Term	Definition
Challenge	An unmet requirement that must be appropriately matched by a specific solution.
Continuous improvement	The process ensuring that new risks and challenges are identified and appropriately met by adapting the existing quality system.
Core requirements	Tasks defined by EQIPD for all users/institutions that must be fulfilled to reach the status of a functional quality system.
Dossier (EQIPD Dossier)	A structured and categorized collection of various quality-related items (such as protocols for experimental methods and training records) that are developed and stored by a research unit as solutions to challenges specific to their needs.
Framework (EQIPD Framework)	The concept, implementation strategy, software and tools developed by EQIPD that direct and support the users in building the fit-for-purpose EQIPD Quality System.
Key process	An action or series of actions that directly impact the experimental generation of research products, data and their quality.
Knowledge claim	A formal knowledge claim can be thought of as a statement that a research project or study has established new knowledge, or consolidated existing knowledge, with sufficient certainty that that knowledge can now be acted upon. The required level of certainty might depend on the nature (risk and potential benefits) of the possible action. For instance, the required level of confidence in the efficacy of a molecule will be different for a decision to proceed to a clinical trial compared to deciding to publish the results of a study or to initiate a lead identification campaign for a newly validated target.
Needs	Reasons to introduce and maintain high quality derived from a research unit's mission and research objectives that can be dictated by stakeholders (e.g., funders) or defined by EQIPD. They are identified by the research unit.
Must	Indicates actions that EQIPD considers as imperative and mandatory or as a requirement.
Performance standards	Performance standards define the desired outcome in detail and provide measurable criteria for assessing whether the outcome is achieved, but do not specify a method or technique for achieving the desired outcome
Planning tool (EQIPD Planning tool)	A software tool supporting the research unit in order to implement the EQIPD Quality System in a given institution.
Process owner	A person within the organization/research unit who has the necessary resources or access to them, the competence and the authority to implement and maintain the EQIPD Quality System.
Regulated research, or research subject to regulation	Research activities for which national (e.g., FDA) or international (e.g., EMA, OECD) governmental bodies and agencies have specific responsibility for regulating the research activity as well as setting expectations and inspections. Regulated research is typically subject to compliance with the formally defined good practices such as Good Laboratory Practice, Good Manufacturing Practice, Good Clinical Practice, Good Pharmacovigilance Practice, etc.
Robust	A data set is said to be robust if it is not sensitive to departures from the assumptions on which its validity is strictly predicted (e.g., that the study plans used to generate data are protected against risks of bias).
Should	A strong recommendation; however, EQIPD recognizes that individual circumstances might justify an alternative strategy.
Solution	An answer to an identified challenge.
Support process	An action or series of actions that provide the means needed to execute key processes in a quality-oriented manner.
Toolbox (EQIPD Toolbox)	A structured and categorized online collection of various quality-related information, such as guidelines, protocols, and tools.