Updated Travel Pre-Approval Form (August 2024)
The Travel Pre-Approval Form is required when you will be submitting Research travel expenses for reimbursement. Please ensure you review section 3.3 of the WCH expense reimbursement policy last updated, July 31, 2024 regarding appropriate and acceptable considerations around travel requests.
This form is used to provide an estimate of expenses for pre-approval, and is required when submitting a disbursement requisition for travel-related expenses. Submit the completed form to Kathleen Hamilton who will coordinate necessary signatures. As of July 31, 2024, Director, Research Operations approval is required for travel within North America, and VP, Academics approval is required for travel outside of North America.
Please note, expenses related to meals on this form are an estimate, not an allowance. Itemized receipts along with the signed Pre-Approval form are required when submitting disbursement requisitions for travel expenses. Please review the section on Meals on page 5 of the expense reimbursement policy. Submit the completed form and back-up documentation, including screenshots of flights, accommodations, conference registration, and any other pertinent travel details to Kathleen Hamilton.
The Travel pre-approval form can be accessed here.
Commonly used forms
Travel Pre-Approval Form
This form is required when you will be submitting travel expenses for reimbursement. Please ensure you review WCH expense reimbursement policy. The form is used to provide an estimate of expenses for pre-approval, and is required when submitting a disbursement requisition for travel-related expenses. Submit the completed form and back-up documentation, including screenshots of flights, accommodations, conference registration, and any other pertinent travel details to Kathleen Hamilton.
Please note, expenses related to meals on this form are an estimate, not an allowance. Itemized receipts are required when submitting disbursement requisitions for travel expenses. Please review the section on Meals on page 5 of the expense reimbursement policy.
Travel pre-approval form can be accessed here.
Cost Centre Opening Request Form
The Cost Centre Opening Request Form is available here. Supporting documents for the request differ based on the funding source.
If the funding is being provided directly from a Grantor as a result of a grant competition (e.g. CIHR, Heart and Stroke, etc):
- PID from the WCH Grants Office
- WCH REB/APQIP Approval Letter (or REB Exemption Letter**) – in case of CTO, Centre Approval Letter*
- Grant Award Letter (e.g. CIHR Authorization of Funding Letter) or Fully Executed Research Contract if required by funder
- Copy of the approved budget
If the funding source is industry (e.g. for a clinical trial or industry grant) or sub-granted through another institution where a Research Contract is required:
- Fully Executed copy of the Research Contract (including the budget)
- WCH REB/APQIP Approval Letter (or REB Exemption Letter**) – in case of CTO, Centre Approval Letter*
If the funding source is WCH Foundation:
- WCH REB/APQIP Approval Letter (or REB Exemption Letter**) – in case of CTO, Centre Approval Letter*
- Confirmation of funding from WCH Foundation (email confirmation is acceptable)
- Copy of the approved budget (if available)
*There may be cases where the requirement maybe exempted – please see Note 2 of the Cost Centre Opening Request Form.
**Visit the REB page for more information on REB Exemptions
Once these documents are in place you can reach out to Kathleen Hamilton open a new Cost Centre for your study.
Disbursement Requisition Form
This form is used for requesting reimbursement related to travel expenses and purchases made on a personal credit card. This form is used to pay employees (not to be used to pay external vendors) in accordant with the hospital’s expense reimbursement policy. Include all receipts with your submission. Please ensure travel expenses are in alignment with the hospital’s expense reimbursement policy, and that you have previously filled out the Travel Pre-Approval Form. Contact Kathleen Hamilton to coordinate Katharine Schwartz’s signature.
The Disbursement requisition can be accessed here.
Expense Transfer Form
This form is used to move funds for an expense from one cost centre (internal order) to another. It is also referred to as an Internal Transfer or Journal Transfer form. Contact Kathleen Hamilton to coordinate Katharine Schwartz’s signature.
Internal Transfers form can be accessed here.
Ordering through Procurement System
Mohawk MedBuy (MMC) is our procurement system used for ordering supplies and services.
Check with your research team if they have a MMC account, if not, send requests to Kathleen Hamilton (provide your cost centre and a quote for the item/service you’re requesting).
There are certain regulations for purchasing more expensive items/services to show due diligence. Please consult the WCH Purchasing Policy on the intranet.
Corporate Credit Card
Corporate card should be used for payment of subscriptions, events and honorariums. Supplies should be purchased with a Plexxus account.
For authorization, email Daniel Jin and cc Kathleen with the request details, including Cost Centre to be charged, Account Code, and relevant invoices. Once authorization is obtained, contact Kathleen for card information if needed. All receipts must be sent to Kathleen to reconcile.
Please email your request with the following information:
Study / Project and REB#:
PI:
Cost Centre:
Account Code:
Expense (Details and total value):
Invoices
To submit an invoice for payment, add the Cost Centre and Account Code to the invoice. Submit the signed invoice to Accounts Payable.
- For invoices over $5,000 please send to Kathleen Hamilton to coordinate Katharine Schwartz’s signature. Please include relevant supporting documentation.
- Invoices less than $5,000 should be signed by the PI and submitted directly to Accounts Payable. Please include relevant supporting documentation.
Policies:
- Capital Policy*
- Purchasing Policy*
- Signing Authority Policy*
- Signing Officers Policy*
- Expense Reimbursement Policy
Forms:
- Cost Centre Change Authorization Form
- Deposit Request (cheque or cash deposit to the cashier)
- Disbursement Requisition (issuance of cheques for payments with no invoices)
- Focus Group Honorarium
- Foundation Funds Request Form
- Internal Transfers (revenue/cost transfers)
- Invoice Template
- Petty Cash Form*
- Request New Research Cost Centre
- Recurring Disbursement
- Travel pre-approval form
*These forms are hosted on the intranet. Please ensure you’re onsite or connected through VPN in order to access.
FAQs
Teams need to submit the Cost Centre Opening Request Form (Research) as well as supporting documents.
If the funding is being provided directly from a Grantor as a result of a grant competition (e.g. CIHR, Heart and Stroke, etc):
-
- PID from the WCH Grants Office
-
- WCH REB/APQIP Approval Letter (or REB Exemption Letter**) – in case of CTO, Centre Approval Letter*
-
- Grant Award Letter (e.g. CIHR Authorization of Funding Letter) or Fully Executed Research Contract if required by funder
-
- Copy of the approved budget
If the funding source is industry (e.g. for a clinical trial or industry grant) or sub-granted through another institution where a Research Contract is required:
-
-
- WCH REB/APQIP Approval Letter (or REB Exemption Letter**) – in case of CTO, Centre Approval Letter*
- Fully Executed copy of the Research Contract (including the budget)
-
If the funding source is WCH Foundation:
-
- WCH REB/APQIP Approval Letter (or REB Exemption Letter**) – in case of CTO, Centre Approval Letter*
-
- Confirmation of funding from WCH Foundation (email confirmation is acceptable)
-
- Copy of the approved budget (if available)
*There may be cases where the requirement maybe exempted – please see Note 2 of the Cost Centre Opening Request Form.
**Visit the REB page for more information on REB Exemptions
Once these documents are in place you can reach out to Kathleen Hamilton open a new Cost Centre for your study.
Women’s College Hospital (WCH) requires that all research involving humans receive WCH Research Ethics Board (REB) approval prior to such research being undertaken, in concordance with the Tri-Council Policy Statement Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans, article 6.11. When research involving humans is funded, WCH REB approval must be in place before the hospital will grant access to the funds to the principal investigator.
The Agreement on the Administration of Agency Grants and Awards by Research Institutions between the Tri-Council and WCH states that the hospital shall “ensure, through the use of financial or other controls, that the Institution’s research ethics board (“REB”), or an REB designated by the Institution, has approved the research project before research activities involving humans have commenced, and that REB approval is maintained as long as activities involving humans are carried out. Where appropriate controls are in place, all Grant funds may be released prior to (or pending) REB approval.” (Section 4.3(d)). This federal Tri-Council standard is applied to all research funding awarded to WCH researchers and held at the hospital.
In exceptional circumstances where the principal investigator requires authorization to expend the part of their research funding that will cover only activities to be undertaken before research involving humans (that is, before WCH REB review and approval is required), WCH cost centres can be opened at the discretion of the Director, Research Operations. The reasons for such request should be documented in detail under the Cost Centre Exemption section within the Cost Centre Request Opening Form. The researchers must acknowledge and attest that they will not conduct any research involving humans until after REB approval for the project has been obtained, nor will they expend any research funds on activities that require REB review and approval.
There is an web based tool called Questica that PIs and their teams can use to view the financials for each one of the research grants that they hold. The link is http://wcdptqstcaprd01/Questica_PROD/mainDashboard.aspx
To gain access, please contact Merlin Thomas. Note that security controls are assigned per PI
It works best in Google Chrome, and you must be on the WCH network (either onsite or through VPN).
Please use the Internal Transfer Form, send to Merlin Thomas with back-up documentation.
Business Office 3rd Floor Room 3242
Please note that the following items are required for cheque submissions:
- Physical cheque
- Supporting documentation for cheque (invoice, letter, email, contract, etc.)
- The cost centre number (41XXXXXXX)
- Contact information
Note: All cheques should be addressed to:
Women’s College Hospital – Attn: Research Finance Room 6131
76 Grenville Street Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1B2
**Supporting Documentation must confirm where cheques are to be deposited to.
Work with Merlin Thomas to determine the expense amount for claim. Complete the Foundation Request Form and get the signatures and submit to Women’s College Hospital Foundation.
Always include proof of purchase for reimbursement (i.e. Transaction receipts and credit card statement) especially if purchase is of foreign currency.
Reimbursement must have itemized original receipts included. Lost receipts will not be reimbursed.
WCH does not provide financial support for this type of recognition, including gifts, catering or decorations and will not reimburse individuals for expenses incurred. In the case of bereavement, flowers may be appropriate, managers to apply their own discretion. Grants are not allowed to be used to fund Staff Appreciation Events. WCH supports gifts to staff members and celebrations through approved programs (long-term service awards etc.).
Credit card statements are used to verify foreign currency conversions and when receipts provided do no show a zero balance. The credit card statement must be used to verify how much was spent.
Contact
For further information related to research finance please contact:
- Mariela Gregory, Academics Finance Manger, Mariela.Gregory@wchospital.ca
- Merlin Thomas, Research Financial Analyst, Merlin.Thomas@wchospital.ca
For more information on cost centres, please contact:
- Kathleen Hamilton, Research Operations Assistant Kathleen.Hamilton@wchospital.ca