Amortization of Scientific and Technical Equipment

(available only in Portuguese)

FCT has been promoting initiatives to establish a more appropriate context for the accounting of equipment depreciation expenses within the scope of R&D activities. Following analysis of the opinion of the Accounting Standards Committee by the FCT and the Operational Programmes, the FCT has issued a clarification on the accounting policy applicable to scientific and technical equipment, in response to the questions raised by the institutions.

Considering that,in order to be competitive and innovative, research must be supported by top-of-the-range equipment, which is subject to marked technological obsolescence , SCTN entities may adopt different accounting methods: i) adjust the rate of depreciation of the equipment to its actual level of usefulness, provided that this is validated by the Statutory Auditor (ROC) and thus recorded in the accounts ii) define the useful life of the equipment according to its expected use, provided that this is justified on a case-by-case basis by the entity's management body and thus recorded in the accounts.

This clarification, which can be consulted here, will also be the subject of Technical Guidance by the Portugal 2020 Operational Programs.