Travel Policy for International Assessment Activities
Overview
Limited funds are available to support travel by non-Federal U.S. scientists to participate in authors’ meetings, expert meetings, and workshops of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and panel and select chapter meetings for the Ozone Science and Effects Panels for the Montreal Protocol (informally referred to in this document as the Ozone Assessment Panel - OAP). The funds are made available by the Subcommittee on Global Change Research (SGCR) of the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources (CENR), a component of the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), which provides overall direction and executive oversight of the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), to ensure active participation of non-Federal U.S. scientists in international climate and ozone assessments. Administration of the fund is overseen by the U.S. Coordination Office of the IPCC, in cooperation with relevant IPCC and OAP steering groups. Funds are managed and dispersed by the Joint Office for Science Support (JOSS) of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR).
Eligibility
U.S. citizens who are not employees of the Federal Government and are serving as lead authors of IPCC or OAP assessments1, who are serving as review editors2 of IPCC assessments, or who have been invited to participate in OAP panel reviews and IPCC workshops.3
Application of Travel Funds
Funds are not anticipated to be sufficient to support all U.S. scientists who are eligible to receive travel support for IPCC and OAP meetings. Invited participants are encouraged to obtain funding for travel through other mechanisms (e.g., assessment/outreach supplements to existing research grants) when possible.
All travel expenditures via the USGCRP Non-Federal Travel Fund must be made in accordance with established UCAR travel policy (see http://www.joss.ucar.edu/policies/index.html). In the case of discrepancies, the travel policy herein takes precedence. In all cases, airline tickets must be purchased through a mechanism consistent with UCAR rules and requirements.
UCAR-JOSS makes all travel arrangements at the lowest airfare available on U.S. contract carriers. UCAR-JOSS determines allowable per diem based on the U.S. State Department or GSA per diem rates. Instructions on how to complete travel vouchers and the forms themselves are forwarded by JOSS personnel.
Business-class tickets cannot be considered. For medical exceptions substantiated by proper backup documentation (doctor’s statement on the practice letterhead), travelers can request that upgradeable tickets be purchased at incremental additional cost to the lowest airfare available. In this case, the cost of the upgradeable ticket is covered. Travelers are required to upgrade to business class using their own frequent flyer mileage or on a cost-reimbursable basis to UCAR-JOSS. If travelers with documented medical needs do not have access to upgrades (e.g., unable to upgrade on a foreign code share), support will be limited to 150% of the price of the lowest fare, coach-class ticket applied toward the purchase of a business-class ticket. Benchmark funding levels will be determined within 1 week of travel authorizations being issued.
UCAR policy requires that all UCAR-supported international travel adhere to the Fly America Act. Note that the Act is a U.S. law, not a UCAR policy. In accordance with the Act, the most direct and normal routing on a U.S.-owned carrier is used. Preferred itineraries can be accommodated (involving different U.S.-owned carriers or less direct routing); however, the traveler then assumes responsibility for any and all additional costs of the Act-compliant airline ticket. If the preferred routing incurs additional per diem and overnight lodging, the traveler will not be reimbursed for these additional costs.
**All UCAR supported international travel must be arranged through UCAR's contracted travel agency, Boulder Travel, to ensure Fly America Act compliance.**
Eligibility decisions made by staff of the U.S. Coordination Office of the IPCC are final.
Supported Travel
Travel to the following categories of meetings can be supported:
- Ozone Science and Effects Panel meetings
- Scoping meetings, lead authors meetings4, or synthesis core writing teams of IPCC Working Groups preparing Technical Papers, Special Reports, or the Fifth Assessment Report
- Lead authors’ in IPCC plenaries at which IPCC reports are to be discussed and approved
- Participants in IPCC workshops
- Participants in IPCC expert meetings.
Process
IPCC Lead Authors Meetings - All non-Federal U.S. scientists appointed by the IPCC as coordinating lead authors, lead authors, and review editors for any of the three Working Group contributions to IPCC reports and technical papers will be eligible for travel support to lead authors’ meetings. It may be necessary for convening lead authors to prioritize participation of lead authors if funds are not sufficient to support all requests. Contributing authors are not eligible for support.
OAP Panel Meetings - All non-Federal U.S. authors identified by the chairs of the Ozone Science and Effects Panels will be eligible for travel support to authors meetings. It may be necessary for the chairs to prioritize participation of attendees if funds are not sufficient to support all requests.
IPCC Plenaries - Non-Federal U.S. coordinating lead authors, lead authors, or review editors may be requested to attend IPCC plenary sessions wherein draft reports are approved. These individuals will be identified by the Summary for Policymakers (SPM) writing team, in consultation with the IPCC chair, the Secretary of the IPCC, and relevant Working Group co-chairs.
IPCC Workshops - Non-Federal U.S. scientists invited to participate in IPCC workshops may apply for travel support. Workshop organizers [i.e., the Science Steering Committee (SSC), the host(s), and the lead TSU] will advise the U.S. Coordination Office of the IPCC of their priorities for U.S. participation, based on (i) the role of the scientist at the workshop and (ii) the relevance of the applicant’s academic and professional background to workshop objectives. Workshop speakers will be given priority; however, these individuals are encouraged to investigate other funding mechanisms so that the U.S. Coordination Office of the IPCC can ensure the participation of as many non-Federal U.S. experts as possible.
IPCC Expert Meetings - Funds for IPCC expert meetings are extremely limited. Decisions on support of expert meetings (e.g., IPCC Task Groups) will be made on an ad hoc basis, with advice from relevant convening lead authors, Working Group co-chairs, and TSU heads.
End Notes
| 1 | The term “assessment” includes periodic, comprehensive, international assessment activities (e.g., the Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion, the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report), Special Reports (e.g., Aviation and the Global Atmosphere), or Technical Papers (e.g., Climate Change and Water). The latter two categories are IPCC projects initiated at the request of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC); see the IPCC Rules and Procedures for more detail on documentation requirements. |
| 2 | The position of “review editor” was created by the IPCC at its 13th Plenary (September 1997), as described in Decision 7 on the IPCC Third Assessment Report. Responsibilities include assisting the Working Group Bureaux in identifying reviewers for the “expert” review process; ensuring that all substantive expert and government review comments are afforded appropriate consideration; advising lead authors on how to handle contentious/controversial issues; and ensuring genuine scientific controversies are reflected adequately in the text. |
| 3 | The term “workshop” refers to meetings on selected topics that have been officially approved by the IPCC plenary and requiring Government nominations to be eligible for participation. |
| 4 | The term “lead authors’ meeting” applies to Working Group-wide meetings involving scientists from all chapters of a Working Group contribution to a comprehensive assessment, or from a Special Report or Technical Paper. |
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