Annual Report on Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures
Canadian Institutes of Health Research 2012 - 2013
As required by the Treasury Board Directive on Travel, Hospitality, Conference and Event Expenditures, this report provides information on travel, hospitality and conference expenditures for Canadian Institutes of Health Research for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013.
Travel, hospitality and conference expenditures incurred by a federal department or agency relate to activities that support the department or agency’s mandate and the government’s priorities.
Mandate:
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)'s travel, hospitality and conference expenditures support the delivery of the following core programs and services to Canadians:
• A mandate to excel, according to internationally accepted standards of scientific excellence, in the creation of new knowledge and its translation into improved health for Canadians, more effective health services and products and a strengthened Canadian health care system.
• CIHR is the Government of Canada's health research funding agency. Peer and merit review committees are used to determine which candidates are eligible to receive funding in the form of grants and awards. It is an established practice at CIHR to extend hospitality to peer and merit review committee members.
• CIHR recognizes the valuable voluntary contribution that peer and merit review committee members and others provide in the evaluation of the numerous grants and awards applications received from applicants during the course of a given fiscal year and the important role they play as advisors in support of our various initiatives. The value of these contributions far outweighs the cost of the hospitality events offered to these volunteers.
• Further details on CIHR's authority, mandate and program activities can be found in the Departmental Performance Report (http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/37798.html) and the Report on Plans and Priorities (http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/37798.html).
Canadian Institutes of Health Research Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures for Year ending March 31, 2013
Expenditure category |
Expenditures for year ended March 31, 2013 ($ thousands) |
Expenditures for year ended March 31, 2012 ($ thousands) |
Variance ($ thousands) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travel | |||
Public Servants |
$644.00 |
$571.00 |
$73.00 |
Non-public Servants |
$2,446.00 |
$2,627.00 |
$73.00 |
| A. Total travel | $3,090.00 |
$571.00 |
-$181.00 |
| B. Hospitality | $413.00 |
$470.00 |
-$57.00 |
| C. Conference fees | $33.00 |
$57.00 |
-$24.00 |
| Total [A+B+C] | $3,536.00 |
$3,725.00 |
-$189.00 |
| International travel by minister and minister's staff (included in travel) | $0.00 |
$0.00 |
$0.00 |
Explanation of significant variances compared with previous fiscal year
Total travel:
Public Servants: Compared to fiscal year 2011-12, departmental travel expenditures by public servants increased by $73K (or 13%) due to increased travel for staff in support of the proposed reforms to CIHR's peer review process as described in CIHR's Strategic Plan, Health Research Roadmap: Creating innovative research for better health and health care (http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/40490.html).
Non-Public Servants: Compared to fiscal year 2011-12, departmental travel expenditures by non-public servants decreased by $181K (or 7%) due to austerity measures implemented by CIHR and the increased use of virtual peer review.
Hospitality:
Compared to fiscal year 2011-12, departmental hospitality expenditures decreased by $57K (or 12%) due to austerity measures implemented by CIHR and the increased use of virtual peer review.
Conference fees:
Compared to fiscal year 2011-12, departmental conference fees expenditures decreased significantly by $24K (or 42%) due to austerity measures implemented by CIHR.Minister and minister’s exempt staff - International travel:
-