Recommendations on Managing Connection Grants
You are reading this because you are considering applying or have won a Connection grant. Thank you for time and dedication to enriching the research culture at the University of Windsor and raising our prestige in the greater academic community.
While organizing a conference can be very gratifying and an excellent way to enhance the University’s profile and build your research networks, managing expenses conferences is labour intensive and often frustrating, particularly if you end up with considerable charges on your personal credit card.
To ensure that you can process your expenses smoothly, without incurring personal expenses, I offer some suggestions.
As soon as you receive your grant, request a meeting with Isabel Giurdanella in account payable (isabel.giurdanella@uwindsor.ca) and Julia Tarantola in research finances (Julia.Tarantola@uwindsor.ca) to discuss your options. Both are very knowledgeable, and they are happy to offer support.
Here are a few things to consider.
a) Option 1:
To book travel, the easiest option is to do it using a Departmental Business Travel Account (BTA). This account can be used to book 3rd party travel, such as conference keynote speakers, or workshop/symposium participants. Please note that it has a limit of $15,000.
Please note: if your Department does not have a BTA, they should get one. Each cardholder is required to complete the mandatory online BTA Card Training Program and Quiz. Once the online training program and quiz have been completed, a BTA Card Application and submit it to the Purchasing Department. Isabel Giurdanella assured me that the training and the application are easy to complete.
b) Option 2:
You can also use your personal Scotiabank Travel card to book travel. However, you will be responsible for paying the balance when you receive a bank statement. If you choose this option, it is possible to request that an advance be paid to your department’s PDF account and use this advance to pay the card balance. Isabel Giurdanella can guide you through this process. Also, make sure you purchase travel insurance.
c) Option 3:
You can also request that conference participants cover their travel expenses to be reimbursed after the event. To process these reimbursements, add individuals attending the conference into the finance system as suppliers in advance of your event to expedite payment. Please let your participants know that reimbursements may take up to several months but if they complete and submit all required paperwork in a timely manner and in advance, the reimbursement will be speedier.
The Research Finance office requires a PO06 form, approved payment requisitions and the receipts/boarding passes and conference itinerary to support the refund. Research finance can expedite payment on the first run following the conference as long as Accounts Payable has all the necessary information and documents to move forward with the payment. It’s cumbersome, but if you have an assistant to help you out, it is a viable option.
University of Windsor has corporate accounts with Double Tree hotels, Holiday Express Waterfront, and Best Western Waterfront, and they offer direct bill for the hotel accommodations, so no credit card is required.
Please contact
Brian Yeomans
brian@windsor-hotel.ca
tel. (519) 977-9777
Isabel Giurdanella can also provide you with names and contact information of other vendors. Before signing a contract with a hotel sales office, please clear it with Isabel. If a hotel reservation requires a deposit, deposits can also be charged directly to the University.
Food ordered directly from University Catering can be charged to the research account.
In all other cases, the expenses are to be charged to a personal credit card and subsequently submitted as an expense claim on uwinsite finance.
Please make sure that these expenses are eligible. For instance, SSHRC does not cover alcoholic drinks.
To pay an honorarium to a speaker, you would first need to set them up as a supplier.
To add a supplier into the system, please follow these steps.
All suppliers requesting payments in Canadian or US funds must then submit the appropriate Supplier Direct Deposit form to suppliers_uwinsite@uwindsor.ca. These payments are automatically and securely deposited into a designated bank account, with an automated e-mail remittance advice sent to the specified e-mail account as confirmation of payment being deposited.
Further details regarding US dollar payments made to US Suppliers can be found here.
Finally, to request payment from your research account to the payee, please follow these steps.
Updated: February 7, 2025