You will use the USA Staffing Onboarding system to complete required Human Resources forms if you decide to serve on a committee and be appointed as an SGE. At the appropriate time, you will receive an email with a dedicated link and instructions for system login, form completion and submission from the appropriate Institute/Center Committee Management Office.

The purpose of this report is to assist employees and their agencies in avoiding conflicts of interest between official duties (i.e. the Committee’s work) and private financial interests and affiliations.  Agency ethics officials will use the information that you provide to determine whether any potential conflicts exist.  As an SGE, you are required to file an OGE 450 report prior to your appointment through NEES and then provide periodic updates throughout your appointment.  Your OGE 450 reports will remain confidential and are only subject to release in accordance with federal requirements and the Privacy Act, as noted on the form.  Designated NIH officials will review the information prior to your initial appointment and then again on each update cycle to help identify any potential conflicts of interest.  Please review the OGE 450 report at this link, which is a sample form.  If you decide to become a member of a Committee/Board, you will be instructed when and how to complete the form electronically in the NIH Enterprise Ethics System, a secure mechanism used to complete and periodically update the OGE 450. Generally, you will need to disclose the following types of financial information for you, your spouse, and/or your dependent children:

• Sources of income exceeding $1,000 from any non-governmental source, such as domestic and foreign employment, intellectual property (e.g. patents with a royalty sharing agreement), and consultant work.
• Assets with a value greater than $1,000 such as stock or stock options in publicly-traded and privately-held companies, real estate held for investment purposes, bonds, sector mutual funds, annuities, trusts, and private equity funds (e.g. limited partnerships, hedge funds, venture capital funds, etc.)
• Any position you hold, such as your employment, advisory board positions, or committee memberships with any non-governmental entity such as journals, professional societies, universities, non-profit or for-profit entities.
• Members need to report all non-Federal sources of research funding.
• Retirement accounts (self and spouse) with previous and current employers and their underlying holdings.

SGEs are subject to the Foreign Gifts and Decorations Act, and many SGEs are also subject to the Emoluments Clause of the U.S. Constitution.  The provisions of these laws will apply at all times during your appointment as an SGE, not just the periods of time you are performing services for the NIH.  Generally, subject to some limited exceptions:  (1) the Emoluments Clause will prohibit you from holding a position or title with a foreign governmental entity (including certain universities), and from receiving compensation and certain gifts from a foreign government and (2) the Foreign Gifts and Decorations Act will restrict your receipt of gifts from foreign governmental entities (including certain universities), although compensation for services is generally permitted.  You will be required to complete the Foreign Activities Questionnaire (HHS 697) prior to your appointment and annually throughout your term. You may review the Foreign Activities Questionnaire here.  NIH Committees subject to the Emoluments Clause can be found here.

To reduce the influence of special interests, agencies may not appoint federally registered lobbyists to serve on Committees/Boards.  The prohibition on the appointment of lobbyists applies to SGEs, and for the purposes of this policy, includes any individual who is subject to the registration and reporting requirements of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995, as amended (2 USC 1605). Therefore, you will be required to certify that you are not a Federally-registered lobbyist prior to your appointment and annually throughout your term. You may review the policy and certification form at this link.

On September 30, 2024, NIH released the Final NIH Scientific Integrity Policy, effective December 30, 2024. The final policy articulates the procedures and processes in place at NIH that help maintain rigorous scientific integrity practices. Additionally, the final policy also describes several new functions to further enhance scientific integrity at NIH and throughout the biomedical research enterprise.  The Policy is applicable to advisory committee members in their capacity as Special Government Employees.  Please review the Policy here.  It is aligned with the HHS Scientific Integrity Policy here, released on September 30, 2024, and effective October 16, 2024.  FAQs and other guidance will be available on the NIH Office of Science Policy website here.

In addition to completing these forms, once appointed, you will have several obligations during the year, such as updating your OGE 450 report and Foreign Activities Questionnaire, completing annual ethics training, and re-certifying that you are not a federally-registered lobbyist.

If you are interested in serving after reviewing these requirements, you will be asked by the NIH official, IC CMO, or DFO for the following documents and information: 

• Current version of your curriculum vitae (CV) or resume
• Place of birth and residential address (if this information is listed on your CV, please disregard)
• Name and contact information for your assistant (if applicable)
• Your preferred email address and any other email addresses
• Your eCommons ID (username)