Research & Innovation

Travel Policies

Travel refers to any travel undertaken by the faculty member, a postdoctoral fellow, research associate, staff or undergraduate or graduate student who is to be reimbursed from a research grant or contract administered by Ryerson. The travel must be undertaken for the purposes allowed in the research grant application or in the agreement between the University and the sponsor. Such travel might include: travel to present a paper at a scholarly conference, travel to supervise graduate students who are undertaking research in collaboration with the faculty member (grant holder), travel to meet with sponsors, field work, etc.

Where sponsors have their own travel expense policies, the policies of these bodies will have precedence providing the University agrees to this arrangement in advance and that it is clearly stated in any funding agreement. In the absence of a policy by a sponsor, University policies and rates apply.

Reimbursement for hotels, and other lodging will be limited to reasonable amounts in the particular circumstances and should not exceed the single occupancy rate. Employees should give due consideration to location and economy prior to making arrangements for accommodations. Receipts are required.

Claims for accommodations with friends or relatives must state the name, address and relationships (i.e. friend or relative).

Travel should be via the most direct route, but indirect routing can be approved by the appropriate signing authority if the cost does not exceed that for the direct route. If a travel fare can be obtained a a substantially lower rate than University sources, through advance purchase or minor changes to travel arrangements (e.g. extra night's accommodation), the traveler is encouraged to consider that alternative.

To arrange for a travel advance the PI is required to submit a signed Travel Advance Request, authorized by OVPRI/OIA a minimum of 7 working days before the planned trip. A Travel Expense Statement accompanied by original receipts to support expenditures or to refund any advanced funds not used, must be completed within 10 working days of the completion of the trip. This statement must also be signed by the PI and authorized by the Office of Research and Innovation (OVPRI) or the Office of International Affairs (OIA).

Procedures

Travel
Travel Advance and Expense Statements for research accounts are handled by OVPRI, however they must first be signed by the appropriate "one up" before they are forwarded to OVPRI.

One up examples

• The Award Holder is the one up if the traveler is a student
• The Chair is the one up if the traveler is the Award Holder
• The Chair is the one up if the traveler is a visiting researcher
• The Dean is the one up if the traveler is both Award Holder and Chair

Individuals claiming travel-related expenses from a grant must prepare a separate claim for each trip. For claimants other than the Award Holder, the affiliation with the Award Holder's research group must be specified. The one up signature confirms the relevance of the travel to the research being funded.

In order to receive a reimbursement for travel from a research account the following documentation is required:

Original tickets

• Details of daily claims for expenditures
• Details of any vehicle used
• Original receipts, such as hotel bills, car rental agreements (credit cards slips are not valid receipts)
• Boarding passes for travel by air
• If the travel was for a conference a copy of the conference program showing the dates of the conference
• If the travel is for research collaboration a list of the research collaborators and their relation to the project
• If the travel was for a field trip the details of the activities and dates are required
• A statement of relevance detailing the relationship of the travel to the research award

As the current Travel Advance and Expense Statement does not accommodate this information please complete, in addition, a Research Travel Authorization form when forwarding a request for an advance or reimbursement.

Where an advance has been requested, if the actual activities differ from the proposed activities originally outlined on the Research Travel Authorization form, a revised form must be submitted to OVPRI when the advance is reconciled.

On the rare occasion when original receipts have been lost travelers must complete a Lost Receipt Declaration .

Business Meal/Entertainment Expense

When claiming business meal expenses from a research grant attach a list of the names for whom expenses are being claimed and their relation to the research award.

Attach all original receipts to the Business Meal/Entertainment Expense form. Additional details of Ryerson travel procedures can be found in the Purchasing & Payment: Policies & Procedures

Ryerson University Travel Per Diem Rates
Canada and USA

Claims for Meals: Expenses for meals without supporting receipts, up to a maximum of the per diem allowance of $50.00 Canadian ($50.00 US when traveling in the United States), is allowed. Where meal costs are greater than the per diem allowance and, provided that receipts are provided, actual costs will be reimbursed, if approved by the signing authority. Faculty members are responsible for providing details of their business (research) travel. For example, if conference fees include some meals, then your request should discount meals included in the conference fees. If your travel begins after the breakfast hour or ends prior to the dinner hour, then the respective meal charge should not be included in your claim. NSERC, SSHRC and CIHR grant recipients should review the relevant guidelines on travel.

Purchasing & Payment: Policies & Procedures

Foreign Exchange Converter

Changes Regarding Travel and Networking Expenses Charged to Research Awards

Ryerson is implementing changes to the way in which we handle travel and business meal/networking expenses claimed from research accounts. These procedures will apply to all travel and business meal/networking funded by research awards.

Travel

Travel Advance and Expense Statements for research accounts will continue to be handled by OVPRI, however they must first be signed by the appropriate “one up” before they are forwarded to OVPRI. One up examples

• The Award Holder is the one up if the traveler is a student
• The Chair is the one up if the traveler is the Award Holder
• The Chair is the one up if the traveler is a visiting researcher
• The Dean is the one up if the traveler is both Award Holder and Chair

Individuals claiming travel-related expenses from a grant must prepare a separate claim for each trip. For claimants other than the Award Holder, the affiliation with the Award Holder's research group must be specified. The one up signature confirms the relevance of the travel to the research being funded. In order to receive a reimbursement for travel from a research account the following documentation is required:

• Original tickets
• details of daily claims for expenditures
• details of any vehicle used
• original receipts, such as hotel bills, car rental agreements (credit cards slips are not valid receipts)
• Boarding passes for travel by air
• If the travel was for a conference a copy of the conference program showing the dates of the conference
• If the travel is for research collaboration a list of the research collaborators and their relation to the project
• If the travel was for a field trip the details of the activities and dates are required
• A statement of relevance detailing the relationship of the travel to the research award

As the current Travel Advance and Expense Statement does not accommodate this information please complete, in addition, the Research Travel Authorization form  when forwarding a request for an advance or reimbursement. Where an advance has been requested, if the actual activities differ from the proposed activities originally outlined on the Research Travel Authorization form , a revised form must be submitted to OVPRI when the advance is reconciled. On the rare occasion when original receipts have been lost travelers must complete the Lost Receipt Declaration.

Business Meal/Entertainment Expense

When claiming business meal expenses from a research grant attach a list of the names for whom expenses are being claimed and their relation to the research award. Attach all original receipts to the Business Meal/Entertainment Expense form.

Further information regarding the forms

The forms are in Microsoft Word forms. Simply tab from one field to the next. Acrobat versions of the forms will be available shortly. All forms will be posted on the Research and Innovation website and on the Financial Services website.