As part of your sponsored research project, you may acquire or develop equipment that becomes Temple University property.

Depending on the nature of your project, you may also need to use equipment owned by the federal government. This equipment is governed by University policies, as outlined below.

Equipment Definitions

Per University policy, there are several equipment-related definitions to be aware of.

Capital Equipment

Capital equipment is defined as an off-the-shelf article of nonexpendable, tangible personal property that has:

• A useful life of more than one year
• An acquisition cost of $5,000 or more per unit

Fabricated Equipment

Fabricated equipment is defined as a unique, identifiable, and discrete item that:

• Has a useful life of more than one year
• Is constructed using materials and components with a cumulative cost of $5,000 or more

This type of equipment may require prior approval and must be tracked with detailed accounting in the financial system.

Privately Owned or Government Owned Property

If you are working on a federally sponsored project, you may be using equipment owned by the federal government. In such cases, prior approvals may be required before bringing this equipment to campus.

It is the responsibility of the Principal Investigator to understand all requirements related to:

• Maintenance
• Use
• Tracking
• Return of federal property

These same principles may apply when bringing privately owned equipment, such as corporate or foundation-owned property, onto campus.