List of common acronyms and abbreviations encountered in the CERN Environment

The list is compiled by Andrzej Charkiewicz, HR, who will appreciate any feedback - suggestions for improvements, modifications, corrections and most of all for additions.

Acronym/ Abbreviation Definition
A&TB Accelerator and Technology Board
AA Antiproton Accumulator
AAC Antiproton Accumulator Complex
ACB Automatic Call Back
ACCU Advisory Committee of CERN Users
ACOL Antiproton Collector
ACP Access Control Panel
AD Antiproton Decelerator
ADI S.A. Agencia de Inovacao S.A... (Portugal)
ADS (PE-ADS) PE Division Administrative and Social Services Group
AF Application Form
AIPB Administrative Informatics Priorities Board
AIS Advanced Information Systems
AISMRB AIS Management Review Board
AIUIC Administrative Informatics User Interface Committee
ALEPH Apparatus for LEP Physics (LEP Experiment)
ALICE A Large Ion Collider Experiment - Heavy Ion at LHC
ALICE CERN's Integrated Library System
ALPHA ALPHA
ANPE Agence Nationale pour l'Emploi (France)
ANSTO Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization
AS Administrative Support Division
ASACUSA Atomic Spectroscopy And Collisions Using Slow Antiprotons
ASCI Accelerated Strategic Computing Initiative (US DOE programme)
ASIC Application Specific Integrated Circuits
ASIFI (ASSICS) l'Association pour la Securite et l'Independance des Fonnctionnaires Internationaux
ASIS Application Software Installation Server
ASM Administration Sector Meeting
AT Accelerator Technologies Division (present LHC Division)
ATLAS A Toroidal LHC Apparatus (LHC Collaboration)
ATM Asynchronous Transfer Mode
ATRAP Antihydrogen trap Experiment
BEBC Big European Bubble Chamber
BH Budget Holder
BHT Budget Holder's Toolkit
BIT (ILO) Bureau International du Travail
BPG Budget Planning Group
BPRI Budget Planning and Related Issues (Group)
CAD (CAO) Computer Aided Design
CAM Computer Aided Manufacturing
CAO (CAD) Conception Assistee par Ordinateur
CAS CERN Accelerator School
CAS Chinese Academy of Sciences
CASS Corresponding Associate
CC Committee of Council
CCC Computing Coordination Committee
CCCR Consulting and Coordination Committee for Research
CCEC Consultative Committee on Employment Conditions
CCP (SCC) Comite de Concertation Permanent
CCR Coordination Committee for Research
CDTI Centre for Technological and Industrial Development (Spain)
CEA Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique - Atomic Energy Agency (France)
CESR Cornell Electron Storage Ring
CFDT Confederation Francaise Democratique du Travail
CGAS Communaute Genevoise d'Action Syndicale
CGJE Comite de Gestion de Jardin d'Enfants
CHEP Computing for High Energy Physics
CHISB CERN Health Insurance Supervisory Board
CHORUS WA95 - Neutrino oscillation experiment
CICERO Control Information system Concepts based on Encapsulated Real-time Objects
CLA Comite de Liaison Administrative
CLIC CERN Linear Collider
CMM Capability Maturity Model
CMS Compact Muon Solenoid (LHC Experiment)
CN Computing and Networks Division (presently IT)
CNC Computer Numerical Controlled
CNRS Conseil National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
CO Coordinated Organizations
CP Career Path (MOAS)
CP LEAR Measurements of CP and T violation in the neutral kaon system and CPT tests
CRC "CERN Review Committee (""Abragam Committee"")"
CSC Cathode Strip Chambers
CSIC Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (ES)
CSN Cooperation Service Nationale
CSR Comite de Surveillance des Restaurants (Restaurant Surveillance Committee)
CUG Closed Users' Group for GSM
CVI Cost Variation Index
DAI Demande d'Achat Interne
DAO Divisional Administrative Officer
DAQ Data Acquisition
DELPHI "Detector with Lepton, Photon and Hadron Identification (LEP Experiment)"
DESS Diplome'dEtudes Superieures Specialisees
DESY Deutsches Elektronen Synchrotron
DFS Distributed File System
DG Director General
DI CERN Directorate
DM Member of Directorate
DOE Department of Energy (USA)
DPO Divisional Planning Officer
DRDC Detector Research and Development Committee
DRO Divisional Radiation Officer
DSA Divisional Space Assistant
DSM Divisional Space Manager
DSO Divisional Safety Officer
DSOC Divisional Safety Officers' Committee
DSP Digital Signal Processor
DSU Directorate Services Unit
DTF Digital Tape Format
DTF Desktop Forum
DTO Divisional Training Officer
DWG Divisional Webmasters' Group
EAZ Exceptional Advancement Zone (MOAS)
ECFA European Committee for Future Accelerators
ECP Electronics and Computing for Physics Division
ED Electromagnetic Dissociation
ED (PE-ED) PE Division Education Services Group
EDH Electronic Document Handling
EDH ADMIN Electronic Document Handling for Administration
EEB Electronic Executive Board (ECP)
EEO Employment Enquiry Office (presently Recruitment Office)
EHS European Hybrid Spectrometer
ELENA Extra Low ENergy Antiproton
EMBL European Molecular Biology Laboratory
EMC European Muon Collaboration
EPA Exceptional Performance Award (MOAS)
EPAC Electronic Pool Advisory Committee
EPFL Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne
EPICS Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System
EPO European Patent Office
EPS European Physical Society
EPSRC Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (UK)
EPUF Electronic Pools Users' Forum
ESA European Space Agency
ESO European Southern Observatory
ESRF European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (Grenoble)
EST Engineering Support and Technologies Division (ex-MT)
ESTEC "European Space Research Technical Centre (Noordwijk, Holland)"
FAS "Fellows, Associates and Students (PE)"
FBLJA Forward-Backward Lepton Jet Analyzer
FC Finance Committee
FCC Future Circular Collider Study
FDL Fast Data Link
FE First Employment (Contract)
FEANI Federation Europeenne d'Associations Nationales d'Ingenieurs
FEP First Employment Programme
FERMI Front-End Readout Microsystems
FI Finance Division
FICSA Federation of International Civil Servants Association
FIPOI Fondation des Immeubles pour les Organisations Internationales (CH)
FSC Fellowship Selection Committee
FT Fixed Term (Contract)
FTE Full-time equivalent
GAC Groupement des Anciens du CERN
GB Governing Board (of the CERN Pension Fund)
GESLOC Gestion de locaux
GLIMOS Group Leader in Matters of Safety
GPRO Guest Professor
GSI A2 "Gesellschaft fur Schwerionen-Forschung, Darmstadt (Heavy Ions)"
GSM Global System for Mobile Communications
GTPA Groupe de Travail Procedures Administratives
HEP High Energy Physics
HISB Health Insurance Supervisory Board (full correct acronym CHISB)
HL-LHC High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider
HMPID High Momentum Particle Identification Detector
HPC High-density Projection Chamber
HPCC High Performance Computing and Communications (US programme)
HPD Hybrid Photo Diodes
HPSS High Performance Storage System
HRM&P; Human Resource Management and Payroll
HRS (PE-HRS) PE Division Human Resources Services Group
HRT Human Resources Toolkit
HSC Honeycomb Strip Chambers
HSM Harmonic Spin Matching
HTC High Throughput Computing
HTML HyperText Markup Language
HTS High Temperature Superconducting (ceramic)
IAEA International Atomic Energy Agency (Vienna)
IAR Indefinite Appointment Review (presently ICR)
IARB Indefinite Appointment Review Board (presently ICRB)
ICC International Computing Center (Geneva)
ICEC International Cryogenics Engineering Committee
ICFA International Committee for Future Accelerators
ICR Indefinite Contract Review (formerly IAR)
ICRB Indefinite Contract Review Board (ex-IARB)
ICRP International Commission on Radiological Protection
IETF Internet Engineering Task Force
IHEP "Institute of High Energy Physics (Serpukhov, Russia)"
ILL Institute Laue-Langevin
ILO (at CERN) Industrial Liaison Officer
ILO (BIT) Industrial Labour Organization (Office)
ILOAT (TAOIT) Administrative Tribunal of the International Labour Organization
IN2P3 National Institute for Nuclear Physics and Particle Physics (France)
INFN Instituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (Italy)
IOSSP Inter-Organization Study Section on Salaries and Prices
IP Internet Protocol
ISC ISOLDE Committee
ISO International Organization for Standardization
ISOLDE Isotope Separator On-line Detector
ISR Intersecting Storage Rings
IT Information Technology Division (ex-CN)
ITC Inner Tracking Chamber
IUPAP International Union for Pure and Applied Physics
IUT Institut Universitaire de Technologie
IWG Internal Working Group
JARDB (CPCRI) Joint Advisory Rehabilitation and Disability Board
JIF Job Information Form
JINR "Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (Dubna, Russia)"
JRC Joint Research Centre
JRPE Job-Relevant Professional Experience
JTB Joint Training Board
KEK National Laboratory for High Energy Physics - Japan
L3 LEP Experiment
LAA Lepton Asymmetry Analyzer (Project)
LAC Logistics Advisory Committee
LAMal Loi Federale sur l'Assurance Maladie (Swiss law on health insurance)
LBL Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory (California)
LD Limited Duration (Contract)
LDEF Long Duration Exposure Facility
LEAR Low Energy Antiproton Ring (presently LEIR)
LEIR Low Energy Ion Ring (ex-LEAR)
LEP Large Electron-Positron Storage Ring
LEPC LEP Experiments Committee
LFC Lead/Scintillating Fibres Calorimetry
LHC Large Hadron Collider
LHC-B LHC Beauty
LHCC LHC Experiments Committee
LIPS LEP Injector Power Saver
LTNO Low Temperature Nuclear Orientation
MB Management Board
MIS Management Information System
MIT Massachusetts Institute of Technology
MOAS Merit Oriented Advancement Scheme
MS Member State
MSGC Microstrip Gas Counters
MSSM Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model
MT Mechanical Technologies Division (presently EST)
NA48 The CP Violation experiment
NMC New Muon Collaboration
NMS Non-member State
NOMAD Neutrino Oscillation Magnetic Detector
NSF National Science Foundation (USA)
ODMG Object Database Management Group
OFSP Office Federal de la Sante Publique (CH)
OO Object-Oriented (software)
OPAL Omni Purpose Apparatus for LEP
OPRI Office de Protection contre les Rayonnements Ionisants (CH)
ORIAC CERN Accounting System
OS Operating System
OSVC Ordre de service valant commande ...
PAA Panstwowa Agencja Atomistyki (Polish National Atomic Energy Agency)
PAF Personnel Action Form
PC Personal Computer
PC Personnel Coordinator (CERN-PE-HRS)
PDAS Paid Associate
PDSA Paid Scientific Associates
PE Personnel Division
PHASE "Physique et Applications des Semi-Conductor (Strasbourg, France)"
PJAS Project Associates
PL Project Leader
PLC Programmable Logic Controllers
PPA Programme Project Activity
PPARC Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (UK)
PPC Parallel Plate Chambers
PPE Particle Physics Experiments Division
PPP Purchasing Power Parities
PS Proton Synchrotron Division
PSB PS Booster
PSP Personal Software Process
QCD Quantum Chromo Dynamics (theory)
QGP Quark-Gluon Plasma
RADHARD Radiation Hardness
RB Research Board
RES Recruitment Service
RESCO Review of Employment and Social Conditions
RF Radio Frequency
RICH Ring Imaging Cherenkov (detectors)
RO Recruitment Office
RP Radiation Protection
RPC Radiation Protection Committee
RPC Resistive Plate Chambers
RPC Remote Procedure Call (computing)
RSC Restaurants Supervisory Committee
RSOC Radiation Safety Officers' Committee
SAPOCO Safety Policy Committee
SCC (CCP) Standing Concertation Committee
SCF Strategic Concertation Forum
SCI Scaleable Coherent Interface
SDLT Software Documentation Layout Templates
SDT Software Development Tool
SERC Science and Engineering Research Council (UK)
SIG Service Industriel de Geneve
SIN Schweizer Institut fur Nuklearforschung
SIPB Scientific Information Policy Board
SIRIAC CERN Commercial Purchasing System
SL SPS and LEP Division
SLAC Stanford Linear Accelerator Center
SLC SLAC Linear Collider
SLD Stanford Large Detector
SLIMOS Shift Leader in Matters of Safety
SM Standard Model
SMC Spin Muon Collaboration
SMD Silicone Microstrip Detector
SMD Surface Mounted Design
SMSD Superconducting Microstrip Detectors
SOI-CMOS "Silicone-On-Insulator, Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor"
SPC Scientific Policy Committee
SPI Software Process Improvement
SPL "Supplies, Procurement And Logistics Division"
SPS Super Proton Synchrotron
SPSLC SPS & Lear Committee
SR&R; Staff Rules and Regulations
SSAC Senior Staff Advancement Committee
SSC Superconducting Supercollider
ST Technical Support Division
STIC Scintillation Tile Calorimeter
SUSY Super Symetry
TAOIT (ILOAT) Tribunal Administratif de l'Organisation Internationale du Travail
TCR Technical Control Room
TDR Technical Design Report
TDS Technical Data Server
TEACC Technical Engineers and Administrative Careers Committee (ex-STAC)
TEC Training Executive Committee
TECH Technical Students
TGT Thin Gap Turbine
TH Theoretical Physics Division
The NINE Senior Staff Advisory Committee
TID Transaction InterDivisionnaire
TIS Technical Inspection and Safety Commission
TL Team Leader
TOF Time of Flight (Detector)
TPC Time Projection Chamber
TRACE Tripartite Advisory Committee on Conditions of Employment
TRD Transition Radiation Detector
TREF Tripartite Employment Conditions Forum
TSC Technical Students Selection Committee
TSO Territorial Safety Officer
TTC "Timing, Trigger and Control"
UO Users' Office
UPAS Unpaid Associate
UPSA Unpaid Scientific Associate
USAS Unpaid Associate with Subsistence Allowance
USERREG User Registration Interface
USSA Unpaid Scientific Associate with Subsistence Allowance
VFCs Very Forward Calorimeters
VIP Vacuum Image Pipeline
VM Virtual Machine
VN Vacancy Notice
WG Working Group
WGRPPP Working Group on the Review of Purchasing Policy and Procedures
WWW World Wide Web
YORICS Yearly Organizing Reunion of International Civil Servants
Last modified
27 October, 2021