Sponsored Programs

Equipment is tangible, nonexpendable property having a useful life of more than one year and costing $5,000 or more per unit. Each piece of equipment should be listed separately in the proposal budget and budget justification.

Things to keep in mind when including equipment in your project:

• The sponsor may require you to include quotes from one or more vendors; check the sponsor's guidelines/RFP (Request for Proposal) for their requirements.
• Review the Purchasing Equipment page in the Start and Manage Projects section of this website for more information on procedures you will be expected to follow when your project is funded.
• Check the guidelines/RFP to see if the sponsor will pay for maintenance and service of the equipment during the project period; some will not. If not, talk with your chair and dean about who will fund these costs.
• Check with your chair and dean to see who will pay for the long-term maintenance and service of the equipment after the funded project period ends.
• Check with your chair and dean about whether or not space and infrastructure (structural support, electrical, etc.) will be available for the equipment if your project is funded. You may also need to consult with the Physical Plant and/or Planning, Design and Construction to assess space and infrastructure needs.
• Check with the Physical Plant and/or Planning, Design and Construction to determine their costs for installing the equipment and/or any supporting infrastructure, and include those costs in your proposal budget (as Other Direct Costs).
• Obtain approval from the appropriate department chair if you propose to use a resource that is not a standard facility, e.g., an expensive microscope in someone else's lab where there is no reason to expect that you would necessarily be given free access, because the person who runs that instrument is not a named co-investigator or collaborator on your project.