| AE | Alternative extensions |
| AIT | Austrian Institute of Technology |
| AQ Austria | Austrian Agency for Quality Assurance and Accreditation |
| AWS | Austria Wirtschaftsservice Gesellschaft mbH |
| BMBWF | Bundesministerium für Bildung, Wissenschaft und Forschung, Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research |
| BMDW | Bundesministerium für Digitalisierung und Wirtschaftsstandort, Federal Ministry of Digital and Economic Affairs |
| BMVIT | Bundesministerium für Verkehr, Innovation und Technologie, Federal Ministry of Transport, Innovation and Technology |
| BMWFW | Bundesministerium für Wissenschaft, Forschung und Wirtschaft Federal Ministry of Science,Research and Economy |
| BOKU | University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna |
| CASE | Competencies for sustainable socio-economic development project |
| CDG | Christian Doppler Research Association |
| CDIO | Conceive, Design, Implement and Operate |
| CeMM | Center for Molecular Medicine |
| CEO | Chief executive officer |
| CSE | Chalmers School of Entrepreneurship |
| CSH | Complexity Science Hub Vienna |
| DRZ | De Rotterdamse Zaak |
| EC | Extension curricula |
| ECTS | European Credit Transfer System |
| EHEAESG | European Higher Education Area European Standards and Guidelines |
| ETP | Entrepreneurship in Theory and Practice |
| EU | European Union |
| FFG | Österreichische Forschungsförderungsgesellschaft Austrian Research Promotion Agency |
| FH | Fachhochschule, University of Applied Sciences |
| FTE | Full-time equivalent |
| FWF | Wissenschaftsfonds,,Austrian Science Fund |
| GDP | Gross domestic product |
| GMI | Gregor Mendel Institute of Molecular Plant Biology |
| GUEP | General University Development Plan |
| HE | Higher education |
| HEA | Higher Education Authority |
| HEI | Higher education institution |
| HTL | Höhere Technische Lehranstalten, College for higher technical education |
| IIASA | International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis |
| IMBA | Institute of Molecular Biotechnology Pioneering |
| IP | Intellectual property |
| IPAG | Intellectual Property Agreement Guide |
| IPR | Intellectual property rights |
| ISCED | UNESCO International Standard Classification of Education |
| IT | Information technology |
| ITS | Instituti Tecnici Superiori, Technical higher institutions |
| JR | Josef Ressel |
| KTC | Knowledge transfer centres |
| LBG | Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft |
| LTE | Learning through entrepreneurship |
| NABC | Need, Approach, Benefit and Competition |
| NSF | National Science Foundation |
| OeAW | Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften Austrian Academy of Sciences |
| OECD | Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development |
| PA | Performance agreements |
| PI | Principal investigators |
| PLN | Policy Learning Network |
| PMU | Paracelsus Medical University |
| PPP | Public-private partnership |
| PRI | provisional patent application |
| R&D | Research and development |
| RDI | Research, development and innovation |
| RTI | Research, technology and innovation |
| SEI | Strathclyde Entrepreneurship Initiative |
| SIF | Strategic Innovation Fund |
| SME | Small- and medium-sized enterprises |
| STEM | Science-technology-engineering-mathematics |
| TTO | Tech transfer office |
| TU | Technical University |
| UAS | Universities of applied sciences |
| VCP | Venture creation programme |
| VET | Vocational education and training |
| VLSI | Vienna Life-Science Instruments |
| WKO | Wirtschaftskammer Österreich Austrian Chamber of Commerce |