Annual Report on Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures
Canadian Institutes of Health Research 2018 - 2019
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, 2019.
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 review committees are used to determine which candidates are eligible to receive funding in the form of grants and awards. The committees are made up of external experts from across the country and around the world who contribute their time and expertise to adjudicate grants and awards applications, with the aim of funding excellence for the benefit of Canada. The vast majority of CIHR’s travel and hospitality expenses are to support this peer review process. • Further details on CIHR’s authority, mandate and program activities can be found in the Department Plan (http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/37798.html) and the Departmental Results Report (http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/37798.html).
Canadian Institutes of Health Research Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures for Year ending March 31, 2019
Expenditure category |
Expenditures for year ended March 31, 2019 ($ thousands) |
Expenditures for year ended March 31, 2018 ($ thousands) |
Variance ($ thousands) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travel | |||
Operational activities |
$3,830.00 |
$3,837.00 |
-$7.00 |
Key stakeholders |
$143.00 |
$101.00 |
$42.00 |
Internal governance |
$79.00 |
$20.00 |
$59.00 |
Training |
$31.00 |
$97.00 |
-$66.00 |
Other |
$14.00 |
$16.00 |
-$2.00 |
| A. Total travel | $4,097.00 |
$4,071.00 |
$26.00 |
| B. Hospitality | $727.00 |
$603.00 |
$124.00 |
| C. Conference fees | $71.00 |
$53.00 |
$18.00 |
| Total [A+B+C] | $4,895.00 |
$4,727.00 |
$168.00 |
| 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:
Compared to fiscal year 2017-18, there was no significant variance in departmental travel expenditures (increase of $26,000 or 1%).
Hospitality:
Compared to fiscal year 2017-18, departmental hospitality expenditures increased by $124,000 or 21%. Approximately $70,000 of this increase is a result of the Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR) Summit which is held every 18 to 24 months and did not occur in the previous year. The conference provides opportunities for SPOR stakeholders to share knowledge and experiences, highlight successes and share lessons learned, and hear from experts.
The remaining $54,000 relates mainly to increased application pressure in the project scheme as compared to the prior year, requiring additional peer review meetings and therefore additional hospitality costs. CIHR covers hospitality expenditures for peer review meetings to enable and support the independent reviewers from across Canada who volunteer their time and expertise to contribute to CIHR’s peer review process. This peer review process is vital to ensuring that high quality, evidence-based research initiatives that respond to the changing health needs and priorities of Canadians receive the funding they need.
Conference fees:
Compared to fiscal year 2017-18, departmental conference fee expenditures increased by $18,000 or 34%. Approximately $6,000 of this increase is due to conference sponsorship from the President’s Fund which did not occur in the previous year as the position was vacant. There was also a new $7,500 table sponsorship at the Canadian Association for Health Services and Policy Research annual conference. The remaining increase is made up of small changes in the number of attendees at various conferences relevant across the organization.Minister and minister’s exempt staff - International travel:
N/A