Annual Report on Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures

Canadian Institutes of Health Research 2019 - 2020

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, 2020.

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, 2020

Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures

Expenditure category

Expenditures for year ended March 31, 2020 ($ thousands)

Expenditures for year ended March 31, 2019 ($ thousands)

Variance ($ thousands)
Travel

Operational activities

$4,033.00

$3,830.00

$203.00

Key stakeholders

$109.00

$143.00

-$34.00

Internal governance

$77.00

$79.00

-$2.00

Training

$15.00

$31.00

-$16.00

Other

$12.00

$14.00

-$2.00
A. Total travel

$4,246.00

$4,097.00

$149.00
B. Hospitality

$644.00

$727.00

-$83.00
C. Conference fees

$59.00

$71.00

-$12.00
Total [A+B+C]

$4,949.00

$4,895.00

$54.00
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 2018-19, departmental travel expenditures increased by $149,000 or 4%. The majority of the increase is the result of additional international travel by CIHR’s senior management, primarily related to external stakeholder consultations for CIHR’s new Strategic Plan.

Hospitality:

Compared to fiscal year 2018-19, departmental hospitality expenditures decreased by $83,000 or 11%. Approximately $70,000 of this decrease 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 current year. The conference provides opportunities for SPOR stakeholders to share knowledge and experiences, highlight successes and share lessons learned, and hear from experts. A further $32,000 of the decrease relates to a number of peer review meetings which were held via teleconference instead of in person. CIHR covers hospitality expenditures for in person 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. These decreases were offset by insignificant increases in other areas, such as in hospitality extended by the President in the normal course of business (which did not occur in prior year while the position was vacant), as well as in hospitality provided at meetings of CIHR’s governing committees (for which frequency and number of attendees varies from year to year).

Conference fees:

Compared to fiscal year 2018-19, departmental conference fee expenditures decreased by $12,000 or 17%. Approximately $7,500 of this decrease is due to a table sponsorship at the Canadian Association for Health Services and Policy Research annual conference in 2018-19 which did not happen in the current year. An additional $2,500 of the decrease is a result of a conference cancelled in 2019-20 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The remaining decrease 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