Office of Research and Sponsored Programs

Glossary of Terms

authorized institutional representative- The person who represents the university in entering into or signing contracts and awards.  For the university, this person is the ORSP Director.

conflict of interest- a situation where a PI or investigator has a personal or financial involvement with a project or the awarding agency that may affect their work or ability to make fair and impartial decisions.  

compensation- something that is given or received for services or debt.

cost sharing- “Cost sharing,” “matching,” and “cost contributions” are all terms used to refer to the share of project costs required to be paid for by sources other than the granting agency. In the case of federally sponsored programs, the contributions must come from nonfederal sources.

DUNs number- also known as the Dunn and Bradstreet number or a Data Universal Numbering System number. It is an assignment of to an organization that is required for all federal applications. It is assigned to not-for-profit institutes.

direct costs- are all the parts of the project costs that apply specifically to the grant. This includes payment of personnel, fringe benefits, purchase of equipment, and travel.

employer identification number (EIN) - this is a number assigned to employers (companies and institutions) by the federal government for income tax purposes.

expenditures- an expense or money paid out

external funds- funds not provided by the university. They can be provided by grants, scholarships or donations.

fringe benefits- sources of funding provided for certain salary-connected expenses. These usually include social security, unemployment tax, insurances and state retirement programs. In the funding process, these expenses are considered direct cost items.

funding sources- those individuals or agencies that provide money in terms of grants, scholarships, donations, or contractual work.

indirect cost- F&A costs are those costs associated with the conduct of research that are not easily assigned to a specific project, but are nevertheless incurred by the University as a consequence of the ongoing university support of research and sponsored programs. Such costs include libraries, physical plant operation, departmental support, administrative expenses, and depreciation or use allowance for buildings and equipment.

intent to submit- Many agencies request a letter describing the project and the needed budget before inviting the researcher to submit a proposal. This letter is treated as “intent to submit” or a request for permission to have the proposal submitted at a future date.

institutional association- a person or department that is linked to the university.

Institutional representative- a person at the university that is referenced in dealing with a contract of grant funding. In the case of TAMUK, this person is the Director of ORSP.

memorandum of agreement (MOAs) - Also called memorandum of understanding, these are contracts between the university and an agency that spells out each partner’s responsibility. This usually includes a listing of the scope of work and what ever funding is needed to support.

narrative- the written part of the proposal that describes the scope of work and the project director’s ability to do this work.

nonprofit agencies- agencies or organizations that are considered charity or do work that is not intended to make a profit. This would not include any company or consulting service.

principle investigator/principle director (PI/PD) - this is the person that is directly in control of the funds and the work involved in a project. Usually they are the ones writing the proposal.

project- The actual work involved that is discussed in the proposal.

proposal- the outline of the work for a project along with a breakdown of the costs.

regulatory compliance- the rules and regulations (state and federal) that have to be adhered to when performing a project.

scope of work- a complete and detailed description of all the work involved in a specific project