Equipment Disposition

When your research project ends, what happens to the equipment you purchased with grant funds? Office of Management and Budget (OMB) circulars guide equipment disposition, which depends largely on how your grantee organization views, or defines, equipment.

Definition of Equipment

The OMB circulars define "equipment" as nonexpendable personal property having a useful life of more than one year and an acquisition cost that equals or exceeds $5,000 (or a lesser value established by your organization). If you purchased items with funds awarded in the "Equipment Budget" category, they may have a dollar value equal to, greater than, or less than your organization's defined value.

Disposition Options

There are no disposition regulations on equipment that has a value less than your organization's defined value. Your organization may decide what to do with the equipment when your research ends.

There are several disposition options for equipment with a value equal to or greater than your organization's defined value. Your organization can:

  1. Use the equipment for other activities sponsored by TSNRP or other federal awarding agencies.
  2. Retain the equipment and compensate TSNRP or request disposition instructions from TSNRP for equipment that is no longer needed.
  3. Request that the equipment be gifted to a specific institution. (Items cannot be gifted to individuals.)

To request equipment gifting, send a formal written request to TSNRP through your grantee organization. The request should detail the item(s) to be gifted, their value, and the institution that will receive them. The request should also indicate if the gift is intended for a specific department within the receiving institution (e.g., Nursing Research Service).