The key determinant is the expectation of the sponsor for project specificity and accountability of performance. A line item budget is involved. A line item budget details expenses by activity, function, or project period. The presence of faculty compensation makes the project a sponsored program, as time and effort on funded projects is tracked as a part of federal audit requirement. The award or agreement provides for the disposition of either tangible or intangible properties which may result from the project.
Tangible property includes equipment, records, formal activity reports, theses or dissertations.
Intangible properties include rights for data, copyrights, or inventions or research-related materials. All government funds, exclusive of financial aid.