Educational Requirements for Special Volunteers in the NIH Visiting Program
Special Volunteers (SV) in the NIH Visiting Program must meet the same degree requirements as trainees in the
NIH Visiting Fellow Program. Specifically, they must either have completed a doctoral or equivalent terminal degree or be enrolled in a doctoral or equivalent terminal degree program. For more information, review the Policy Statement on our
website.
Required Signatures for Special Volunteer Forms
Form 590 – must be signed by the Scientific Director. This signature cannot be delegated per OIR.
Special Volunteer Agreement – signature may be delegated to the following:
- Scientific Director
- Deputy SD
- Principal AO
- Lab/Branch Chief
if the Lab/Branch Chief has oversight of other IRP PIs in the lab beside themselves
If the SV is employed by an outside organization, the outside employer must also sign the
Special Volunteer Agreement.
Special Volunteers who are Employees of Outside Organizations
The
Special Volunteer Manual Chapter states that “Volunteer services may not be accepted from individuals who are: … paid employees of outside organizations who are not on sabbaticals or leaves of absence." This applies to employees of both U.S.
and foreign organizations.
In order to onboard as SVs, scientists who are employed by outside organizations must provide a letter from their employer with:
- An attestation that the scientist is on a sabbatical or leave of absence;
- A description of the SV activities; and
- The dates and duration (i.e. number of hours per week) of the SV assignment.
For those inside the U.S.: an
authorization letter.
Since scientists in the U.S. who hold H-1B, O-1, TN, F-1 STEM OPT or other employment-based visa classifications are required by regulation to be employed, they generally are unable to participate in the Visiting Program as Special Volunteers.
DIS recommends that ICOs consider other Non-FTE designations, such as Guest Researcher or Research Collaborator, for these individuals.
Converting from Paid Designation to Special Volunteer
Upon completing their training or employment at NIH, certain scientists may wish to remain at NIH in an unpaid capacity, commonly as a Special Volunteer. These conversions require a
complete case be submitted to DIS. DIS reviews these requests closely. The NIH Sourcebook provides clear guidance for eligibility requirements and policies for all unpaid designations. See the manual chapters for
Guest Researchers/Special Volunteers and
Research Collaborators for full details. In addition to the NIH policy requirements, DIS ensures the requested designations are compliant with immigration regulations. Approval of such requests is contingent on meeting all policy and immigration requirements and is not guaranteed.
NIH trainees, employees, and unpaid assignees are generally unable to participate in NIH programs from abroad. For collaborators outside the U.S., alternate access such as “Box" or “InCommon" should be explored. Exemptions to the PIV badge requirement must be approved by the IC's Executive Officer (EO) and submitted to the OCIO InfoSec program for review and final approval.
Revised 11/2024
