Annual Report on Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures
Canadian Institutes of Health Research 2021 - 2022
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, 2022.
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, 2022
Expenditure category |
Expenditures for year ended March 31, 2022 ($ thousands) |
Expenditures for year ended March 31, 2021 ($ thousands) |
Variance ($ thousands) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travel | |||
Operational activities |
$2.00 |
$2.00 |
$0.00 |
Key stakeholders |
$0.00 |
$0.00 |
$0.00 |
Internal governance |
$0.00 |
$0.00 |
$0.00 |
Training |
$0.00 |
$0.00 |
$0.00 |
Other |
$0.00 |
-$1.00 |
$1.00 |
| A. Total travel | $2.00 |
$1.00 |
$1.00 |
| B. Hospitality | $0.00 |
$1.00 |
-$1.00 |
| C. Conference fees | $67.00 |
$9.00 |
$58.00 |
| Total [A+B+C] | $69.00 |
$11.00 |
$58.00 |
| 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:
Typically, a large proportion of CIHR's travel expenditures is incurred to facilitate face-to-face peer review meetings, which are necessary to fulfill CIHR's mandate. However, due to the ongoing pandemic in fiscal year 2021-22, departmental travel essentially ceased due to the COVID-19 pandemic and related government travel restrictions. The peer review meetings were again held virtually in fiscal year 2021-22. This is consistent with departmental travel expenditures incurred in fiscal year 2020-21 which were also significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hospitality:
Given the COVID-19 pandemic situation, the need for the provision of hospitality essentially ceased in fiscal year 2021-22, which led to a significant decrease in departmental hospitality expenditures. Typically, a large proportion of CIHR’s hospitality expenditures is incurred to facilitate face-to-face peer review meetings, which are necessary for fulfilling CIHR’s mandate. However, due to the pandemic, the peer review meetings were again held virtually in fiscal year 2021-22. This is consistent with departmental hospitality expenditures incurred in fiscal year 2020-21 which were also significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Conference fees:
Compared to fiscal year 2020-21, departmental conference fee expenditures increased significantly (by $58K or 644%) in fiscal year 2021-22, which is similar to pre-pandemic conference expenditure amounts. Most conferences that were previously cancelled or postponed in 2020-21 due to the COVID-19 pandemic resumed in 2021-22 in a virtual format. This, in turn, allowed for increased attendance at conferences despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Also, as pandemic restrictions eased in the latter part of fiscal year 2021-22, some in-person conferences resumed which further increased conference expenditures for fiscal year 2021-22 due to increased participation.Minister and minister’s exempt staff - International travel:
N/A