September 2025
Introduction
CIRES Administration prepared this document to provide guidance to CIRES employees on honoraria, remuneration for service within an employee’s area of expertise, and contracting external to their CIRES appointment.
While CU Boulder Human Resources has a process for issuing honoraria for one-time services such as guest lectures and musical performances, guidance specific to CIRES employees—particularly regarding legal implications—is less clearly defined. This document aims to clarify those limitations and provide practical guidance for requesting honoraria or service fees when appropriate. It includes definitions, links to University resources, and concludes with guidance on external activities outside of a CIRES employee’s regular appointment.
Definitions
Honorarium
An honorarium (pl. honoraria) is a payment or award for a one-time contribution of professional expertise. Honoraria are typically unsolicited, provided to individuals outside the paying organization, and often issued after the service is completed. They are not intended to cover the full cost of services, but rather to recognize exceptional professional contributions. Examples include guest lectures, scientific panel reviews, protocol evaluations, public speaking engagements, or expert commentary for media outlets. Honoraria are not contractual and may not be legally enforceable if unpaid.
Service Fee (pertaining to outside work)
A service fee is compensation provided under a formal agreement for contracted services. These arrangements are pre-negotiated and may be initiated by the CIRES employee. Unlike honoraria, service fees involve documentation and are legally binding. Examples include consulting engagements, technical evaluations, or extended media collaborations.
CIRES Guidance Summary
CIRES employees may accept honoraria or service fees, provided these activities comply with University policies—particularly the Disclosure of External Professional Activities (DEPA) and the Faculty Consulting and External Professional Activities policy (commonly referred to as the“one-sixth rule” for teaching faculty), as long as that work is not performed as job duties for their established CU research faculty appointment.
The University considers certain service-related activities, such as peer review, to be part of a faculty member’s professional responsibilities. In these cases, honoraria are permitted and do not count toward the one-sixth limitation. These activities support federally funded research expectations and promote open science.
Depending on the nature of the work, CIRES employees may need to:
● Update their DEPA disclosure,
● Submit an Application for Approval of Consulting and Outside Work, and
● Include CU’s Standard Addendum for Consulting Agreements in any external contract.
For substantial external engagements—such as consulting for media outlets or participating in extended interviews—a formal consulting agreement and service fee may be appropriate. CIRES considers this external consulting and permits it, provided University policies and reporting requirements are followed. CU Venture Partners recommends attaching CU’s consulting addendum to any external agreement. This addendum ensures compliance with CU’s intellectual property policies. However, CU does not review or negotiate the full terms of external agreements. Employees are advised to seek personal legal counsel for any concerns beyond CU’s IP provisions.
Policy Highlights
All CU Boulder employees involved in research must complete a DEPA annually and update it within 30 days of any change or new activity.
Faculty Consulting and External Professional Activities (APS 1044)
This policy applies primarily to tenured and tenure-track faculty. While it does not directly address research faculty funded by external grants, CIRES researchers must still seek appropriate approval and ensure no conflict of interest arises. The Consulting Activities Matrix helps determine whether an online request is required. If approved consulting occurs during regular CU work hours, employees should use vacation time. Use of CU property for external work is generally not allowed; however, if that is the case, it must be disclosed and approved via the external consulting request form. This matrix lists a set of questions which aids employees in determining if the form needs to be completed.
Resources
CU Boulder provides several resources to help employees understand the implications and limitations of external professional activities:
● Disclosure of External Professional Activities (DEPA)
● APS 1044: Faculty Consulting and External Professional Activities
● RIO’s Application for Approval of Consulting and Outside Work
● RIO’s Guidance on Consulting, External Entities, and Foreign Activities
Questions?
Contact:
● Outside Consulting Activity: Contact Paul Myers, Director of Conflicts of Interest and Commitment
● DEPA and Conflicts of Interest: CIRES External Unfunded Research Agreements Team (ciresexporthelp@colorado.edu)