Glossary
This glossary provides definitions of key terms to support the understanding, interpretation, and consistent drafting of institutional policies and procedures.
A
Abuse — A violation of a person's human and civil rights by any other person that puts them at risk of harm and impacts their health and wellbeing. Abuse may occur face-to-face or via digital/online methods.
Acceleration — A program that helps startups scale their business rapidly by providing access to mentorship, funding, market opportunities and other resources.
Agent — include all individuals performing institutionally designated activities or exercising institutionally delegated authority or responsibility for UM6P or its subsidiaries or governed sites. Agents include students and other trainees enrolled in UM6P educational programs performing activities in connection with their roles and responsibilities as students or trainees.
Allegation — any evidence found by, or a written or oral statement of possible research misconduct made to, any UM6P leader or the Research Integrity Officer (RIO), including heads of departments and deans.
Animal — Any live vertebrate animal used or intended for use in research, training, experimentation, biological testing, or related purposes excluding fœtal and embryonic forms.
Article-based thesis or dissertation — Contains chapters that contain complete manuscripts which may be in preparation for publication, in press, or published.
B
Bad faith allegation — an allegation that is not made in good faith with knowing or reckless disregard for information that would negate the allegation or testimony or willful ignorance of facts that would disprove the allegation.
Bench Scale — Bench Scale corresponds to the physical prototype stage at TRL 4, where key components of a technology are integrated and validated in a controlled environment beyond laboratory experimentation. It confirms technical feasibility and functional coherence prior to pilot realization.
C
Child — Anyone under the age of 18 years old.
Clinical education — This is a more specifically defined internship experience in which students practice learned didactic and experiential skills, most frequently in health care and legal settings, under the supervision of a credentialed practitioner. It is often a separate credit-bearing course tied to a related theoretical course or a culminating experience after a sequence of theoretical courses.
Co-Curricular Activity — Structured programs and activities that complement the academic curriculum, designed to enhance entrepreneurial skills through practical, hands on experiences. These include workshops & seminars, hackathons & competitions, incubation & acceleration programs, networking events, mentorship programs, internships, community engagement projects, innovation labs, Fab Labs.
Co-Curricular Learning — Co-curricular programs organized by UM6P Student Affairs are designed to complement academic learning and enhance students' overall university experience. These programs offer diverse opportunities for personal and professional growth, including leadership development, community service, and skill-building. Through various workshops, events, and activities, students can engage in meaningful experiences that foster their development, support their academic pursuits, and prepare them for future challenges. These programs play a vital role in helping students build a well-rounded skill set and connect with the broader university community.
Community engagement — Community engagement is the collection of processes and activities performed by students and staff in partnership with community stakeholders to address mutual concerns, promote shared goals, and enhance the well-being of both. It involves employing the internal knowledge capital and resources to benefit the larger community while fostering reciprocal learning and sustainable development.
Community-based research — Faculty and students cooperate with local organizations to conduct studies to meet the needs of a particular community. Students gain direct experience in the research process.
Complainant — an individual who, in good faith, makes an allegation of research misconduct. A complainant can be the victim or witness of a research misconduct.
Conflict Management Plan — an agreement that sets limits and restrictions to address a RCOI to ensure that the design, conduct, and reporting of research are free from bias or the appearance of bias.
Conflict of Interest — a divergence between a faculty member's interests and such faculty member's professional obligations to UM6P, such that an independent observer might reasonably question whether the individual's professional actions or decisions are determined by considerations other than the best interest of UM6P. Conflict of Interest is a circumstance in which a researcher’s financial, or non-financial, interest or obligation may have the potential to bias research or negatively impact the research and decisions.
Creator — The collaborator, the student, the administrative or support staff or any natural person, such as a visiting professor/researcher who works or carries out research within the university and who meets the legal requirements of Creator. The term “Creator” includes the creators of industrial property titles and creations protected by copyright.
Crisis — an event or series of events, both internally and externally caused, posing an immediate or imminent risk to the University's activity, reputation, or the safety of individuals and/or infrastructure.
D
Data Management Plan (DMP) — Data Management Plan (DMP) — a formal document describing how data will be collected, processed, analyzed, preserved, and shared during and after the completion of a research project.
Demonstrator Scale — Demonstrator Scale corresponds to the pre-industrial stage typically at TRL 6–7, where the technology is operating in the best optimal/validated in a relevant operational environment. This stage confirms robustness, repeatability, system integration, and techno-economic consistency under conditions representative of intended deployment.
Disclosure — an investigator’s disclosure of interests related to his or her institutional responsibilities.
Discrimination — Unfair or prejudicial treatment of people and groups based on characteristics such as ethnic or national origin, civil status, pregnancy, social condition, gender, disability, language, age, religion, political or philosophical convictions, or other relevant characteristic.
Dissertation — A written document prepared as part of the requirements for a doctoral program. A dissertation demonstrates a contribution to new knowledge, theories or practices to the field or discipline.
E
Eco-responsible event — an event planned with sustainable practices and executed with a focus on minimizing its environmental impact
Electronic Waste — or E-waste is discarded electrical or electronic devices, including computers, phones, and batteries, which may contain hazardous components and require special handling.
Embargo Period — An optional designated period (6 months to 2 years) during which a thesis or dissertation is not publicly available.
Emergency — Urgent pest problem that arises suddenly and requires immediate intervention to prevent significant damage to public health, the environment, or assets.
Employees — include individuals employed by UM6P and all on-site subsidiaries as well as those off-site governed by UM6P policies and procedures.
Entrepreneurial Mindset — A set of attitudes, skills, and behaviors that enable individuals to identify opportunities, take initiative, embrace risk and persist through challenges to create value and drive innovation.
Entrepreneurship Education — A structured learning process aimed at equipping individuals with the knowledge, skills, and mindset necessary to innovate, initiate, and manage ventures. It fosters an entrepreneurial mindset characterized by adaptability, risktaking, resilience, critical thinking and a commitment to value creation. Through experiential learning, practical application and exposure to real-world challenges, entrepreneurship education empowers individuals to navigate the complexities of entrepreneurial endeavors, catalyzing economic growth, social impact and personal fulfillment.
Ethical Leadership — Leadership that is guided by respect for ethical beliefs and values, and for the dignity and rights of others. It emphasizes integrity, accountability and social responsibility in decision-making and actions.
Euthanasia — The human termination of an animal’s life that minimizes pain, distress, and anxiety experienced by the animal before loss of consciousness.
Event — an event is defined as any planned activity or gathering taking place whether held on university premises or off-site, planned by a university department, or by an authorized external entity within the framework of a partnership or otherwise.
Event Management Team (EMT) — is the team in charge of event management at UM6P. This team ensures that all events, whether internal or external, are carried out seamlessly and align with the institution's objectives. They oversee the entire event lifecycle from initial planning to post-event evaluation.
Experiential Learning — Experiential learning, also referred to as learning by doing or learning through action, is a teaching philosophy and methodologies in which educators purposefully engage with learners in 1) direct experience and 2) focused reflection to increase knowledge, develop skills, clarify values, and develop people's capacity to contribute to their communities. Forms of experiential learning include internships, service learning, community engagement, clinical education, practicums, undergraduate research experiences, fieldwork and students’ mobility, Co-curricular Learning programs and student jobs including external and internal missions.
F
Fabrication — creating and reporting false data or results.
Faculty — professors, associate professors, assistant professors, affiliate professors and instructors, including individuals designated as "visiting" or "adjunct," within the departments, colleges, laboratories, and research centers operating as part of UM6P.
Faculty member — professors, associate professors, assistant professors, and instructors, including individuals designated as "visiting" or "adjunct," within the departments, colleges, heads, laboratories, and research centers operating as part of UM6P.
Failure to meet legal, ethical, and professional obligations, for example — Misuse of personal data, including inappropriate disclosures of the identity of research participants and other breaches of confidentiality; Improper conduct in peer review of research proposals, results or manuscripts submitted for publication. This includes failure to disclose: conflicts of interest; inadequate disclosure of clearly limited competence; misappropriation of the content of material; and breach of confidentiality or abuse of material provided in confidence for the purposes of peer review.
Falsification — manipulating research materials, equipment, or processes, or changing or omitting data or results such that the research is not accurately represented in the research record.
Field work — Supervised student research or practice carried out away from the institution and in direct contact with the people, natural phenomena, or other entities being studied. Field work is especially frequent in fields including anthropology, archaeology, sociology, social work, earth sciences, and environmental studies.
G
Gender — refers to male and female, especially when considered with reference to biological, social and cultural differences in accordance with the local context and the Moroccan legal framework.
Good faith allegation — An allegation made with the honest belief that misconduct may have occurred. An allegation is not in good faith if it is made with knowing or reckless disregard for information that would negate the allegation.
H
Harassment — Any vexatious behavior in the form of hostile or unwanted conduct, verbal comments, actions, or gestures that affect dignity or integrity and result in a harmful environment.
Hazardous Waste — Waste containing substances that are toxic, flammable, corrosive, or reactive, posing a risk to health or the environment if not handled properly.
Husbandry — The care and housing of animals, in this case kept captive for UM6P purposes. It may include breeding of those animals for UM6P purposes, but this is not a requirement.
I
Inclusion — Ensuring fair representation of students, faculty and staff from diverse backgrounds in higher education, covering a spectrum of social, economic, ethnic, gender, physical and mental characteristics.
Inclusive Leadership and Management — A leadership and management style that actively embraces diversity, encourages participation from all individuals, and fosters a sense of belonging within an organization or group. Inclusive leaders and managers prioritize creating an environment where everyone feels respected, valued, and empowered to contribute their unique perspectives and talents.
Inclusive Teaching — Equitable and inclusive teaching involves cultivating awareness of the dynamics that shape classroom experiences and impact learning. It also involves being responsive to these dynamics and intentional about using strategies, or inclusive moves, that foster a productive learning environment.
Incubation — A program that provides startups with resources, mentorship, and support to help them develop their business ideas, build their products and establish a sustainable business model.
Innovation Ecosystem — A collaborative network of stakeholders, including universities, industry partners, government agencies, investors and entrepreneurs that supports the development and commercialization of new ideas and technologies.
Inquiry — the initial process and preliminary information gathering activities for determining whether an allegation or apparent instance of research misconduct warrants an investigation.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) — A strategy that focuses on the long-term prevention of pests or their damage through a combination of non-chemical control tactics, including preventative, cultural, mechanical, environmental, biological, and chemical control tactics. The techniques are utilized simultaneously to control pest populations in the most effective manner possible and manage pest damage by the most economical means, and with the least possible hazard to people, property, and the environment. Since IPM focuses on remediation of the fundamental reasons why pests are here, pesticides are rarely used and only when necessary.
Intellectual Property — All assets, technical data, inventions, designs and models, methods, products, improvements, processes, results, discoveries, varieties, and descendants whether or not likely to benefit from legal protection, including any know-how, demonstrations, plans, specifications, prototypes, strains, topographies, geographical indications, models, software including source and object codes, and reports. IP also includes trademarks and certification marks, internet domain names, logos, symbols, trade dress, trade names, copyrights, patents, applications patents, patent extensions, applications or computer programs designed, developed, or put into practice, and which are not in the public domain.
Intellectual Property (IP) — All assets, technical data, inventions, designs and models, methods, products, improvements, processes, results, discoveries, varieties, and descendants, whether or not likely to benefit from legal protection, including any know how. make, demonstrations, plans, specifications, prototypes, strains, topographies, geographical indications, models, software including source and object codes, and reports; also includes trademarks and certification marks, internet domain names, logos, symbols, trade dress, trade names, copyrights, patents, applications patents, patent extensions, applications or computer programs designed, developed, or put into practice, and which are not in the public domain.
Intellectual Property Rights — The legally enforceable rights associated with the intangible aspects of intellectual property.
Interdisciplinary Collaboration — The integration and cooperation of different academic disciplines and fields of study to foster innovation and address complex challenges through diverse perspectives and expertise.
Internal stakeholders — refers to the internal departments with the UM6P that provide essential support and services required for the successful execution of events. These departments work closely with the Event Management Team and the organizer to address logistical, technical, and operational needs.
Internships — A broad term used to describe experience-based learning activities that often subsume other terms such as cooperative education, service-learning or field experiences. Most often a credit-bearing, free-standing activity in a student’s field of interest not connected to a theoretical course. It is usually assessed by a faculty member ‘and supervised by an employer who is not a faculty member.
Investigation — the formal examination and evaluation of all available relevant facts to determine if research misconduct has occurred in respect with the adversarial principle, if so, to determine the responsible person(s) and the seriousness of the research misconduct.
L
Least-toxic pesticides — These are pesticides with minimal or no significant harm to humans, animals, beneficial organisms, and the environment. They often degrade quickly and do not leave harmful residues.
Less-toxic pesticides — Pesticides have a lower risk of causing sever health or environmental damage compared to toxic pesticides. They may still pose some risks but are generally considered safer alternatives with a reduced impact on non-target organisms and ecosystems.
Lifelong Learning — Lifelong learning is the concept of pursuing additional education and the development of further skills beyond an individual’s formal education. Lifelong learning is self-motivated, informal, voluntary and based on personal interests.
M
Members of the university community — Refers to any person and organization working for and within the framework of the achievement of UM6P’s mission.
Mentorship — A supportive relationship in which an experienced individual (mentor) provides guidance, advice, and support to a less experienced individual (mentee) to help them achieve their personal and professional goals.
O
Open Access — Open Access — a practice in which research outputs are distributed online, free of access charges or other barriers.
Organic Waste — Biodegradable waste such as food scraps, plant materials, and other compostable items, which can be broken down through composting.
Organizer — is the individual or department responsible for initiating the event planning process.
P
Pest — Any animal, plant, or microorganism that negatively affects human environments by causing damage to buildings, crops or landscapes or pose health risks to humans, pets, or livestock. Pests may also interfere with the aesthetic and functional value of spaces, both indoors and outdoors.
Pest Management in Buildings — Pest management in buildings focuses on controlling pests inside buildings to create a safe, clean, and comfortable environment for occupants. The primary goal is to prevent infestations of common building pests that can cause health issues, damage property, or disrupt daily activities.
Pest Management in Landscapes — Pest management in landscapes focuses on controlling pests in outdoor areas around buildings, including gardens, landscapes, lawns, and other exterior environments. Its goal is to prevent pests from damaging plants, outdoor structures, and ecosystems, as well as to stop them from entering buildings.
Pesticide — Any substance or mixture of chemical and biological substances used to control pests by preventing, repelling or mitigating them. Pesticides can be synthetic or natural, and they are applied in various forms, such as sprays, powders, or granules, depending on the type of pest and area of application.
Pilot — refers to the intermediate scale integrated system typically at TRL 5-6, where the technology is implemented as a miniaturized but operational system under controlled conditions. The pilot fine tunes the parametric optimization or/and de-risk the hard-tooptimize parameters. The ultimate purpose is to validate system performance, integration, and operational behavior before exposure to real or relevant environments.
Plagiarism — Plagiarism is the use of other people's work and ideas without reference to the original source. This practice may constitute a breach of ethics.
Practicum — A relative of the internship, this form of experiential learning usually is a course or student exercise involving practical experience in a work setting (whether paid or unpaid) as well as theoretical study, including supervised experience as part of professional pre-service education.
Procedure — Any experimental use that could cause lasting harm, pain, suffering, or distress to an animal.
Project Lead (PL) — The individual responsible for the scientific and technical advancement of a technology development project. The PL ensures the validity, coherence, and traceability of the underlying work, particularly during the early stages of development, and contributes to its progression across subsequent maturation phases. In this capacity, the PL coordinates project execution, prepares submissions at each decision gate, and serves as the primary point of contact with TESP and the relevant governance bodies. The role may be held by a faculty member, researcher, engineer, or student
Publication — The dissemination of research results in any written or otherwise documented format.
R
Recycling — The process of converting waste materials into new products, thereby conserving natural resources and reducing environmental impact.
Reduction — Obtaining comparable or same levels of results from the use of fewer animals or/and maximizing the results obtained from a limited number of animals without increasing pain or distress.
Refinement — The enhance of animal well-being and minimize or eliminate pain in experiments, the researcher must take all measures to reduce pain and distress from certain types of experiments.
Replacement — The avoidance of using animals. In some cases, a complete replacement or relative replacement of animals in experiments.
Research — Any systematic investigation designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge or specific knowledge.
Research Activities — proposing, conducting, reviewing, or reporting the results of research or other scholarly investigation.
Research Conflict of interest (RCOI) — a situation in which financial or other personal considerations may compromise or appear to compromise professional judgment or integrity in the conduct or reporting of research. RCOI include but not limited to: - Unfair access by an outside party to UM6P laboratories; - The procurement of research items from a specific vendor solely due to personal acquaintance or prior knowledge; - Accepting or soliciting a gift, favor, money, or service that is intended to, or might appear to, influence the researcher's decision-making or research conduct; - Having a financial interest in companies that are relevant to his or her research; - Pressing to publish results that are consistent with prevailing theories or the preferences of funding sources, rather than presenting objective results; - Prohibiting the publication of the results that are not consistent with prevailing theories or the presences of funding sources; - Accepting, agreeing to accept, or soliciting money or other tangible or intangible benefits in exchange for the researcher's favorable findings or recommendations; or - Favoring students or colleagues when evaluating research. - Research support (including salaries, equipment, supplies, and other expenses) by organizations that may gain or lose financially through this publication. - A specific role for the funder in the conceptualization, design, data collection, analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Research Data — Research Data — all information recorded or created in connection with UM6P research activities, in any form or format. This includes quantitative and qualitative data, lab notes, questionnaires, survey results, recordings, software code, and any other materials that validate research findings.
Research Integrity Officer ("RIO") — the UM6P official appointed by the President to have primary responsibility for implementing and adhering to these procedures. The Research Integrity Officer has primary institutional responsibility for assessing all reports of research misconduct and determining when such reports warrant an investigations. The Policy Office Lead is the Research Integrity Officer for UM6P.In the case of conflict of interest: RIO conflicted in any way regarding the nature, source or involved parties in the allegation, the RIO should inform top management to nominate another person to fulfill this role.
Research misconduct — Behaviors that deliberately or recklessly fall short of the expected standards in research, from conception to reporting. It encompasses fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism in proposing, performing, reviewing, or reporting research.
Research misconduct proceeding — any actions related to alleged research misconduct taken under this part, including but not limited to, allegation assessments, investigations, hearings, and administrative appeals.
Research record — any data, document, computer file, computer diskette, or any other written or non-written account or object that reasonably may be expected to provide evidence or information regarding the proposed, conducted, and/or reported research that constitutes the subject of an allegation of scientific misconduct. A research record includes, but is not limited to, grant or contract applications, whether funded or unfunded; grant or contract progress and other reports; laboratory notebooks; notes; correspondence; videos; photographs; x-ray film; slides; biological materials; computer files and printouts; manuscripts and publications; equipment use logs; laboratory procurement records; animal facility records; human and animal subject protocols; consent forms; medical charts; and patient research files.
Research Results — All data, material, models, drawings, plans, software, inventions, discoveries, products, improvements, processes, specifications, prototypes and information resulting from a research project or the provision of services. Without limiting the scope of the above, the term “Results” also refers to results which are patentable and those which are not patentable.
Retaliation — Any act, whether conducted directly or indirectly through proxies, targeting an individual due to their sincere reporting of an accusation regarding infringement of university policy, rule, or regulation, or their involvement in an investigation, or intended to dissuade an individual from taking such actions.
Reuse — The practice of using items multiple times in their original form to extend their lifecycle, reducing the need for disposal or recycling.
S
Safeguarding — Actions taken to promote the wellbeing of university adults and children, support needs and protect them from harm. Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility.
Scholarly Work — Scholarly work may add to the existing body of fundamental scientific knowledge. Although a scholarly work may be published on a web site, the web site itself is not a scholarly work.
Seed Funding — Initial capital provided to early-stage startups to help them develop their product or service, validate their business model, and prepare for further investment and growth.
Sequestration — the collection and segregation of research records, equipment, and other tangible or intangible information for the specific purpose of assessing allegations as part of the research misconduct process. The Office of Research Governance, under the direction of the Research Integrity Officer, has the authority and responsibility for sequestration of research records relative to research misconduct allegations. All appropriate rights are accorded to the respondent in the act of sequestrating research records, as outlined in the Role and Responsibilities of the Respondent section of this procedure.
Service learning — This term is used to denote required or optional out-of-classroom community service experiences/projects attached to courses or as a separate credit bearing experience. The location may be the broader community outside the university or one embedded in co-curricular activities.
Smoking — refers to the act of inhaling, exhaling, burning, heating, carrying, or possessing any lighted or heated substance intended for inhalation, whether natural or synthetic. This includes but is not limited to tobacco products such as cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos, pipes, water pipes, hookahs, or any similar device. Smoking also encompasses the use of electronic smoking devices such as e-cigarettes or vaporizers that produce an aerosol or vapor, as well as any oral smoking device intended to circumvent smoking prohibitions.