The Department of Energy (DOE) published a final rule in the Federal Register on July 16, 2026, amending its Financial Assistance Regulations to establish new conflict-of-interest and conflict-of-commitment policy requirements for non-federal entities that apply for or receive DOE financial assistance awards, such as grants and cooperative agreements.

For organizations that receive DOE grant funding — including universities, national laboratory partners, and other non-federal research and program recipients — the rule standardizes disclosure requirements applicable to financial assistance applications and awards. It sets out responsibilities, general rules, and procedures for non-federal entities to identify, evaluate, resolve, and report conflicts of interest, conflicts of commitment, and organizational conflicts of interest connected to their DOE financial assistance activity.

The rule is filed under docket DOE-HQ-2024-0029 and regulation identifier number (RIN) 1991-AC18. It was published as a final rule with an effective date of August 17, 2026, giving affected recipients roughly one month from publication to prepare for compliance.

The rule applies specifically to financial assistance instruments rather than procurement contracts, so it is distinct from DOE's acquisition-regulation conflict-of-interest requirements that apply to contractors under the Federal Acquisition Regulation. Organizations that hold both DOE contracts and DOE financial assistance awards should review which set of requirements applies to each instrument.

Source: Federal Register