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SLAC Conflicts of Interest and Outside Activities

I. Requirements for Disclosing and Avoiding Conflicts of Interest

Conflicts of interest occur when employee outside activities could influence their professional conduct, including allocation of time and energy, due to considerations of personal gain (financial or otherwise).  SLAC employees are subject to applicable Stanford University policies on disclosing and avoiding conflicts of interest, as supplemented by DOE requirements. In addition to these policies, SLAC employees must obtain approval from SLAC management and the SLAC Director before starting certain outside employment or outside professional engagements as discussed in Section II.

In addition, University and DOE policies on conflict of interest generally prohibit of the following situations:

  • Use of privileged or proprietary information for personal gain or other unauthorized purposes
  • Use of SLAC or University-supported work, products, results, materials, property records, or information without authorization
  • Defining contract terms or specifications, obtaining procurement sensitive information, or serving as an evaluator or initiator relating to a requisition in which the employee has a personal interest
  • Acceptance (or giving) of gratuities or special favors from (or to) the DOE or private organizations or individuals with which SLAC or the University conducts business
  • Direct participation in career-related decisions of a relative, spouse, or member of one’s household who is also a SLAC employee
  • Current, future, or expected participation in a Foreign Government Talent Recruitment Program of a Foreign Country of Risk, or in a Foreign Government or Entity Sponsored or Affiliated Activity of a Foreign Country of Risk (for more information, please see DOE Definition of "Foreign Country of Risk" and Attachment 1- DOE Order 486.1A (SLAC login required))
  • Non-compliance with or performance of work outside the parameters of other sponsor disclosure requirements, if applicable to the employee's work

SLAC/DOE requirements are in addition to Stanford requirements and in some ways are more stringent than Stanford requirements. SLAC/DOE requirements apply to all SLAC faculty and staff, Stanford/SLAC joint appointments, principal investigators (PIs) for SLAC/DOE projects, and Stanford faculty who receive funding through SLAC/DOE.

For more information, please see SLAC Guidelines for Avoiding Personal Conflicts of Interest and Frequently Asked Questions (SLAC login required).

II. Required Disclosure and Pre-Approval of Concurrent Employment or Professional Engagement

Concurrent outside employment or professional engagements can raise conflict of interest and conflict of commitment concerns.  SLAC employees who wish to engage in concurrent outside employment or a professional engagement must obtain pre-approval from their managers and the SLAC Director (or designee) before engaging in outside employment and professional engagements (including acquiring a significant financial interest in a firm) and demonstrate that the work poses no conflict of interest or commitment.  

To request pre-approval, go to your Outside Professional Activities Certification System (OPACS) Dashboard and “Add/Modify/Inactivate Outside Relationship.” New hires can access OPACS once assigned a SUNet ID; before then, be sure to discuss desired concurrent outside employment or professional engagements with the hiring manager, as pre-approval is required. Following pre-approval, approval is needed each year.

Before proceeding with concurrent outside employment or a professional engagement:

Stanford faculty working at SLAC are also subject to guidelines for outside consulting/engagements provided for in the Stanford Research Policy Handbook.

Please email conflictsofinterest@slac.stanford.edu with any questions.