| A3ESw | Agency for Assessment and Accreditation of Higher Education (Agência de Avaliação e Acreditação do Ensino Superior) |
| AICEP | Portugal Global – Trade & Investment Agency (Agência para o Investimento e Comércio Externo de Portugal |
| ANI | National Innovation Agency (Agência Nacional de Inovação) |
| APESP | Association of Private Higher Education (Associação Portuguesa de Ensino Superior Privado) |
| BERD | Business expenditures for research and development |
| BPD | FCT post-doctoral fellowships (Bolsas de Pós-Doutoramento) |
| CASE | Industrial Co-operative Awards in Science & Technology |
| CCHE/CCES | Co-ordinating Council for Higher Education (Conselho Coordenador do Ensino Superior) |
| CCISP | The Council of Polytechnics (Conselho Coordenador dos Institutos Superiores Politécnicos) |
| CDH | Careers of Doctoral Holders |
| CDT | Centres for Doctoral Training |
| CIC | Commission for the co-ordination of the Partnership Agreement (Comissão Interministerial de Coordenação do Acordo de Parceria) |
| CNE | National Council on Education (Conselho Nacional de educação) |
| CNEI | National Council for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (Conselho Nacional de Empreendedorismo e Inovação) |
| CNCT | National Council for Science and Technology (Conselho Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia) |
| CoLABs | Collaborative Laboratories |
| CRUP | Council of University Rectors (Conselho de Reitores das Universidades Portuguesas) |
| CTeSP | Technical Professional Higher Education Courses (Cursos Técnicos Superiores Profissionais) |
| DBA | Professional doctorates in business administration |
| DGES | Directorate-General of Higher Education (Direcção Geral do Ensino Superior) |
| DNP | Doctor of nursing practice |
| DPT | Doctor of physical therapy |
| DTP | Doctoral Training Partnerships |
| Ed.D | Professional doctorate in education |
| EFICE | Industrial Development Strategy for Growth and Employment (Estratégia de Fomento Industrial Para o Crescimento e o Emprego) 2014-2020 |
| EIB | European Investment Bank |
| EIF | European Investment Fund |
| ENEI | National Strategy for Smart Specialisation (Estratégia de Investigação e Inovação para uma Especialização Inteligente) |
| EPO | European Patent Office |
| ERC | European Research Council |
| ERCEA | European Research Council Executive Agency |
| ESIF | European Structural and Investment Funds |
| EURIRS | Euro Interest Rate Swap |
| FCCN | Foundation for the National Scientific Computing (Fundação para a Computação Científica Nacional) |
| FCT | Foundation for Science and Technology (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia) |
| FDI | Foreign Direct Investment |
| FTE | Full-time Equivalent |
| GDP | Gross Domestic Product |
| GEM | Global Entrepreneurship Monitor |
| GII | Global Innovation Index |
| GBARD | Government budget appropriations for R&D |
| GOP | Major Options of the Plan (Grandes Opções do Plano) |
| GOVERD | Government expenditures on research and development |
| GPEARI | Planning, Evaluation, Strategy and International Relations Office (Gabinete de Planeamento, Estratégia, Avaliação e Relações Internacionais) |
| H2020 | Horizon 2020 |
| HERD | Higher Education Research and Development Expenditure |
| HERI | Higher Education, Research and Innovation |
| IAPMEI | Competitiveness and Innovation Agency (for the support of SMEs) (Agência para a Competitividade e Inovação) |
| ICT | Information and communication technology |
| INESC TEC | Institute for Systems and Computer Engineering, Technology and Science |
| INIAV | National Institute of Agrarian and Veterinary Research (Instituto Nacional de Investigaçao Agraria e Veterinaria) |
| ITN | Innovation Transfer Network |
| IP | Intellectual Property |
| IPA | Institute for Programming Research Algorithmics |
| JNCT | National Board of Scientific and Technological Research (Junta Nacional de Investigação Científica e Tecnológica) |
| JPO | Japan Patent Office |
| LTP | Long-term plan for Higher Education and Research 2015-2024 |
| MCTES | Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education (Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior) |
| MEC | Ministry for Education and Science (Ministério da Educação e Ciência) |
| MFP | Multi Factor Productivity |
| MIT | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| MNE | Multinational enterprise |
| NCN | National Science Centre |
| NRP | National Reform Programme |
| OECD | Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development |
| PD | Professional doctorates |
| PhD | Doctor of Philosophy |
| PMR | Product Market Regulation |
| POCH | Human Capital Operational Programmes |
| PREMAC | Plan to Reduce and Improve Central Administration (Plano de Redução e Melhoria da Administração Central) |
| PRI | Public Research Institute |
| PT2020 | Portugal 2020 |
| PVCi | Portugal Venture Capital Initiative |
| R&D | Research and development |
| RGA | General access regime (Regime Geral de Acesso) |
| RJIES | Legal regime for higher education institutions (Regime Jurídico das Instituições de Ensino Superior) |
| RO | Research organisations |
| SATT | Sociétés d'Accélération du Transfert de Technologies |
| SENSE | Research School for Socio Economic and Natural Sciences of the Environment |
| SIFIDE | System of Fiscal Incentive for Business R&I (Sistema de Incentivos Fiscais à I&D Empresarial) |
| SMEs | Small and medium enterprises |
| S&T | Science and Technology |
| STEM | Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics |
| TEA | Total early-stage Entrepreneurial Activity |
| TTA | Technology Transfer Alliance |
| TTO | Technology Transfer Office |
| UTN | University Technology Enterprise Network |
| UMIC | Agency for the Knowledge Society |
| USPTO | United States Patent and Trademark Office |
OECD Review of Higher Education, Research and Innovation: Portugal
