'A' Terms

AbilityOne Program
The AbilityOne® Program is among the largest sources of employment, on Federal contracts, for individuals who are blind or have significant disabilities in the United States. Established in 1938, the program is administered by the U.S. AbilityOne Commission®, an independent Federal agency, with assistance from National Industries for the Blind (NIB) and SourceAmerica.
Academic Research Enhancement Award AREA (R15)  
Grant award stimulating research at health professional academic institutions with not more than $6 million per year of NIH support in total costs in each of four or more of the last seven years.

For additional information see the AREA webpage.

Quoted from the NIH OER Glossary & Acronym List.

Accelerated Executive Review AER  
The process that may be used by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Scientific Program Leadership (SPL) to consider and fund applications whose priority scores are just beyond the payline.
Accelerated Peer Review APR  
For some grant mechanisms (e.g., P01 applications) this process is used to allow applicants whose applications are close to, but not within, the payline to submit a brief response (within a set page limit and by a set date) to the summary statement (i.e., the reviewers' comments) without having to submit an amended application at the next submission deadline.
Acceptable Proposal
A contract proposal judged to be complete in itself, to contain no major deficiencies, and to present sufficient evidence to indicate that the offeror is capable of satisfying the minimum requirements of the Request for Proposal (RFP) and thus is eligible for consideration for

  1. inclusion in a competitive range for a competitive acquisition or
  2. award in the case of a noncompetitive acquisition.

Source: NIH Policy Manual Chapter 6315-1

See Also: Unacceptable Proposal
Accession Number
Related to electronic submission of applications, the Accession Number is the Agency tracking number provided for the application after Agency validations.

Quoted from the NIH OER Glossary & Acronym List.

Account
As used by the NIH's eRA Commons Registration & Accounts, a personal account an individual uses to log into the eRA Commons which is identified by a unique combination of username and password.
Account Administrator AA  
Designated by the SO, the Accounts Administrator (AA) facilitates the administration of eRA Commons accounts. The AA typically is located in the Central Research Administration Office at the grantee organization.

An Accounts Administrator (AA) role has the following privileges:

  • Create and modify all Commons accounts except SO, FCOI, IAR, and Trainee accounts, and
  • Create affiliation of an existing PI Commons account.

NOTE: AAs are not authorized to modify Institutional Profile (IPF) information or user's Personal Profile information.

For additional information, visit the eRA Commons Account Roles webpage.

See Also: Assistant Role Business Official Financial Conflict of Interest Role Principal Investigator Role Signing Official Administrative Official
Account Roles
Access to eRA Commons and its modules is determined by the designated roles of its users. Once a grantee organization has created an account in eRA Commons, the Signing Official (SO) is able to establish additional user accounts, including that of a Principal Investigator. The SO or Accounts Administrator may then create additional accounts for the other administrative and scientific staff.

For additional information, visit the eRA Commons Account Roles webpage.

See Also: Account Administrator Signing Official
Accrual
The process of obtaining subjects for a study.

Quoted from the NCI Thesaurus.

Accrual Accounting
A system of accounting in which revenues are recorded when earned and expenses are recorded when goods are received or services are performed, even though the actual receipt of revenues and payment for goods or services may occur, in whole or in part, at a different time.

Quoted from GAO's "A Glossary of Terms Used in the Federal Budget Process".

Accrual Basis
The basis whereby transactions and events are recognized when they occur, regardless of when cash is received or paid.

Quoted from GAO's "A Glossary of Terms Used in the Federal Budget Process".

See: Bases of Budgeting
Accrual Reporting
NCI-supported interventional clinical trial accrual reports are submitted quarterly into the Clinical Trials Reporting Program (CTRP).
See Also: Clinical Trials Reporting Program
Accrual Tables
Numbers of human subjects/patients recruited/enrolled into a research study (e.g., a clinical trial).
AccrualNet
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) developed AccrualNet™ to provide a growing, searchable database of hundreds of journal articles with easy-to-read summaries, helpful tools, sample materials, and training resources.
Accrued Expeditures
"Accrued expenditures" means the charges incurred by the recipient during a given period requiring the provision of funds for:
  • (1) goods and other tangible property received;
  • (2) services performed by employees, contractors, subrecipients, and other payees; and,
  • (3) other amounts becoming owed under programs for which no current services or performance is required.

Quoted from OMB Circular A-110 (2 CFR §215.2).

Accrued Income
"Accrued income" means the sum of:
  • (1) earnings during a given period from:
    • (i) services performed by the recipient, and
    • (ii) goods and other tangible property delivered to purchasers, and
  • (2) amounts becoming owed to the recipient for which no current services or performance is required by the recipient.

Quoted from OMB Circular A-110 (2 CFR &215.2).

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome AIDS  
A disease caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). People with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome are at an increased risk for developing certain cancers and for infections that usually occur only in individuals with a weak immune system.

Quoted from the NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms.

Acquisition
The acquiring by contract with appropriated funds of supplies or services (including construction) by and for the use of the Federal Government through purchase or lease, whether the supplies or services are already in existence or must be created, developed, demonstrated, and evaluated. Acquisition begins at the point when agency needs are established and includes the description of requirements to satisfy agency needs, solicitation and selection of sources, award of contracts, contract financing, contract performance, contract administration, and those technical and management functions directly related to the process of fulfilling agency needs by contract.

Quoted from §2.101 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation.

Acquisition Award
See: Federal Award
Acquisition Cost
"Acquisition cost" means the cost of the asset including the cost to ready the asset for its intended use. Acquisition cost for equipment, for example, means the net invoice price of the equipment, including the cost of any modifications, attachments, accessories, or auxiliary apparatus necessary to make it usable for the purpose for which it is acquired. Acquisition costs for software includes those development costs capitalized in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). Ancillary charges, such as taxes, duty, protective in transit insurance, freight, and installation may be included in or excluded from the acquisition cost in accordance with the non-Federal entity's regular accounting practices.

Quoted from 45 CFR §75.2.

Acquisition Plan/Request for Contract
This document constitutes approval and authorization of an acquisition, allows issuance of an RFP, and future obligation of funds, according to IC procedures.

For additional information, see §E.1.c. of NIH Policy Manual Chapter 6315-1.

Acquisition Planning
"Acquisition planning" means the process by which the efforts of all personnel responsible for an acquisition are coordinated and integrated through a comprehensive plan for fulfilling the agency need in a timely manner and at a reasonable cost. It includes developing the overall strategy for managing the acquisition.

Quoted from §2.101 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation.

Acquisition Process at NIH
The acquiring by contract with appropriated funds of supplies or services by and for the direct benefit or use of the Federal Government.

See the NIH Office of Management's "Phases of the Acquisition Process" webpage.

Active Grant
A grant that meets the following criteria:

  1. Today's date is between the budget start and end dates.
  2. The grant has an eRA System (IMPAC II) application status code of "Awarded - Non-fellowships" only or "Awarded - Fellowships only".

Quoted from the NIH OER Glossary & Acronym List.

Activities to Promote Research Collaborations APRC  
This is an initiative created by the Division of Cancer Biology that provides limited supplemental support to current DCB-funded investigators for meetings/workshops or grant-related research activities to establish focused scientific research collaboration in novel and promising areas related to the parent grant.
Activity Code (Funding Mechanism)
A 3-character code used to identify a specific category of extramural research activity, applied to financial assistance mechanisms. NIH uses three funding mechanisms for extramural research awards: grants, cooperative agreements and contracts. Within each funding mechanism, NIH uses 3-character activity codes (e.g., F32, K08, P01, R01, T32, etc.) to differentiate the wide variety of research-related programs NIH supports.

Quoted from the NIH OER Glossary & Acronym List.

For additional information, visit the NCI Grant Activity Codes/Mechanisms webpage.

Ad Hoc Review
Ad hoc review is NIH use of advisors as individuals or groups for a single delimited review purpose or task and not on a continuing basis.

Quoted from Section D.7 of NIH Policy Manual Chapter 1805.

See Also: Subcommittee Special Emphasis Panel
Administration for Children and Families ACF  
The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), within the Department of Health and Human Services, is responsible for federal programs that promote the economic and social well-being of families, children, individuals, and communities.
Administrative Expenses
Expenses incurred for the support of activities relevant to the award of grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements and expenses incurred for general administration of the scientific programs and activities of the National Institutes of Health.

Quoted from the NIH OER Glossary & Acronym List.

Administrative Note (in Summary Statements)
An Administrative Note is placed at the end of the Summary Statement (SS) by the SRO to indicate aspects related to the application or committee deliberation other than scientific and technical merit or overall impact.
See: Summary Statement
Administrative Official AO  
An Administrative Official (AO) is a Business Official (BO) within an extramural organization and may be located within the Central Research Administration Office and/or an academic department. The AO reviews grant applications for accuracy before the SO submits final applications to the NIH. Depending on an institution's workflow process, it is possible for the SO and AO to be the same person. In this case, only SO authority is necessary (as SO authority supersedes AO authority). SO and AO authorities should not be combined.


NOTE: The AO is not authorized to transmit applications to the NIH.
An Administrative Official (AO) role has the following privileges:
  • Create all accounts (except IAR, TRAINEE, and BO);
  • Update Commons accounts created by the AO;
  • View status and award information for all institution grants; and

NOTE: The AO cannot view summary statement or priority score.
  • Create affiliation of an existing PI or IAR Commons account and the institution.

NOTE: The AO cannot modify the Institution Profile.

For additional information, visit the eRA Commons Account Roles webpage.

See Also: Account Administrator Assistant Role Business Official Financial Conflict of Interest Role Principal Investigator Role Signing Official
Administrative Requirements
The general business management practices that are common to the administration of all grants, such as financial accountability, reporting, equipment management, and retention of records. Uniform administrative requirements for DHHS grants are found at 2 CFR Part 200 with HHS-specific amendments in 45 CFR Part 75.

Quoted from the NIH OER Glossary & Acronym List.

Administrative Resource Center ARC  
The Division of Extramural Activities (DEA) Administrative Resource Center (ARC):
  • (1) Provides advice to management and staff on issues that relate to administrative and business management practices;
  • (2) provides administrative support and coordination for the grants portfolio for the Division;
  • (3) provides general administrative support services in the areas of budget, procurement, personnel management, property accountability, space and facilities planning, travel, and other administrative functions;
  • (4) coordinates with the Office of Management on administrative and management activities;
  • (5) implements administrative and management initiatives and guidance;
  • (6) participates in the development and dissemination of policies, guidelines, and procedures on matters relating to administrative management;
  • (7) contributes to NCI administrative activities reports and statistics per the request of Institute staff and in response to requirements from NIH and DHHS;
  • (8) brings NCI-wide common issues to the attention of the Office of Management, and analyzes effects of changes in administrative policies and practices; and
  • (9) makes recommendations to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of administrative functions.
Administrative Supplement
A request for (or the award of) additional funds during a current project period to provide for an increase in costs due to unforeseen circumstances. All additional costs must be within the scope of the peer reviewed and approved project.

Quoted from the NIH OER Glossary & Acronym List.

For additional information, visit the NIH OER Administrative Supplements webpage.

Administratively Withdrawn
NIH may withdraw any application identified during the receipt, referral and review process that is not compliant with the instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, the Funding Opportunity Announcement, and relevant NIH Guide Notices.

Sources: NIH Policy on Application Compliance NOT-OD-15-095 and Reminder: NIH Applications Must Be Complete and Compliant With NIH Policy and Application Instructions At Time Of Submission

Advance
See: Advance Payment
Advance Agreement
An agreement negotiated on the treatment of special or unusual costs and on statistical sampling methodologies at 31.201-6(c). Advance agreements may be negotiated either before or during a contract but should be negotiated before incurrence of the costs involved. The agreements must be in writing, executed by both contracting parties, and incorporated into applicable current and future contracts. An advance agreement shall contain a statement of its applicability and duration.

Advance Agreements requirements are found at §31.109 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation.

Advance Payment
A payment that a Federal awarding agency or pass through entity makes by any appropriate payment mechanism, including a predetermined payment schedule, before the non-Federal entity disburses the funds for program purposes.

Quoted from the NIH OER Glossary & Acronym List.

Adverse Effect
An unexpected medical problem that happens during treatment with a drug or other therapy. Adverse effects may be mild, moderate, or severe, and may be caused by something other than the drug or therapy being given. Also called adverse event.

Quoted from the NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms,

Adverse Event
Adverse event means any untoward or unfavorable medical occurrence in a human subject, including any abnormal sign (for example, abnormal physical exam or laboratory finding), symptom, or disease, temporally associated with the subject's participation in the research, whether or not considered related to the subject's participation in the research. See also the definition of "serious adverse event."

Quoted from 42 CFR §11.10.

See: Serious Adverse Event
Adverse Event Expedited Reporting System AdEERS  
The Adverse Event Expedited Reporting System is a legacy electronic system for expedited submission of adverse event reports that was used by the NCI Clinical Trials Evaluation Program.

The Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program Adverse Event Reporting System (CTEP-AERS) replaces the Adverse Event Expedited Reporting System (AdEERS).

Adverse Events Reporting
"NCI Guidelines for Investigators: Adverse Event Reporting Requirements for DCTD(CTEP and CIP) and DCP INDs and IDES" discusses Adverse Events Reporting requirements for NCI funded clinical trials.

Additional Adverse Events Reporting information and requirements can be found at

See Also: Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program Adverse Event Reporting System
Advisory Committee
The term "advisory committee" means any committee, board, commission, council, conference, panel, task force, or other similar group, or any subcommittee or other subgroup thereof (hereafter in this paragraph referred to as "committee"), which is—
  • (A) established by statute or reorganization plan, or
  • (B) established or utilized by the President, or
  • (C) established or utilized by one or more agencies,
in the interest of obtaining advice or recommendations for the President or one or more agencies or officers of the Federal Government, except that such term excludes (i) any committee that is composed wholly of full- time, or permanent part-time, officers or employees of the Federal Government, and (ii) any committee that is created by the National Academy of Sciences or the National Academy of Public Administration.

Quoted from 5 USC §3.Definitions(2).

For additional information about NIH Advisory Committees, visit the NIH Office of Federal Advisory Committee Policy (OFACP) website.

See Also: Council/Board, Advisory Chartered Advisory Committee
Advisory Committee to the Director ACD  
The Advisory Committee to the Director assists the Office of the Director, NIH, in the making of major plans and policies, especially those related to the allocation of NIH funds and resources.
Advisory Council/Board
See: Council/Board, Advisory
Advocates for Competition
An individual designated by the agency for the purpose of reviewing, determining the appropriateness, and approving all projects which propose other than full and open competition.

See Subpart 6.5 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation.

Affiliates
Affiliates means associated business concerns or individuals if, directly or indirectly—

  1. Either one controls or can control the other; or
  2. A third party controls or can control both.

Quoted from §2.101 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation.

Affiliation
In the context of SBA contracts, this term has the meaning as set forth in 13 CFR Part 121.103 - Small Business Size Regulations, How does SBA determine affiliation?
See Also: Affiliates
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality AHRQ  
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) in the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services provides evidence-based information on health care outcomes; quality; and cost, use, and access. Information from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's (AHRQ) research helps people make more informed decisions and improve the quality of health care services. AHRQ was formerly known as the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research.
AIDS and Cancer Specimen Resource ACSR  
The AIDS and Cancer Specimen Resource (ACSR) is a biorepository for HIV-infected human biospecimens obtained from a wide spectrum of HIV-related or associated diseases, including cancer, and from appropriate HIV-negative controls. ACSR serves as a resource for investigators working in the fields of HIV/AIDS, cancer, virology, immunology, pathology, epidemiology, tumor biology assay development, and many others.
Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration ADAMHA  
Effective FY 1993, the service components of the Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration (ADAMHA) became the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The three research components of the ADAMHA - the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) - became part of the NIH.
See: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
ALERT System ALERT  
Policies and procedures that allow the NIH to identify research contract proposals that include a principal investigator who is under formal investigation.

See NIH Policy Manual Chapter 6309-1 for a sample ALERT Notification Memorandum.

Alien Registration Receipt Card
See: Permanent Resident Card
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 incurring the cost or in the Notice of Award as to the type or amount of cost;
  4. consistent with regulations, policies, and procedures of the recipient that are applied uniformly to both federally supported and other activities of the organization;
  5. accorded consistent treatment as a direct or indirect cost;
  6. determined in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles; and
  7. not included as a cost in any other federally supported award (unless specifically authorized by statute).

For additional information on each, see Cost Considerations—The Cost Principles, NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 7.2.

Quoted from the NIH OER Glossary & Acronym List.

Alphanumeric
A combination of both letters and numbers. Used in activity codes to identify specific categories of extramural activity or mechanisms of support.
Alteration and Renovation A&R  
Work that changes the interior arrangements or other physical characteristics of an existing facility or of installed equipment so that it can be used more effectively for its currently designated purpose or adapted to an alternative use to meet a programmatic requirement. See also definitions for Major A&R and Minor A&R.

Quoted from the NIH OER Glossary & Acronym List.

See Also: Major A&R Minor A&R
Amended or Revised Application
See: Resubmission
American College of Radiology Imaging Network ACRIN  
See: ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group
American Indian or Alaska Native
A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North, Central, or South America, and who maintains tribal affiliations or community attachment.

Source: NIH Guide Notice NOT-OD-01-053 — NIH Policy on Reporting Race and Ethnicity Data: Subjects in Clinical Research.

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act ARRA  
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 was signed into law by President Obama on February 17th, 2009. The Act includes measures to modernize our nation's infrastructure, enhance energy independence, expand educational opportunities, preserve and improve affordable health care, provide tax relief, and protect those in greatest need.

For additional information, visit NIH's Recovery Act Grant Information webpage.

Analysis Plan
See: Statistical Analysis Plan
See Also: Valid Analysis
Animal Subject Coding
Grant Applications and Cooperative Agreements: the SRGs review the Vertebrate Animal section (VAS) to verify that any proposed research involving vertebrate animal is scientifically appropriate. The results of this review are coded as follows:
  • Code 10 – No Live vertebrate animals involved for competing application
  • Code 30 – Vertebrate animals involved – no SRG concerns noted
  • Code 44 – Animals involved – SRG concerns

If there are SRG concerns related to the VAS, these must be resolved prior to award.

Contract Proposals: the SRGs will evaluate the involvement of live vertebrate animals as part of the technical evaluation of proposals submitted to NIH. The results of the review of a contact proposal's Vertebrate Animal Section (VAS) may result in a rating of "unacceptable" requiring revision of the VAS prior to award, or as "acceptable", which would require no further discussion on this topic.

Sources: NIH Guide Notice NOT-OD-10-027 and NIH Guide Notice NOT-OD-10-049

Animal Welfare
Visit the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) website for the requirements that apply to NIH grants or contracts involving the use of live vertebrate animals in research, training, experimentation, testing, and related purposes.
Animal Welfare Act
The Animal Welfare Act (AWA) is intended to ensure the humane treatment of animals that are intended for research, bred for commercial sale, exhibited to the public, or commercially transported.
Animal Welfare Assurance
Document that an institution and all performance sites involving animals in research must have on file with the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare before a PHS agency may award a grant or contract.

Quoted from the NIH OER Glossary & Acronym List.

Animals in Research
Any live, vertebrate animal used or intended for use in research, research training, experimentation, or biological testing or for related purposes. The generation of custom antibodies and animals obtained or euthanized for tissue harvest constitute activities involving vertebrate animals. To learn more about policies and guidance on the use of animals in PHS funded research, training, and testing, see the NIH Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare.

Quoted from the NIH OER Glossary & Acronym List.

Animals in Research Codes
Number that a scientific review group places on a summary statement during initial peer review reflecting the application of regulations for research animals to a project; some codes indicate a concern that would result in a bar to award.
See Also: Vertebrate Animal Concern
Anniversary Date
The anniversary date of an award is based on budget/project periord start date of the award.

For example, a Multi-Year Funded (MYF) award Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR) is due annually on or before the anniversary of the budget/project period start date of the award.

See Also: Federal Award Date
Appeals of Initial Scientific Review
An appeal is a written communication from a Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) and/or applicant institution that meets the following four criteria: 1) is received after issuance of the summary statement and up to 30 calendar days after the second level of peer review, 2) describes a flaw or perceived flaw in the review process for a particular application, 3) is based on one or more of four allowable issues (described below), and 4) displays concurrence from the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR).

Quoted from NIH Guide Notice NOT-OD-11-064.

For additional information, see §2.4.2 of the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

Appeals Officer
An Appeals Officer is a senior IC official who is not otherwise directly involved in the initial peer review process and is designated by the IC Director to ensure that proper procedures are followed in handling appeal letters.
Appendix and Appendices
See NIH Guide Notice NOT-OD-16-129 for allowable application appendix materials in grant applications
Applicable Clinical Trial
Applicable clinical trial is the term used in Title VIII of the Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act (FDAAA) of 2007 (P.L. 110-85) to designate the scope of clinical trials that may be subject to the registration and results reporting requirements in FDAAA.

Quoted from the NIH OER Glossary & Acronym List.

Applicant
Organization or person who actively applies but has not yet been awarded a grant.

Quoted from the NIH OER Glossary & Acronym List.

Applicant Interview AI  
Under certain circumstances, the principal investigator is requested to travel to the site of the SRG meeting (an applicant interview/reverse site visit), at no cost to the NIH, to respond to reviewers' concerns and to clarify aspects of the application. Applicant interviews may be accomplished with the use of teleconference and videoconference technologies.
See Also: Site Visit, Grant Applications
Application
A request for financial support of a project or activity submitted to NIH on specified forms and in accordance with NIH instructions. (See NIH Grants Policy Statement: 2.3 Application Information and Processes for detailed information about the application process, including an explanation of the types of applications).

Quoted from the NIH OER Glossary & Acronym List.

Application Cycle
NIH accepts applications for most programs in three cycles. The applications received within a cycle are typically reviewed within the same council round. Many NIH Funding Opportunity Announcements are open for up to three years with standard due dates falling in each cycle.

Quoted from the NIH OER Glossary & Acronym List.

Application Identification Numbers AIN  
The application number identifies:

Sample Application Identification Number: 1-R01-CA183723-01 A1 S1

Quoted from the NIH OER Glossary & Acronym List.

Application Submission System & Interface for Submission Tracking ASSIST  
The Application Submission System & Interface for Submission Tracking (ASSIST) is a web-based system used to prepare applications using the SF424 Research & Related form set and to submit electronically through Grants.gov to NIH and other participating agencies.

ASSIST allows participants to do the following:

  • Leverage current eRA Commons credentials to access ASSIST
  • Delegate application preparation responsibilities to multiple users within and outside the applicant organization while maintaining appropriate access control and security
  • Populate data from established eRA Commons profiles
  • Run validations on federal-wide and agency business rules prior to submission
  • Generate Table of Contents, headers, footers, page numbers, etc. automatically
  • Print/Preview applications prior to submission in the format used by the agency
  • Present to reviewers clear, color PDF images rather than scanned versions of the application
  • Avoid the hassle of preparing and shipping multiple paper copies
ASSIST can support both single-project and multi-project (also known as multi-component or complex) applications with features presented differently depending on the type of application, as determined by the entered Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA).

Quoted from ASSIST Online Help.

Application Type Code
A single-digit code identifying the type of application received and processed. Application type codes include the following:

Quoted from the NIH OER Glossary & Acronym List.

Application Viewing Window
Once an error-free application is submitted through Grants.gov to eRA, the eRA system assembles an application image and posts it in the PD/PI's Commons account. The PD/PI, any delegated Assistants, and the Signing Official (SO) have 2 business days to view the assembled application in Commons - just as a reviewer would see it. Unlike the error correction window which begins the day after the submission deadline, the application viewing window is linked to the time of submission (i.e., begins the day after the assembled application image is posted in Commons).

Within the viewing window, the SO can reject the application and stop it from moving further in the process. After the viewing window, the application automatically moves forward for further consideration and the submission process is complete.

Quoted from the NIH OER Glossary & Acronym List.

See How does a PI track submission status? for online help.

Applied Information Systems Branch AISB  
(AISB) provides integrated computer support, information technology expertise, and information systems development for the DEA. The AISB maintains and monitors the DEA Internet and Intranet websites; designs, develops, and maintains Division-specific software applications; administers and maintains various DEA servers; provides help desk support; provides oversight of hardware and connectivity; and serves as a liaison with the NIH Center for Information Technology (CIT) and the NCI Center for Biomedical Informatics and Information Technology (CBIIT). Its mission is critical to the Division in communicating current information technology activities and new developments to all components of the NCI and NIH as well as to external reviewer and applicant communities.

Quoted from the NCI DEA 2015 Annual Report - "The RAS Initiative".

Approach
The adequacy of the approach and methodology proposed to carry out the research is one of the pertinent factors taken into account when the scientific peer review group assesses the overall impact that the project could have on the research field involved.

One of the Scored Review Criteria, reviewers will consider Approach in the determination of scientific and technical merit, and give it a separate score.

See 42 CFR §52.h8 and §2.4.1.3 of the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

Appropriation Act (Budget)
The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization and then appropriation. Legislation status tables and information about the appropriations process are available on the Appropriations page.

Source: United States Senate Glossary

For information about the NCI budget, visit the NCI Budget and Appropriations webpage.

The Congressional Research Service has two publications, The Congressional Appropriations Process: An Introduction and Overview of the Authorization-Appropriations Process, which cover the subject in additional detail.

See Also: Authorization (Budget)
Approval List/Funding List
A list sent by the program office to the Grants Management Officer, showing which grant applications on the list are approved for funding and in what order.
See: Paylist
Approved Budget
The financial expenditure plan for the grant-supported project or activity, including revisions approved by NIH as well as permissible revisions made by the grantee. The approved budget consists of Federal (grant) funds and, if required by the terms and conditions of the award, non-Federal participation in the form of matching or cost sharing. The approved budget specified in the Notice of Grant Award may be shown in detailed budget categories or as total costs without a categorical breakout. Expenditures charged to an approved budget that consists of both Federal and non-Federal shares are deemed to be borne by the grantee in the same proportion as the percentage of Federal/non-Federal participation in the overall budget.

Quoted from the NIH OER Glossary & Acronym List.

Asian
A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam. (Note: Individuals from the Philippine Islands have been recorded as Pacific Islanders in previous data collection strategies.)

Quoted from NIH Guide Notice NOT-OD-01-053.

Assent
A child's affirmative agreement to participate in research. Mere failure to object should not, absent affirmative agreement, be construed as assent.

Quoted from 45 CFR §46.402.

See Also: Permission
Assignment (of applications for review)
See: Receipt, Referral, and Assignment of Applications
Assignment Change Request ACR  
Grant applications submitted to a grantor agency sometimes require a change in their original assignment after submission. Some common examples of required changes include changes in Institute/Center assignment, grant number, study section, council date, etc. These requests were previously submitted on paper, using the Change of Assignment 901 form, and processed manually.

The Assignment Change Request (ACR) system enables these changes to be initiated, routed and approved electronically instead of on paper. The ACR system is also used to withdraw, reinstate or delete a grant application.

Assimilation (Cultural)
Extent to which an individual enters a new culture and becomes a part of it. Includes both the motivation of the individual to enter the mainstream culture and the extent to which members of the mainstream culture welcome or discourage the entry and inclusion of that person in the mainstream culture.
Assistance
The award of money, property, or services to a recipient to accomplish a public purpose as authorized by Federal statute. Assistance relationships (e.g., grants) are expressed in less detail than are acquisition relationships (contracts), and responsibilities for ensuring performance rest largely with the recipient or are shared with the Government.

Quoted from the NIH OER Glossary & Acronym List.

Assistance Instrument or Assistance Award
A grant or cooperative agreement.
See: Award
See Also: Cooperative Research And Development Agreement Grant
Assistant Role ASST  
An eRA Commons Account Role, the Assistant (ASST) is delegated access by a Principal Investigator (PI) to his/her account to assist with data entry and completion of eSNAP.

An Assistant (ASST) role has the following privileges:

  • Edit own Personal Profile data;
  • Edit PIs Personal Profile if delegated by PI;
  • Edit PIs RPPR data if delegated by PI;
  • Edit PIs Administrative Supplement requests initiated in the eRA Commons if delegated by PI;
  • View PI Grant Status if delegated by PI; and
  • Perform PI xTrain functions (except submit to agency) if delegated by PI.
See Also: Account Administrator Administrative Official Business Official Financial Conflict of Interest Role Principal Investigator Role Signing Official
Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care AAALAC  
The Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC) is a private nonprofit organization that promotes the humane treatment of animals in science through a voluntary accreditation program. More than 640 companies, universities, hospitals, government agencies and other research institutions have earned AAALAC accreditation, demonstrating their commitment to responsible animal care and use. These institutions volunteer to participate in AAALAC's program, in addition to complying with the local, state and federal laws that regulate animal research.
Assurance
A certification by an applicant, normally included with the application or State plan, indicating that the entity is in compliance with, or that it will abide by, a particular requirement if awarded a Federal grant.

Quoted from the NIH OER Glossary & Acronym List.

Authorization (Budget)
A statutory provision that obligates funding for a program or agency. An authorization may be effective for one year, a fixed number of years, or an indefinite period. An authorization may be for a definite amount of money or for "such sums as may be necessary." The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization and then appropriation.

Quoted from the United States Senate Glossary

For information about the NCI budget, visit the NCI Budget and Appropriations webpage.

The Congressional Research Service has two publications, The Congressional Appropriations Process: An Introduction and Overview of the Authorization-Appropriations Process, which cover the subject in additional detail.

See Also: Appropriation Act (Budget)
Authorized Organizational Representative AOR  
The individual, named by the applicant organization, who is authorized to act for the applicant and to assume the obligations imposed by the Federal laws, regulations, requirements, and conditions that apply to grant applications or grant awards. This individual is equivalent to the Signing Official in the eRA Commons, i.e., holds the SO Role.

Quoted from the NIH OER Glossary & Acronym List.

See: Signing Official
Autopilot Items
End-of-fiscal-year budget items that can be paid when extra money is available.
Average Programmatic Reduction
The dollar amount a grant award is reduced from the amount recommended by the study section (scientific review group). This is done so Institutes can maintain a sufficient number of grants in their portfolio and to combat inflation of grant costs.

Quoted from the NIH OER Glossary & Acronyms List.

Awaiting Receipt of Application ARA  
An Awaiting Receipt of Application (ARA) form is a request to communicate specific information needed when the subject application is received, but which is not part of the application itself. The organization responsible for the receipt of the application creates an ARA request for the PD/PI or for the IC to which the application will be assigned.

Quoted from the Awaiting Receipt of Application (ARA) System Online Help.

Award
The provision of funds by NCI, based on an approved application and budget or progress report, to an organizational entity or an individual to carry out a project or activity.

Quoted from NCI OGA's "The Grants Process".

See: Federal Award
Award Mechanism
See: Activity Code (Funding Mechanism)
Award Type
See: Application Type Code
Awardee
See: Recipient
Awarding IC
The NIH Institute/Center (IC) responsible for the award, administration, and monitoring of grant supported activities.

Quoted from the NIH OER Glossary & Acronym List.