894
http://www.ncura.edu
New Award: An award not previously awarded, or a renewal or continuation award treated as a new award by the sponsor and given a new agency number.
New and Competing Proposals: Proposals submitted for the first time or ongoing projects that must re-compete for funding prior to the expiration of the original award.
NIH: National Institutes of Health.
NOA: Notice of Award. The legally binding document that serves as a notification to the recipient and others that a grant or cooperative agreement has been made. The NOA references all terms of the award and documents the obligation of funds.
No-cost Extension: An extension of the period of performance beyond the expiration date to allow the principal investigator to finish a project. Usually, no additional costs are provided.
Non-Base General Funds(also referred to as Non-Recurring Funds ): These funds are part of the DLC's operating budget, but are received for a one-time use and do not recur each year. These funds can be received by the DLC from various sources including the Dean's Office, Provost's Office, or other DLCs. Funds not spent in a fiscal year are automatically carried forward to the next fiscal year. Non-base general funds and expected carry-forwards should not be budgeted during the budgeting cycle.
Note: As with all general funds, Non-Base General Funds are more important to academic departments than to labs or centers.
Non-Competing Renewal: A renewal applied to a continuing project, i.e., one that need not compete with other projects for funding.
O
OBFP: MIT's Office of Budget and Financial Planning .
OED: Office for Organization and Employee Development, part of Human Resources.
ORC: Operations Research Center.
OSP: Office of Sponsored Programs. The MIT office responsible for overseeing the sponsorship arrangements between Institute DLCs and outside sponsors. For more information, visit the OSP website or see the chapter on Sponsored Funds Management .
P
Peer Review: A system using reviewers who are the professional equals of the principal investigator or program director responsible for directing or conducting the proposed project. Peer review is a form of objective review. Peer review is legislatively mandated in some programs and administratively required in others.
PHS: Public Health Service.
PHS 2590: An application for the continuation of a PHS grant (National Institutes of Health ).
PHS 398: An application form for a PHS grant (National Institutes of Health).
PI: Principal Investigator. The individual responsible for the conduct of research or other activity described in a proposal for an award. According to MIT's policy (dated 9/20/93), the following academic and research appointees may be principal investigators for research programs:
- Professor
- Associate professor
- Assistant professor
- Adjunct professor
- Professor emeritus, which is a professor over 70. He or she must have an appointment as senior lecturer approved by the provost, if research space is committed by the department head.
- Senior research scientist, engineer, associate, or principal research scientist
- Engineer with department head or laboratory director approval
To be principal investigators, all other appointees, including the following based on the recommendation of the department head (or laboratory director), and Dean or the approval of the Associate Provost, based on the recommendation of the laboratory director for these laboratories reporting directly to him/her:
- Visiting professor
- Instructor
- Visiting engineer, scientist, scholar, or lecturer
- Research affiliate
- Research scientist, engineer, or associate
- Research specialist; lecturer
Post-differential Allowance Expenses: Expenses authorized for employees based abroad to provide additional compensation for services as a recruitment and retention tool. When the allowance is authorized, the employee's base salary is increased accordingly.
PRDA: Program Research and Development Announcement.
Pre-award Costs: Authorization to expend funds on a project to a specified limit before the award document has been received from the sponsor.
Pre-award Costs Authorization: Authorization to incur allowable expense (sometimes up to a specified limit) on a project before the award is made by the sponsor.
Preliminary Proposal: See Pre-proposal below.
Pre-proposal: A brief description, usually 2-10 pages, of research plans and estimated budget that is sometimes submitted to determine the interest of a particular sponsor prior to submission of a formal proposal. A pre-proposal is also known as a preliminary proposal.
Primary Authorizer: Some users of the Roles database, usually administrative officers or their designees, have been trained and authorized as Primary Authorizers . They have the authority to create and modify authorizations for their area's resources directly in the Roles database. Other users, who need only to view authorizations, can use the web interface.
Prior Approval: The requirement for written permission to use project funds for purposes not in the approved budget. Prior approval is also requried to change aspects of the program from those originally planned and approved.
Priority Score: A score derived from the rating given a research proposal by each member on a review committee. It is used to help determine which approved proposals will be granted awards, based on funds available.
Program Announcement: A document describing a research opportunity. It may describe new or expanded interest in a particular extramural program or be a reminder of a continuing interest in an extramural program.
Program/project Officer: A sponsor's designated individual responsible for the technical, scientific, or programmatic aspects of a particular grant, cooperative agreement, or contract. A program/project officer serves as the counterpart to the principal investigator or project director of the grantee and contractor organization. He or she deals with the grantee and contractor organization staff to assure programmatic progress. (For definition of business officer, see Grant/Contract Officer.)
Progress Report Periodic: Scheduled reports required by the sponsor summarizing research progress to date. Technical, fiscal, and, invention reports may be required.
PP: Project Period. The total time for which support of a project has been programmatically approved. A project period may consist of one or more budget periods. See also Budget Period.
Proposal: An application for funding that contains all information necessary to describe project plans, staff capabilities, and funds requested. Formal proposals are officially approved and submitted by an organization in the name of a principal investigator.
Proposal summary form: This is an OSP proposal form. For more information, see Proposal Preparation .
PSB: Publishing Services Bureau.
Q
R
RA: Research Assistant.
RDTEU: Research, Development, and Technical Employees' Union.
Re-budget: The act of amending the budget buy moving funds from one category or line item to another. See also Budget Adjustment.
Recurring Funds: See Base General Funds.
RFP: Request for Proposals. RFP is also a request for payment handled through the Controllers Accounting Office.
RFQ: Request for Quotations.
RSO: Research Subcontract Officer.
RSO (Research Subaward Office): The MIT office that oversees research subawards.
S
SAIS: Student and Administrative Information Services
Salaries and Wages (S&W): Payments made to employees of the Institute for work performed.
Salary Distribution Schedule (X-Schedule): A salary distribution spreadsheet completed and maintained by each academic area as the primary tool in budget preparation. It includes all academic, research, administrative, and support staff salaries and/or positions, and is used to establish all salary funding needs.
SANDI: The Staff Appointments and Distribution Report is a monthly report showing all employees who hold current fiscal year appointments in a particular department, lab, or center and is used to report current distribution changes to the Payroll Office. It also lists, in the Transfer-in section, individuals that hold appointments in other departments who are currently being charged to a cost object that belongs to the DLC for which the SANDI was produced.
SAP (Systems Applications and Products): SAP is the system of record for financial accounting and reporting at MIT. It is also used for purchasing goods and services.
SBA: Small Business Administration.
SBIR: Small Business Innovative Research.
Scope of Work: The description of the work to be performed and completed on a research project.
Senior Personnel: Professional personnel who are responsible for the scientific or technical direction of project.
SoE: School of Engineering.
Sponsor: The organization that funds a research project.
SRA: Society of Research Administrators. Here is the contact information:
1901 North Moore Street
Suite 1004
Arlington, VA 22209
(703) 741-0140
Info@srainternational.org
Stipend: A payment made to an individual under a fellowship or training grant in accordance with pre-established levels to provide for the individual's living expenses during the period of training.
STTR (Small Business Technology Transfer): The Small Business Technology Transfer program promotes research and development by domestic small businesses in cooperation with institutions of higher education.
STIS: Science and Technology Information System, an on-line search system of the National Science Foundation.
Subcontract: An agreement or secondary contract in which a third party agrees to perform some of the activities defined in a primary proposal. A subcontract is agreed upon at the time of submission but not consummated until after the award has been made to the organization submitting the primary proposal.
SumMIT: Provides user-friendly access to data residing on the MITVMA and MITVMC mainframes. As of June 1999, only SumMIT's payroll (E-Time, ESandi) and property (SumProp) applications maintain current data. For more information, see SumMIT.
Supplemental proposal: A request to the sponsor for additional funds for an ongoing project during the previously approved performance period. A supplemental proposal may result from increased costs, modifications in design, or a desire to add a closely related component to the ongoing project. It is also known as the re-budgeting or modification proposal.
T
TA: Teaching Assistant.
TBA (to be appointed): In the context of faculty positions, a TBA is an open faculty position. The position has the necessary funding to support a faculty member, but no one currently fills the position.
TBD: To Be Determined.
TDC: Total Direct Costs. The total of all direct costs of a project.
Terms of Award: All legal requirements imposed on an agreement by the sponsor, whether by statute, regulation, or terms in the award document. The terms of an agreement may include both standard and special provisions that are considered necessary to protect the sponsor's interests.
Testbed: Experimental proof of concept, technology demonstration, and pre-prototype.
TLO: Technology Licensing Office. TLO manages the patenting, licensing, trademarking and copyrighting of intellectual property developed at MIT, Lincoln Laboratory, and the Whitehead Institute. It serves as an educational resource on intellectual property and licensing matters for the MIT community.
Total Project Costs: The total allowable direct and indirect costs incurred by the institution to carry out an approved project.
U
Underrecovery: see F&A Underrecovery.
Unrestricted Funds: Monies with no requirements or restrictions as to use or disposition. While grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements are restricted funds, gifts are unrestricted.
Unsolicited Proposal: A proposal submitted to a sponsor that is not in response to an RFP, RFA, or program announcement. See also Investigator-initiated Proposal.
UPOP: Undergraduate Practice Opportunities Program .
UROP: Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program .
V
Vacation Accrual: See Employee Benefit Rates .
W
WBS Element (Work Breakdown Structure): A type of cost object containing sponsored research funds. Most projects have at least several WBS elements associated with them. See Cost Object.
X
X-Schedule: See Salary Distribution Schedule.
Y
The Y Report: A listing of the numbers of MIT students by course and year produced by the office of Institutional Research in the Provost's Office.
Z
ZBA: Zero based allocation. A faculty position that has been withdrawn at the time of a faculty member's departure. The ZBA is maintained in the SoE Dean's Office pending the School's annual reallocation process.