Annual Report on Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada 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 Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada 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:
As required by the Treasury Board Directive on Travel, Hospitality, Conference and Event Expenditures (DTHCEE), this report provides information on the total annual expenditures for each of travel, hospitality and conferences by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2020. It also provides the variance explanations for the previous fiscal year in each of these areas.
This information is updated annually and does not contain information withheld under the Access to Information Act or the Privacy Act.
NSERC’s purpose is to help make Canada a country of discoverers and innovators for the benefit of all Canadians, by supporting postsecondary students and postdoctoral fellows in their advanced studies, promoting discovery by funding the research programs of academic researchers, and stimulating partnerships between academia and industry. Further information on the NSERC mandate and program activities can be found in NSERC’s 2019-20 Departmental Plan.
NSERC’s program delivery is centered on a peer review model. External experts from across the country and around the world contribute their time and expertise to adjudicate grant proposals as well as scholarship and fellowship applications, with the aim of funding excellence for the benefit of Canada. The vast majority of NSERC’s travel and hospitality expenses are to support this peer review process.
NSERC’s total annual expenditures for travel, hospitality and conferences are summarized below:
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures for Year ending March 31, 2020
Expenditure category |
Expenditures for year ended March 31, 2020 ($ thousands) |
Expenditures for year ended March 31, 2019 ($ thousands) |
Variance ($ thousands) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travel | |||
Operational activities |
$2,025.00 |
$2,347.00 |
-$322.00 |
Key stakeholders |
$452.00 |
$612.00 |
-$160.00 |
Internal governance |
$8.00 |
$48.00 |
-$40.00 |
Training |
$61.00 |
$17.00 |
$44.00 |
Other |
$13.00 |
$17.00 |
-$4.00 |
| A. Total travel | $2,559.00 |
$3,041.00 |
-$482.00 |
| B. Hospitality | $231.00 |
$264.00 |
-$33.00 |
| C. Conference fees | $184.00 |
$234.00 |
-$50.00 |
| Total [A+B+C] | $2,974.00 |
$3,539.00 |
-$565.00 |
| 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:
Total travel expenditures have decreased as a result of various factors including the VIA rail trains’ cancelations in February 2020, weather conditions, the agency’s efforts to contribute to the Treasury Board Secretariat’s (TBS) Green Government Strategy, the winding down of projects relating to the Network Center of Excellence (NCE) program, and the emergence of COVID-19 in March 2020 impacting the attendance of committee members to NSERC’s adjudication events and staff travel.
Staff travel for training increased during 2019-20 as NSERC provided training in Ottawa for regional offices’ employees on the newly created Alliance program.
Hospitality:
These same factors contributed to the decline in hospitality fees resulting from low attendance and cancellation of some NSERC’s events. These cancelled events were related to the NCE program, such as the MitoNet, and the ArticNet expert panels.
Conference fees:
These same factors contributed to the decline in conference fees resulting from low attendance and cancellation of some NSERC’s events. These cancelled events were related to the NCE program, such as the MitoNet, and the ArticNet expert panels.Minister and minister’s exempt staff - International travel:
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